Make this sweet and simple DIY folded paper Christmas tree!

Christmas trees aren’t for everyone. They can be pricey when you’re on a budget, tricky in a small apartment, and nearly impossible with pets. 

This year we came up with a super affordable, easy to assemble, clever tree that only requires a wall, a roll of tape, a stapler, dexterous fingers, and about an hour of your time. Right? Right! Let’s make one.    

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Materials

Step

Fold 50 sheets of paper the long way in an accordion pattern. Start by folding the paper in half, lengthwise and then fold the two ends in toward the middle. Your paper will look like the letter “M” (or “W” if you please) while on its side.

green paper for Christmas tree

Step 

Staple the long ends of the paper together and repeat. You’ll want roughly 6 sets of paper that are 10 sheets, or “M”s long.

A person's arm holds a green origami folding next to a brass object.

Step 

Fold another 30-40 sheets of paper widthwise in the same accordion pattern. You’ll want the height of your fold to be roughly the same size as your previous folds. You can eyeball it or use one of your previous folds as a template.

A rectangular piece of green paper next to a three times folded piece of green paper.

Step 

Staple the short ends of paper together and repeat. 
 

Step

Attach the first set of 10 “M”s to the bottom of the wall with tape. The first layer should be your longest. You can make the subsequent ones shorter as you create a true tapered tree shape. We used Scotch tape for this because I have never had a bad experience with Scotch tape on a painted wall. But, you could easily use removable GlueDots or another adhesive of your choosing. The stapled together “M”s will have a fan-like look and you’ll want to let the drape that occurs with the weight of your paper hang a little bit. It makes it more tree-like as you build up your tree. 

A green fan is sitting on the floor near a white wall.

Step

Continue to build your tree, row by row. As you add layers, you may need to begin trimming the ends off of your rows of “M”s. We took about an inch off of 3 sets of the long “M”s and 1-3 inches off of 2 sets of the shorter “M”s. We continued tapering until we reached the top of the tree.

DIY Festive Folded Paper Christmas Tree

DIY Festive Folded Paper Christmas Tree

Step

To create your tree’s top, simply accordion fold a sheet of paper, staple the top and fan out the bottom before attaching it to the wall.

An arm is holding a small green crafted fan.

And, there you have it, folks! Your own, joyful little wall tree made of paper and your own two hands.

DIY Festive Folded Paper Christmas Tree

DIY Festive Folded Paper Christmas Tree

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DIY Festive Folded Paper Christmas Tree