I was looking for a Christmas tree for our courtyard area but didn't want to spend a lot of money because we are planning to move. After reading a lot of reviews (many of them negative), I decided to take my chances and order the tree. A video on the internet showed putting the stand together then starting with the bottom part (tree came in three pieces) and fan each branch. Removing the bottom part once fanned, do the same with the middle section then the top. Put the tree together and continue to bend and blend the branches. It took me about two hours but the tree looked fabulous. I put three sets (50 lights each) of battery operated LED lights on the tree (the limbs were stable enough to place the battery packs hidden within the limbs) and a tree topper. That's all the tree needed. It looked GREAT and we got many compliments at Christmas. It was well worth it!