Anything tall and light in a Canadian December yard ends up on its side or in the neighbour's hedge. Most outdoor decorations are sold with nothing to hold them down, so people improvise with bricks and string.

Four ground stakes pin the base ring into the lawn and ten cable ties lock the spiral to the frame. The frame itself is heavy duty metal and the manufacturer rates the polyester ribbon wind, snow and rain resistant.

Where it earns its keep

Either side of a front door, in snow, at night. This is the job a spiral tree does better than a foliage tree: it is a lit shape, so it works from the street and it does not care about being rained on. The frame stakes into the lawn, and a pair flanking a door is the usual arrangement.

Tall, and barely any footprint

Seven feet of height on a base ring 2.3 feet across. That narrow footprint is why it fits a porch step, a balcony corner or the gap beside a shop door where a real tree would never go. It also folds down, so the same 7 feet packs away small.

Thirty four settings, one button

The grid shows the tree in red, green, blue, warm white and several combinations. Thirty four modes is more than anyone uses, but it means you can leave it on a single steady colour for the season or run a slow change through the evening. The controller is a small inline box on the cord.

Three steps, no tools

Join the frame, drop the spiral over it, fasten with the ties. The panel numbers it one, two, three and there is no screwdriver in any of the pictures. Ten cable ties come in the box.

Run along the whole spiral, so the shape is drawn in light rather than lit from a single point.

Single colours, combinations and changing patterns, all selected on the inline controller.

A silver star sits at the peak as part of the frame. Nothing extra to buy or balance up there.

The cone and base ring are metal. The manufacturer rates the assembly for repeated seasons outdoors.

Pin the base ring into a lawn so the tree stays upright when the weather turns.

Fasten the spiral to the frame at every crossing, which stops it sliding down the cone in wind.

Ships from our United States warehouse. Delivery to Canada usually takes 8 to 14 business days, with no customs charges or duties to pay on arrival. Free shipping on orders over $150, a flat $18.90 below that, and tracking by email as soon as it leaves.

Return within 14 days of purchase, unused, in original condition and packaging.

Covered directly by the manufacturer under their warranty terms for material and manufacturing defects.

Found it cheaper at a Canadian retailer? Send us the link and we will match that price. It has to be the same item, in stock, sold and shipped inside Canada, and compared like for like on what comes in the box.

A narrow base ring fits a step or a porch corner, and a pair either side of a door reads from the road.

Seven feet of height for 2.3 feet of floor, the only way to get a tall shape onto a condo balcony.

Thirty four modes and a tool free build, so it goes up for one night and comes down the same evening.

What we stand behind

• The 341 light count and the 34 modes are printed on the manufacturer's own lighting panel.
• The 7 ft height and 2.3 ft base ring are read off the maker's dimension drawing.
• The wind, snow and rain resistance claim is the manufacturer's own and is reported as theirs.
• Ships from our United States warehouse, free shipping over $150, and 14 day returns unused in the original packaging.

Can it really stay outside?

The manufacturer rates the polyester spiral wind, snow and rain resistant and supplies four ground stakes and ten cable ties for outdoor fixing. Their own photographs show it standing in snow beside a front door. Bring the controller and plug connection under cover or into a weatherproof box, as you would with any outdoor light set.

How is it anchored on a hard surface?

The stakes are made for a lawn. On a porch, a deck or concrete there is nothing to drive them into, so weigh the base ring down or tie it to a rail. The ring is 2.3 feet across, which gives you something to work with.

Is it a real tree shape or an outline?

An outline. A polyester ribbon spirals up a metal cone with the lights running along it, so what you see at night is the shape drawn in light. There is no foliage and no branches, which is exactly why it survives weather that a needle tree would not.

How does it pack away?

It collapses. The frame comes apart without tools and the spiral folds down, so a 7 foot decoration goes back into a flat box. Let it dry fully before it goes into storage, since it will have been out in snow and rain.