The Christmas season is always full of warmth and creativity. This year, you can light up your holiday decorations in a special way. A simple dollar bill can be transformed into a small and lovely origami Christmas tree, and the five-pointed star on the top of the tree brings a sense of ritual to this holiday.
If you are new to origami, start here from our beginner guide to know the basics and how to read the step-by-step instructions.
- Folding time: 20 minutes
- Paper: A Dollar Bill
- Difficulty: Easy
Material
Prepare a one-dollar bill to fold a lovely origami Christmas tree. A slightly new bill would create a better effect.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1
Fold the dollar bill in half vertically, leaving a crease, and unfold it.
Step 2
Fold the top edge to align with the right edge, leaving a crease, and unfold it.
Step 3
Fold the top edge to align with the left edge, leaving a crease, and unfold it.
Step 4
Flip the dollar over from left to right.
Step 5
Fold down the top edge along the dotted line, which extends horizontally from the intersection point formed by the creases you made in the previous steps. Crease it well, leaving a crease, and unfold it.
Step 6
Turn over the dollar from left to right.
Step 7
Push down the two intersection points formed by the horizontal crease and the left and right edges, then fold down the top edge, and flatten the fold to form a triangle on the top side.
Step 8
Fold the bottom two corners of the top triangle to meet the top corner, leaving two creases, and unfold them.
Step 9
Fold down the top corner of the top triangle to meet its bottom edge’s midpoint, and unfold it.
Step 10
Fold up the top triangle’s bottom edge of the top layer along the crease indicated by the black dotted line, then push its left and right corners to meet the bottom edge’s midpoint along the creases indicated by the red dotted lines. Flatten the folds.
Step 11
Take the top corner of the upper layer, fold it down to meet the bottom edge’s midpoint of the top triangle. Leave a crease, and unfold it.
Step 12
Focus on the top triangle, mountain fold the crease indicated by the red dotted line, and valley fold the crease indicated by the black dotted line, then push the bottom right corner of the right layer upward, making the two red spots meet.
Step 13
Repeat this for the left layer.
Mountain fold the crease indicated by the red dotted line, and valley fold the crease indicated by the black dotted line, then push the bottom left corner of the left layer upward, making the two red spots meet.
Step 14
Turn over the dollar from left to right.
Step 15
Fold the top left and right edges to align with the vertical crease, crease them well, and unfold them.
Step 16
Fold down the upper layer’s top corner along the dotted line.
Step 17
Flip the dollar over from left to right.
Step 18
Focus on the top square, lift the bottom right edge to open a pocket, then make a mountain crease indicated by the red dotted line, and finally, flatten the pocket by pushing the bottom corner of the right triangle upward along the mountain crease.
Step 19
Repeat this for the left layer.
Lift the bottom left edge to open the pocket, then make a mountain crease indicated by the red dotted line, and finally, flatten the pocket by pushing the bottom corner of the left layer upward along the mountain crease.
Step 20
Lift the right layer, and fold the edge indicated by the red line to align with the top right edge indicated by the black line, then flatten the fold.
Step 21
Repeat the previous step for the left side.
Lift the left layer, and fold the bottom edge to align with the top left edge of the dollar, then flatten the fold.
Step 22
Sharpen the small top right corner, then press it down to the right side.
Step 23
Similarly, sharpen the small top left corner, then press it down to the left side.
Step 24
Turn over the paper from left to right, then fold the top left and right edges to align with the vertical crease.
Step 25
Fold up the bottom edge, then fold it back to the bottom side to create a zigzag shape.
Step 26
Fold down the top left and right corners of the bottom rectangle, and unfold them.
Step 27
Fold the bottom rectangle’s left edge to the right side along the black dotted line, then flatten the top left corner along the crease you made in the previous step, shown by the red dotted line.
Step 28
Similarly, fold the bottom rectangle’s right edge to the left side along the black dotted line, then flatten the top right corner along the crease shown by the red dotted line.
Step 29
Flip the dollar over from left to right, that’s your origami Christmas tree.
That’s your lovely origami Christmas tree made with a dollar bill, whether it is to embellish gifts, decorate the table, or as a small gift to express your love, this origami Christmas tree can add a touch of warmth to your Christmas.
If you want to make your Christmas tree more creative, try Origami Easy Christmas Tree – Flatten Version, the slim shape is perfect for greeting cards and gift boxes, or challenge Origami Christmas Tree-3D Version, the layers of branches and leaves build a mini forest on the table. Each of the two designs is ingenious, and may your Christmas season sparkle with folding!
Origami Easy Christmas Tree – Flatten Version
Origami Christmas Tree-3D Version
What’s Next
That’s your origami mini shark! If you want more different origami, then explore our other Christmas origami instructions. Enjoy folding!