Making our adorable and festive Christmas Character Paper Lanterns for the winter holiday, is soon to be your child's favorite holiday craft! We made a Santa, Elf, Reindeer, Angel and Snowman Paper Lantern. This Christmas kids craft is easy enough for a beginner crafter, yet can be more intermediate depending on the details added. Hang the lanterns on a holiday garland or around your home for Christmas decor. It's absolutely amazing what you can create with some paper and glue!
To make the Santa Paper Lantern, fold a piece of red construction paper lengthwise. Cut strips (careful not to cut all the way across) on the fold, about 1" apart. Open up the paper and fold the lantern width wise, glue together. Cut another strip of paper from the Christmas paper pack to make the lantern handle. We made skin tone colored paint by mixing orange and white acrylic paint. Paint a white piece of construction paper with skin tone paint. Let the paper dry thoroughly. Grab a drinking glass or a large roll of shipping tape and trace a medium-sized circle from the painted paper. Punch two 1' pink circles for the rosy cheeks and glue onto the circle you just traced for the Santa face. Draw two eyes with a black Sharpie®. Hot glue the Santa face onto the lantern. White tissue paper squares make up Santa's beard and are attached with white Elmer's® glue. Glue a small red button for a nose and use black and gold paper for Santa's belt.
Fold green construction paper lengthwise and use scissors to cut 1" strips on the fold, making sure not to cut all the way across. Fold the lantern width wise and glue together. Add a small handle to the top of the lantern. Glue on the skin tone colored circle we cut earlier. With black and gold construction paper, make a belt for the elf. Draw two eyes and add some rosy cheeks. Take yellow tissue paper squares and white glue for the hair. Hot glue red, white and green pom poms to the base of the handle.
Using the Christmas glitter paper, fold gold paper lengthwise. Cut 1" strips on the fold, making sure not to cut all the way across. Fold the paper width wise and glue together to make lantern. Attach a handle using the same gold glitter paper. The girls used a scalloped circle punch to cut out the Angel's wings. Glue both wings to the back of the lantern. Cut a small circle from the skin tone paper you painted and glue on two rosy cheeks. Take a black Sharpie® to draw on the eyes, nose and mouth. Glue on the white hair with white tissue paper squares. Bend a gold chenille stem to make the halo and hot glue to the lantern.
The Reindeer Paper Lantern is the easiest to make out of all five Christmas Characters. Simply fold a piece of brown construction paper lengthwise and cut 1" strips on the fold, making sure not to cut all the way across. Fold the paper width wise and glue ends together to form the lantern. Cut a small brown face out to glue on the front of the lantern. Punch a red glitter nose from the Christmas glitter paper and cut out two hand drawn antlers from brown construction paper and glue to the reindeer. Draw two eyes with a black Sharpie®.
Fold a silver glitter piece of Christmas paper lengthwise. Cut 1" slits on the fold, making sure not to cut all the way across. Fold the paper width wise and glue the ends together to make the lantern. Attach a small handle at the top of the lantern. Cut a small head from the same silver paper, glue on rosy cheeks and draw eyes and mouth with black Sharpie®. Punch out three small black circles from construction paper and glue to the front of the lantern to make the snowman clothes.
