Assembly guide
Your countdown tree
Add one piece a day for 12 days: 11 star layers, then the star on top on day 12. Start on December 13 and you finish with the star on Christmas Eve. It goes together with no glue, nails or tools.
The three stages
What's in the box
16 solid pine pieces. Lay them out and check them off before you start.
| Qty | Piece | How to spot it |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bottom step | Biggest rectangle, about 4¼ × 2½″. Its pocket does not go all the way through. |
| 1 | Middle step | About 3¼ × 1⅞″, slot goes through |
| 1 | Top step | About 2¼ × 1¼″, slot goes through |
| 1 | Post | Flat stick about 6½″ long and ⅞″ wide, with a notch cut in one end |
| 11 | Star layers | Eight-point stars from about 5″ tip to tip down to 2″, each with a slot in the middle and its day number penciled underneath |
| 1 | Topper star | Five-point star with a peg underneath |
Tip: line the 11 layers up from biggest to smallest before day 1. Each one is only a little smaller than the one before, so compare neighbors side by side.
Before day 1: build the stand
- Set the bottom step on a flat table, pocket facing up.
- Set the middle step on top, centered, its slot right over the pocket.
- Add the top step the same way. All three openings now line up.
- Push the post straight down through the two slots into the pocket, notch end up. It stands on its own and fits snug.
If the post goes in hard, rock it gently side to side as you push. Never hammer it: wood swells a little in humid weather, and the fit loosens again when it dries.
Days 1 to 11: add a layer
Each day, slide the next layer down the post, biggest first, until it rests on the one below. Day 1's layer rests on the top step.
| Day | Date, if you start Dec 13 | Add |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dec 13 | Layer 1, the biggest |
| 2 | Dec 14 | Layer 2 |
| 3 | Dec 15 | Layer 3 |
| 4 | Dec 16 | Layer 4 |
| 5 | Dec 17 | Layer 5 |
| 6 | Dec 18 | Layer 6 |
| Day | Date, if you start Dec 13 | Add |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Dec 19 | Layer 7 |
| 8 | Dec 20 | Layer 8 |
| 9 | Dec 21 | Layer 9 |
| 10 | Dec 22 | Layer 10 |
| 11 | Dec 23 | Layer 11, the smallest |
| 12 | Dec 24 | The topper star |
- Out of line with the spiral? Lift that layer off, flip it over, and slide it back on.
- Snug is normal. Ease a tight layer down with a gentle side-to-side wiggle, never by force.
- The last layer sits at the very top of the post. The star's peg fills the rest of its slot on day 12.
Day 12: the star
- Hold the star upright, peg pointing down.
- Turn it to face the same way as the wide side of the post.
- Lower the peg into the top layer's slot. The thin tip at the bottom of the peg drops into the notch in the post.
- Press down until the star's base sits flat on the top layer. The star now locks the top of the tree in place.
Care and storage
- Taking it apart: star first, then the layers smallest to biggest, then the post and the steps. Keep the layers in order for next year.
- Storing: keep the pieces somewhere dry. Damp air swells wood and tightens the fit; it loosens again as it dries.
- Cleaning: dust with a dry cloth. No water or spray cleaners.
- Paint-your-own kits: paint before you put it together, and let it dry 24 hours. Keep paint out of the slots, the pocket and the post's notch, or the pieces won't slide.
- Safety: this is a decoration, not a toy. Keep it away from candles, fireplaces and heaters. A rough spot on an edge sands smooth with fine sandpaper.
Want to see it move? Turn the 3D tree and play all 12 days.