23 Paper Christmas Ornaments to Make at Home

No fancy skills, no expensive supplies, no perfection required. Just some paper, scissors, a little glue, and maybe a mug of hot cocoa while your favorite Christmas playlist does its thing.

Whether you want minimalist Scandi stars, vintage-inspired baubles, or sparkly snowflakes the kids can actually help with — I’ve got you covered.

So grab your paper stash and let’s make your tree the happiest — and least breakable — one on the block.

Folded and Honeycomb Balls

Start with the Honeycomb Ball, since it takes only paper, scissors, string and glue. Leave the Triskele Paper Ball for later: a bone folder, a compass and two exact measurements add up to a lot of setup before the first fold.

Honeycomb Ball

This puffy, honeycomb-style ball is a budget project: paper, scissors, string and glue. Book pages, sheet music or kraft paper work in place of plain paper, so a stack of old pages can do the job.

Triskele Paper Ball

This ball has an interlocking spiral look and needs wrapping paper, cardstock, scissors, a ruler, a compass, double-sided tape and a bone folder, which is a smooth tool for sharp creases. You cut one rectangle about 15 x 25 cm and one circle with a 4 cm radius, and it takes more steps than the honeycomb ball.

Recycled Card Geodesic Ball

You cut circles from old Christmas cards and build them into a geodesic ball. Cut the circles smaller than 3 inches, because a 3 inch circle makes a ball that is too big for a tree.

Stars for the Tree

If you want one star, make the Folded 3D Star: it takes just two paper squares, and you pick the size. The Moravian Waxed Paper Star can wait for a calmer week, because it needs wax and is the longest star to make here.

Folded 3D Star

Two paper squares fold into one puffy star, and cardstock is the paper to use. Two 6 x 6 inch squares make a star about 8 x 8 inches, and two 4 x 4 inch squares make one about 5 x 5 inches.

Froebel Star

A Froebel star is a folded paper star with points. This star is a Scandinavian Christmas design, folded from paper, and you can hang it on the tree.

Moravian Waxed Paper Star

This star is woven from folded paper strips that get dipped in wax, with optional glitter. Because it needs wax, it is not paper only. The look is traditional and vintage, and the wax step makes it the longest star to make, so it suits patient crafters.

Origami Christmas Star

This star is folded from regular 12 x 12 cm origami paper. Rated low-intermediate, it is a step up from a first fold.

Origami Ornaments to Fold

For a fast fold, pick the Origami Crane: an experienced folder needs about 5 minutes, and a first-timer should plan on longer. I would pass on the Origami Star Ball unless repetition sounds relaxing, because it is ten identical pieces joined together.

Origami Diamond

This faceted diamond for the tree uses two 6 x 6 inch squares of paper. The finished ornament is about 4 x 4 inches.

Origami Star Ball

This ball is modular, which means several identical folded pieces join into one ball (the Japanese name is kusudama). 10 units, each folded from a 10 x 10 cm square of paper, make up the ball. Expect to repeat the same fold ten times before anything looks like a star ball.

Origami Crane

This paper crane is folded as a Christmas tree ornament. An experienced folder finishes one in about 5 minutes, and a first attempt will take longer.

Quilled and Doily Ornaments

Of this group, the Paper Doily Ornament is the gentle one, since the cutout pattern is already in the doily. Skip the Quilled Snowflake unless a small kit sounds fun: it needs a quilling tool, pins and a cork board.

Quilled Snowflake

Quilling means rolling thin paper strips into coils, then shaping the coils into a design. This snowflake uses 1/8 inch strips, glue, a quilling tool, pins, a cork board with wax paper and a ruler. The finished snowflake can hang as an ornament with a hanger or sit in a garland.

Quilled Mini Wreath

This small wreath is braided from quilling strips. You need 11 strips per color, each 1 cm x 39 cm. Any paper strips work.

Paper Doily Ornament

These 3D tree-shaped ornaments are built from paper doilies. The doily already has its openwork pattern, so you are shaping a finished design instead of cutting your own.

Figures and Shapes

The Paper Snowman is where I would start: white printer paper, a cup for tracing circles, and basic supplies. The Paper Pinecone only suits people who enjoy fiddly work, because it needs a styrofoam egg and a lot of pinned squares.

Paper Angel

This angel is made from paper strips, and a free template is linked. The project suits kids and adults.

Paper Snowman

Circles of white printer paper make the snowman, with contrast paper for extra pieces. You need scissors, string and glue, and a cup works as a circle template.

