If you’re looking for a creative and beautiful way to bring festive magic into your home, these 6 Printable Christmas Lanterns are perfect! They’re simple to make, kid-friendly, and add a cosy, glowing charm to your holiday decor. Whether you’re crafting with the family or adding a handmade touch to your Christmas decorations, these paper lanterns are a must-try.
What You Need to Make These Christmas Lanterns
To bring these charming paper lanterns to life, you’ll need:
- The free printable lantern templates (download link below)
- Scissors or a craft knife
- Glue stick or double-sided tape
- LED tealights or fairy lights (safety first—no real candles!)
- Colouring pens, glitter, or embellishments (optional for decoration)
- Thick paper or cardstock for durability
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I always print my printables directly onto 160 gsm cardstock using my Epson Ecotank Printer rather than regular paper, this way they are a little more durable and the pens do not bleed through to the other side. However, if you do not have a home printer then just pop to a library and use theirs.
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How to Make Your Christmas Paper Lanterns
1. Download and Print the Templates
Start by downloading the 6 Christmas Paper Lantern templates (link provided below) and print them on sturdy cardstock or thick paper. This will make the decorative lanterns more durable and easier to assemble.
2. Cut Out the Lanterns
Carefully cut along the solid lines of the templates. Use scissors for simple cuts or a craft knife for finer details. Younger kids may need help with this step.
3. Fold Along the Dotted Lines
Fold along all the dotted lines to create the structure of the lantern. This step will make assembling the lantern much easier.
4. Paste and Assemble
Use a glue stick or double-sided tape to stick the tabs together and form the lantern shape. Make sure the edges align neatly.
5. Add Lights and Decorate
Place an LED tealight or string of fairy lights inside the lantern to illuminate the designs. You can also customize the lanterns with coloring pens, glitter, or other festive embellishments.
Why We Love These Printable Lanterns
These paper lanterns are:
- Fun for All Ages: Easy enough for kids to help with, but detailed enough to impress adults.
- Customizable: You can color them, add glitter, or keep them simple with black-and-white designs.
- Budget-Friendly: All you need is paper, glue, and LED lights.
- Safe and Reusable: Perfect for LED lights, making them safe for kids, and you can reuse them year after year!
Download Your Free Printable Christmas Lantern Templates
Download all 6 Christmas Lantern Designs for free!
These printables are offered for your non-commercial personal use only. Mass-production of this printable is not permitted, even for non-profit purposes. Please do not upload the Poppy Coloring Prinables to other sites – instead, if you want to let people know about these freebies, post a link to this page. Pinning is okay as long as the pin links back to this page. Thanks!
All you need to do is add click on add to cart and the free printable Stained glass poppy coloring pages will be added to your shopping cart. When you are finished click on the orange cart menu at the top right of your page and follow the instructions on the screen. You will not be charged and the free pdf file will be available for you to download immediately and will also be emailed to your inbox.
Ideas for Displaying Your Christmas Lanterns
- Table Centerpiece: Arrange several lanterns on a festive table runner for a stunning dinner table centerpiece.
- Mantle Decor: Add them to your mantle with fairy lights and evergreen garlands.
- Windowsill Magic: Place the lanterns on windowsills so they glow beautifully from both inside and out.
- Kid-Friendly Craft Night: Set up a crafting station for kids to color and assemble their own lanterns.
- Christmas Tree Decorations: Print at 50% scale to make smaller lanterns perfect for hanging on the tree.
Share Your Creations
We’d love to see how your Christmas lanterns turn out! Share your photos on social media and tag us @mum_themadhouse or use the hashtag #ChristmasPaperLanterns.
These Printable Christmas Paper Lanterns are the perfect way to bring holiday warmth and creativity into your home. Download the templates, grab your supplies, and let’s get crafting for a magical, glowing Christmas! ✨