22 Paper Christmas Decorations You Can Make at Home

These retro paper ornaments by Lia Griffith are almost as good as actual vintage glass ones. Plus, they're super simple to whip up. All you need is colored paper, thread, and glue. Bonus: They won't break if they ever fall off of your tree!

Ditch a fussy tablecloth and use black butcher paper instead. That way, you can channel your inner artist and paint or draw on decorative details and place cards. Plus, it makes cleaning up after a holiday dinner much easier.

Add a little greenery to the dinner table with a DIY paper leaf chain, then give it the full Christmas treatment with red berries sprinkled throughout.

Christmas paper decorations don't have to involve complicated instructions and a penchant for crafting. It can be as simple as upgrading your wrapping paper. Coordinate your gift wrapping to complement your holiday color scheme, and use the same techniques for your ornaments for a cohesive whole.

Not only does this super-colorful strand of bulb string lights make gorgeous wall (or tree!) decor, but it's also a clever advent calendar filled with treats. Get the tutorial at The House That Lars Built.

These origami trees made by Bird's Party might be the cutest Christmas paper decor we've ever seen. Use bold, graphic patterns but stick to a monochromatic with metallic statements for a more modern spread.

Emily Henderson got these rounded, soft paper Christmas Trees from West Elm, but you can also try a DIY version. This tutorial at Ruffled makes the idea easy to pull off.

Make some paper candles to hang on your tree. It's much less dangerous than hanging actual candles (that would be a fire hazard) and less expensive than buying individual LED clip-on candles. Learn how to make them at The House That Lars Built.

Buy paper lantern lights and spruce them up with faux flowers and twinkly lights. These are so pretty, you'll want to leave them up all winter. Get the tutorial at eHow.

Paint some construction paper to look like tree bark, or print out a hi-resolution image of tree bark and cut your paper into the shape of leaves. String them together with plain white leaves, metal stars, and twinkly lights for a holiday display that doesn't follow the traditional red-and-green color scheme.

For something especially festive, consider DIYing some oversize Christmas lights out of wooden ovals, like these from Sugar and Cloth. Or use construction paper or cardboard if you have them lying around. You can even match some of the "lights" to your front door color while keeping the rest on theme for Christmas.

If you're skilled in origami, let these white paper origami star ornaments by JoyfulArray on Etsy inspire you. They're so chic! And if you're not so sure about your origami abilities, you can always buy a few.

String up red and white paper bells with fishing line along your stair rail or mantel for a bright, festive, and airy display. Red and white is the perfect color scheme for a candy-cane theme (bonus points if you add a touch of green with an accent chair).

Yes, gingerbread houses are great and all (listen, they're edible!), but these mini paper houses from Lia Griffith are much better suited for your tree.

Grab some construction paper in fun, vibrant colors and then cut out some shapes (here, little triangles that resemble trees). Glue those shapes together and hang them from your garland to give it a bright, personal touch.

Dangle white paper lanterns or DIY snowflakes from the ceiling over your holiday dinner table. For a complete winter wonderland atmosphere, stick to an all-white look with some fresh greenery sprinkled in.

For this ornament, all you need to do is make a paper cone, attach string to it, and fill it with a few festive faux accents, like leaves and berries. Watch a tutorial at SS Great Britain's YouTube channel.

With a tree this colorful, who even needs lights and ornaments? It's perfect for apartment dwellers or as office decor during the holidays. Get the tutorial at Sugar & Cloth.

Finally, a wreath you won't have to throw out at the end of the season. And it's a great craft for holiday parties or to keep the kids busy. Get holiday wreath tutorials at Lia Griffith.

You really can use anything to make pretty Christmas decorations if you put your mind to it, including this garland made from crinkled-up coffee filters! If you don't have any of those lying around, tissue paper is a great substitute.