Paper Rudolph

This bauble is built from 8 folded circles. You need a glue stick, scissors, baker’s twine, brown or tan paper and a pen.

Paper Cardinal Fan

This fan-folded bird is a cardinal. You need red paper, black and white paper for the face, string, scissors and glue.

Paper Pinecone

You cut one 12 x 12 inch sheet into 1 inch squares and pin them onto a styrofoam egg about 3 inches tall with flat-head pins. The styrofoam egg means the ornament is not paper only. The pins make it the most fiddly ornament in this group, since every square is pinned on by hand.

Paper Poinsettia

This paper flower is shaped like a poinsettia and used as a tree ornament. The poinsettia adds a flower to a tree of figures and stars.

Christmas Card Tree

This 3D tree is made from three stacked triangles cut from recycled Christmas cards or scrapbook paper. The template is printed on cardstock, and the size is up to you.

Keepsakes for First Married Christmas

These ornaments are keepsakes to make, not to buy. If you kept spare invitations, I would pick the Wedding Invitation Ornament, since it uses paper you already own. Weaving two pieces for the Danish Woven Heart can be a headache, so the Honeycomb Heart, which uses glue and clothespins, is the easier route.

Wedding Invitation Ornament

You cut wedding invitations or save-the-dates into strips about 1/4 inch wide, curl them and place them inside a clear plastic ornament, with fake snow. So the ornament is not paper only. Plastic is used instead of glass, which suits a house with cats or kids.

Honeycomb Heart

This heart-shaped honeycomb is made from 65 lb cardstock. You also need ribbon, craft glue and clothespins.

Danish Woven Heart

These Danish woven hearts are made from two matching paper pieces, traditionally red and white, with scissors and a glue stick or tape. Both pieces use the same pattern. The link to a first married Christmas is my suggestion, based on the heart shape, not a tradition.

Paper Anniversary Ornaments

Paper is the traditional first-anniversary theme, so these two suit a couple’s first year. My pick is the Mini Book Ornament, because you can write a note inside it. The 3D Puffy Heart is the one to pass on if you want a hanger sorted for you, since it has no loop and you add your own.

Mini Book Ornament

This is an accordion-fold book you can write a note in, made from one 8.5 x 11 inch sheet of paper in any color. You cut a 1.5 x 11 inch strip, mark it every inch and fold it into pages. A loop of thread, string or yarn about 18 inches long hangs it on the tree, so it is not paper only. You also need a ruler, pencil, scissors, a utility blade and a hole puncher or awl.

3D Puffy Heart

This origami heart is folded from one square sheet, 15 x 15 cm, in any color. It is all paper, and a heart is an easy fit for a first married year. You add your own loop to hang it on the tree.

How To Choose What To Make

The first question is what you already own. Sort the ornaments by what they need, and the choice gets much smaller.

Paper alone is the only supply listed for several folds: the Folded 3D Star, Froebel Star, Origami Christmas Star, Origami Diamond, Origami Star Ball and Origami Crane. Add scissors, glue and string, and you can make the Honeycomb Ball, Paper Snowman, Paper Rudolph and Paper Cardinal Fan. Check your paper too. The Folded 3D Star, Triskele Paper Ball and Honeycomb Heart call for cardstock, which is thicker than printer paper, and the Honeycomb Heart needs 65 lb. The Honeycomb Heart also needs ribbon, craft glue and clothespins.

A tool or a technique to learn comes next. The Triskele Paper Ball needs a bone folder, a ruler, a compass and double-sided tape. The Quilled Snowflake needs a quilling tool, pins and a cork board with wax paper, and the Quilled Mini Wreath uses quilling strips. The kit-based ornaments suit you if you like tidy, repeated work and do not mind gathering a small kit.

A part that is not paper is the third group. The Paper Pinecone needs a styrofoam egg and flat-head pins. The Moravian Waxed Paper Star needs wax. The Wedding Invitation Ornament needs a clear plastic ornament and fake snow. Check these before you buy paper, since each one may send you to a second shop.

Recycled paper counts too. The Recycled Card Geodesic Ball and the Christmas Card Tree both use old Christmas cards, and the Honeycomb Ball works with book pages, sheet music or kraft paper in place of plain paper.

Choose two: one simple ornament from the first group, and one that stretches you a little.

If one fold goes crooked, hang the crooked one at the back of the tree and call it the inside joke. Keep the neat ones at eye level, where guests will look first. Then next December, you can open the box, see which ornaments you made, and know exactly which ornament to make twice.