The tree is secure once it’s locked in (I know this because it has survived numerous attempts by my cat to bring the whole ensemble down). A bell dings to let you know you’ve applied sufficient pressure, then the mechanism locks. As you do so, four metal arms, linked by a steel cable that circles the unit, contract toward the tree, eventually “grabbing” it like one of those carnival claw games winning a prize. The Genie, which comes in three sizes, is elegant and unobtrusive and deceptively simple to use: Place your tree onto a short spike in the center, then depress a foot pedal. Krinner’s Tree Genie is the product of a genius named Klaus (!) Krinner, and includes an innovative ground screw to ensure that the tree stands up straight. More than once, what seemed to be a properly secured tree would lean dramatically the moment my wife let go. My stand was a no-name plastic object with four threaded bolts at the cardinal compass points that I would wrenchingly twist into the tree, like some medieval torturer manning the thumb screw while my wife clutched the tree and frantically issued directions: “More to the left!” Properly aligning the screws took guesswork and luck. Now came the most difficult part: Fixing the tree. After walking to the place where the guys from Vermont camped out for a few weeks each year, I’d hoist one onto my shoulder, trudge the eight blocks home, and wrestle it into the elevator-leaving behind a tell-tale trail of needles for my super to grouse about. When I lived in an apartment in Brooklyn, the yearly quest to bring home a tree seemed a test for my soul. ![]() I have had a conflicted relationship with Christmas trees. ![]() ![]() This is, to echo those old Volkswagen ads, Christmausbaumständerfreude - Christmas Tree Stand Delight (apologies to German speakers for this probably incorrectly translated neologism).
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |