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Easy Christmas decorations: How to Make a Holiday Paper Garland

For kids and adults alike, homemade Christmas decor puts us all in the festive spirit.

No Christmas decorating is complete without a healthy helping of colourful holiday garlands, just as no holiday decor is complete without a Christmas tree. To emphasise on the themes at play, these paper garlands take on the shape of Christmas trees so that you can have both with a single craft. Taught by talented maker and Yodomo instructor Deborah Schneebeli-Morrell, this project is easy to personalise with paper and sequin choices of your own. 

paper garland christmas trees

What you'll need to make you Holiday Paper Garland:

  • Piece of 100gsm paper cut to 48cm x 18cm size
  • Christmas tree template on thin card (you can download and print our Christmas tree template, then trace it onto thin card)
  • Pencil
  • Paper clips
  • Sharp, fine pointed scissors
  • Good quality craft glue / PVA
  • Knitting needle or cocktail stick or fine brush (to use for the glue)
  • Assorted sequins
  • Ruler or cutting mat
  • Craft knife (optional)
  • Tweezers (optional)

The materials needed to make a paper garland: paper, sequins, scissors, pencil

Step 1: Measure, mark and fold

Take your piece of paper and, using a ruler or cutting mat, measure and mark every 8cm along the longest sides of the paper. Once marked, fold the paper into a concertina, in line with the marks you’ve just made

Mark the paper

Step 2: Add template

Lay the template onto folded paper and secure with paperclips, then draw around template with your pencil.

Trace the outline of the template.

Step 3: Cut out the shape

Remove the template and cut around the pencil line with the scissors. You can use a craft knife if you have one to cut the difficult to reach parts. Open up the paper.

Cutting out the outline of the Christmas tree from the paper

Step 4: Time to decorate!

Add dots of glue onto each tree where you want to stick your decorations, then stick on assorted sequins to decorate. You may find it handy to use tweezers to place the sequins. 

Add glue and colourful pink sequins to your paper garland.

Your completed holiday paper garland

Now that you're an expert on paper garlands, why not make a few in other colours? Or better yet, see our range of other paper craft projects to up your holiday decor game.