Dress up your holiday table with these easy napkin folds for Christmas. Learn 3 techniques including how to fold a napkin into a Christmas tree, a bow and a simple pocket for silverware.
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Gathering family and friends for a holiday meal is a special way to connect, enjoy one another and make memories. The table doesn’t have to be fancy, but adding a few meaningful touches can add to the ambiance of the occasion.
Most people will use a napkin during a meal. Setting each place with a napkin, versus having one communal basket for guests to take their own, makes eating and cleaning up easier on everyone.
There are a many ways to set a Christmas table with napkins. Simply adding the napkin to the side of the plate, under the silverware, is an easy and quick option.
Learning how to fold holiday napkins is a fun way to dress up a table while providing a necessity for each guest.
Paper vs. Cloth Napkins
When it comes to choosing a napkin type and style for the table there are endless options.
Paper napkins are inexpensive, come in a wide variety of colors and patterns and can be thrown away at the end of the meal.
This large packs of Ikea napkins are absorbent, thick and come in many colors. Plus they are relatively inexpensive.
Cloth napkins add a look of elegance to your table and are much more effective than most paper varieties. Cloth napkins are environmentally friendly and save loads of waste from landfills.
This 12 pack of cloth napkins is a personal favorite. They are very well made, come in a dozen or so colors and are super absorbent. One of the best qualities is that they wash and dry nicely, they don’t curl up when they come out of the dryer. This means you don’t have to iron them to keep them looking nice.
Other holiday napkin folds
Fancy folded napkins aren’t just for Christmas, set a table for other gatherings using these ideas. Try this bunny napkin fold for Easter that stands up on a plate, or try a version that wraps around an egg.
For a Halloween get together, check out this bat napkin that would look great at each place setting.
Dress up a Valentine’s day idea with these 2 napkin folding ideas, a heart and a rose.
Folding napkins is a fun way to get kids involved in setting them table. Have them pick a design they really like then work at folding a napkin for each guest. Even little kids can get in on the action, using a cloth napkin then can work on their fine motor skills over and over again until they get it just right.
3 Easy Napkin Folds for Christmas
3 ways to fold a napkin for a holiday dinner
Materials
- Paper or cloth napkins
- Napkin ring
Instructions
Christmas Tree Napkin Fold
- Lay a square paper napkin on a flat surface in front of you with the 4 open corners facing toward you.
- Fold the top layer up toward the top corner leaving a gap.
- Repeat this upward fold until all 4 layers are folded up.
- Flip the whole napkin over.
- Fold the left side over so the corner meets the edge and creates a straight line on the bottom.
- Fold the right side on top of the left.
- Flip the napkin over.
- Fold the top pointed layer up, toward the tip of the tree.
- Repeat for each layer, tucking the ends under the layer above.
- Fold the last layer up and tuck under so the bottom is flat.
Pocket Napkin Fold
- Lay a square paper napkin on a flat surface in front of you with the 4 open corners in the top right.
- Pull the top corner layer 1/3 of the way down and crease.
- Fold this same layer again so the edges meet.
- Fold the second corner layer down and crease.
- Fold this layer on top of itself just next to the first fold.
- Flip the napkin over.
- Fold in the left side 1/4, keep the small folded piece out of the fold.
- Fold the right side over almost to the edge.
- Fold the small folded piece back over and tuck the top corner into it to secure.
- Flip over and insert silverware into the pocket.
Bow Napkin Fold
- Open a square paper napkin and lay on a flat surface in front of you.
- Turn diagonally and fold one corner to meet the opposite corner.
- Begin to fold up the napkin from the widest part of the triangle toward the smallest until you have a solid line.
- Fold the right side in toward the center.
- Fold the left side in toward the center.
- Slip a napkin ring over the whole thing.
- Pull the loose ends down and fluff the folded ends to create a bow.
- Flip over and display on a place setting.
Notes
Each of these folds can be done with a cloth or paper napkin. The images and instructions refer to a paper napkin.
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Are you ready to try your hand at these 3 easy napkin folds for Christmas? Share your favorite option in the comments and be sure to pin and share this post.
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