Christmas Origami: 8 incredible decorations to make by folding paper

Origami is a Japanese art which consists of paper folding techniques that creates three-dimensional figures and objects of all kinds. But for the Japanese, origami is much more than just folding up paper.

This practice is a philosophy linked to a legends, myths and folk beliefs originating in ancient times. It is one of the founding elements of Japanese culture and as such is, for the Japanese, is very important. The technique has spread all over the world, and is now practiced by artists and enthusiasts everywhere.

And origami is perfect for the Christmas period too. Making decorations for Christmas using origami is now a very popular pastime. And, on the web, there is certainly no shortage of ideas and tutorials on how to do this. Check out some of these ideas below:

The pine tree is one of the subjects most often made using origami and is the perfect Christmas decoration. They can be made in any color and any size. The important thing is to learn how to do this.

Decorative stars and pinwheels are another must-have decoration. They can be made for any occasion, but they are particularly suited to Christmas.

And what do you think of this delightful comet? The idea of making the entire nativity scene using origami is also something you could consider doing.

Making bows using origami is one of the easiest to learn. And they can be used decorate your gift packages.

This origami Santa Claus could be a project for the children to do. They will definitely enjoy doing it.

These poinsettias are a bit more complex to make. It takes more experience and a bit of skill. But once you have learnt the technique, doing projects like this can be really satisfying.

A small "reindeer bookmark" is another origami project that adults and children will love to do.

And finally, how can we fail to mention these cute paper balls? They are perfect as Christmas decorations. Once you have learned the technique, you can make new ones every year, inspired by your current colour preferences. Not to mention that, together with fairly lights, they will look spectacular.

Fancy trying your hand at some origami?