How to Make a Paper Christmas Tree

Using old Christmas cards, magazines and paper, you can fashion a charming and cheap Christmas tree that will enliven your home during the holidays. This Christmas craft idea uses simple materials. It is the perfect decorating solution for a small space. Read on to learn more.

Things You'll Need

• 12 sheets of medium- or heavy-weight 8 1/2-inch by 11-inch paper
• Tape
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Brightly colored paper (old Christmas or greeting cards, wrapping paper, etc.)
• 4-inch by 4-inch squares of red and green paper
• 8-inch by 8-inch square of aluminum foil
• Glue stick
• Removable wall mounting adhesive

Instructions

Prepare the Basic Christmas Tree

1. Line up 12 pieces of 8 1/2-inch by 11-inch paper to form a rectangle that is three sheets wide and four sheets high.

2. Tape each piece of paper securely to its neighbor, using long strips of tape. Use enough tape so that the resulting rectangle holds together as one piece, with no edges flapping loose.

3. Use a pencil to draw the outline of a Christmas tree with 2 branches on each side and a nice, fat trunk on the untaped side of this rectangle.

4. Cut out the Christmas tree, following the outline you drew in Step 3.

Decorate the Christmas Tree

1. Tear the brightly colored paper into pieces roughly 2 inches by 4 inches in size.

2. Affix the torn pieces of colored paper to the Christmas tree, using the glue stick. This is the fun part and is very much like making a collage. Pay attention to color choice and distribution to create a pleasing arrangement.

3. Cut the squares of red and green paper into balls. Glue the balls, like ornaments, to the ends of each of the branches.

4. Trim the aluminum foil into a rough star shape and glue it to the top of the tree.

5. Snip any pieces of colored paper that hang over the outline of the Christmas tree, so that it retains a nice, neat outline.

6. Hang your Christmas tree on the wall, using removable wall adhesive.

Tips & Warnings

• Glue a row of small aluminum foil circles to the tree to make a shiny garland.

• Use additional sheets of 8.5-inch x 11-inch paper to make any size tree you want.

• Buy a large sheet of heavy-weight poster paper from the crafts store, and trace your tree outline directly onto this paper, instead of taping smaller sheets together, as in Section 1, Step 1.

• Although this is a cheap Christmas tree to make for a small space, it is equally at home in larger spaces, as a complement to a more complex Christmas decorating scheme, and it makes a great addition to your repertoire of Christmas craft ideas.