Who will be doing the making decides which of these ornaments you pick.
The list runs from a paper lantern that needs only red and yellow paper plus scissors, to a pleated umbrella that wants scored folds and printed calligraphy, and a cherry blossom tree built from wire.
If kids are at the table, choose the dragon puppet or the paper fish that hang from branches.
If you’re working alone, the folded pieces repay the extra patience, and the red envelopes can hang from a branch by a thread loop.
1. Chinese Paper Lanterns
Red and yellow paper is all this lantern asks for, plus scissors, which makes it the easiest ornament on this list to hand to a child.
The maker says there are 3 versions of this lantern, so try all of them and keep the one your hands handle best.
Cut a stack in one sitting and you have a string of them for the mantel or a doorway. Paper is cheap, so a mistake costs you almost nothing.
2. Dragon Puppets
Crumpled red paper and a few sticks are enough to build a dragon puppet, and the crumpling does the work of scales and texture. Sticks give small hands something to hold and wave.
I would make this one for the kids’ table rather than the tree. A puppet that gets played with beats one that sits still, and the supplies come from the recycling bin.
3. Cherry Blossom Trees
Brown wire for branches, pink flowers on the twigs, and a wooden base to hold it all upright: a tiny cherry blossom tree is a tabletop piece, not a hanging ornament.
Twist the wire into a trunk with several limbs, then attach the blossoms last so you can still bend the shape. Several small trees clustered together look fuller than one tall one.
4. Paper Fortune Cookies
Write your own messages, as the example does with kind lines like "You matter!", and tuck one in each cookie.
These double as place-setting favors, so each guest takes home an ornament and a note. Print or follow an instruction sheet for the first fold, then the rest goes quickly.
5. Origami Pineapple
Envelopes become pineapples through folding, and red ones with gold accents suit the holiday colors. Each sits on a round base, which keeps it standing on a shelf or table.
I like decorating the bases with firecracker patterns, since a plain circle is the part most people skip. Make a pair to flank a doorway or a food table.
6. Paper Fish Branch Ornaments
Cut fish from red paper, add yellow scales, and glue on googly eyes: that is the whole build, and kids will fight over the eyes.
Hang them from a flowering branch set in a tall vase so they dangle at different heights.
Thread or thin string is enough to tie them on. One branch with a few fish reads fuller than a dozen scattered around the room.
7. Pleated Paper Umbrella Ornament
A mini pleated umbrella is a paper accordion fold fixed to a small handle, and printing calligraphy on the paper before you fold gives the canopy its pattern with no painting at all.
Light blue is a cooler choice than the usual red, and it stands out against red lanterns. Score the pleats first so they collapse evenly, then glue the folded fan into a circle.
A string loop on the handle turns it into a hanging ornament. Make a few in different sizes and hang them at staggered heights.
8. Red Envelopes
Red envelopes carry the luck, so the decoration on the front matters more than anything else you do to them.
Pairing one animal motif with characters across the whole set gives you a matched look; horses work well, but any zodiac animal does the same job.
I would make the envelopes from sturdy red paper, then decorate them in gold. Use them as ornaments by tying a loop of thread through the top flap and hanging them from a branch.
Tuck a small note inside each one for a guest to find.
Family Involvement
Match the job to the age. Younger kids can crumple, glue and decorate, while an adult handles the scissors and any cutting or folding that needs a sharp crease.
Set up one shared table with everything laid out before anyone sits down. Kids stay with a project longer when nobody has to hunt for supplies.
Ask an older relative to explain what the colors and symbols mean as you work. The crafting becomes a chance to pass something on, and children tend to remember a story told over a project better than a lecture.
Materials for Crafts
Colored paper, scissors and glue cover most of what you will need, so buy those first. Red and gold are the usual colors for the holiday, and a single pack of each goes a long way.
Check the recycling bin before the craft store. Toilet paper tubes make good bases, stands and bodies for small decorations, and they cost nothing.
Keep a few extras on hand: spare sheets for mistakes, and a second bottle of glue if several people are working at once.
For a party, set out a small tray of supplies at each seat so guests can join in.
Cultural Significance of Decorations
Chinese New Year decorations are a way of saying what you hope for in the coming year: happiness, good luck and prosperity. Pick decorations for the meaning they carry, since each symbol and color stands for a specific wish.
Good luck messages on banners and signs go at the entrance, where they greet anyone arriving. Placing one at your front door is a simple way to welcome the year in.
If you write the characters yourself, work one stroke at a time and follow the stroke order from a guide. Practice on scrap paper first, then move to your good red sheet.
