Christmas Tree Skirts...under of over the tree stand and stump?

Do you put your Christmas tree skirt underneath the tree stand that hold your Christmas tree up? Or do you us a tree skirt with an opening so that you can wrap it around the bas of the tree and cover up the tree stand and stump? We ususally use the kind that goes over the tree stand but last year we found that our cat kept pushing the skirt down into the water in the tree stand and then the whole thing would end up getting wet after a while and alot of the gifts got wet. So this year we use a tree skirt that is more like a mat and goes underneath the tree stand, with a nice holiday design on it. What type do you use and why do you prefer that type? Do you have a fancy tree skirt or just a solid colored one?