How to make an origami Christmas tree
Origami Christmas Tree: try all 10 steps in the 3D player. Turn and replay every move. Print the complete diagram sheet or save it as PDF.
An Origami Tutor Christmas tree with three stepped tiers and a short trunk. Folded from one square of green paper with a kite fold and two pleats; no cuts or glue.
- You need
- One square of thin origami paper, green on one side. No scissors or glue.
- Start
- Start white side up with one corner pointing up. Green paper works best; the finished tree shows only the green side.
- Tips
- Match both kite edges exactly to the middle line so the tree stays straight.
- Keep each pleat level and the same depth, so the tiers step out evenly on both sides.
Your model is ready
The Christmas tree is ready. Press the pleats flat and stand it against a card, or hang it from a thread through the top point. Add a paper star or dots for decorations if you like. The finished Christmas tree, with its three tiers and trunk.
Step-by-step diagrams
- 1
Fold the left edge in
Fold the upper left edge to the middle line, so the top corner becomes narrow.
- 2
Fold the right edge in
Fold the upper right edge to the middle line to match. You now have a tall green triangle above a white corner.
- 3
Fold the bottom corner up
Fold the white bottom corner up along the bottom edge of the green triangle.
- 4
Fold the point back down
Fold the point of that flap back down so it sticks out below the triangle. Make the fold a little above where the triangle's bottom edge used to be.
- 5
Square off the trunk
Fold the very tip of the point up, so the trunk ends in a short straight edge.
- 6
Turn over
Turn the tree over from side to side. The front is now plain green, with the trunk below.
- 7
Pleat the lower tier: fold up
Fold the lower part of the tree up across the front, along a level line a little below the middle of the green triangle.
- 8
Pleat the lower tier: fold back down
Fold the same part back down along a line just above the first fold. A narrow pleat stays hidden, and the wider paper below now sticks out at both sides.
- 9
Pleat the upper tier: fold up
Fold everything below the upper part of the tree up along a level line about a third of the way down from the top.
- 10
Pleat the upper tier: fold back down
Fold it back down just above that fold, the same depth as the first pleat. The tree now has three stepped tiers.
- ✓
Finish
The Christmas tree is ready. Press the pleats flat and stand it against a card, or hang it from a thread through the top point. Add a paper star or dots for decorations if you like. The finished Christmas tree, with its three tiers and trunk.
Fold next
Star ↗
An Origami Tutor eight-pointed star made from eight equal folded triangles. Every gold point is long and sharp, with a deep notch between its neighbours. Three folds make each ray; a little glue holds their overlapping bases together.
Paper Christmas tree ↗
An accordion Christmas tree with a pointed top, broad base and six pleated panels. Cut a triangle from a green rectangle, fold the pleats and open them into a zigzag decoration.
Bell ↗
An Origami Tutor Christmas bell: a gold or red bell with a flat crown, a flared lip, a white rim and a clapper hanging below. Folded flat from one square; a quick ornament for the tree or a card.
Christmas stocking ↗
An Origami Tutor Christmas stocking: a red stocking with a white cuff, a sloping heel and a round toe, folded flat from one square. Hang it on the tree or slip a gift tag inside.