The shops are crowded, the smell of roasted chestnuts wafts along the main street, and the faint sound of a brass band can be heard in the distance. This can only mean one thing — Christmas is coming.

Unfortunately, every year it becomes more commercial and less traditional. Cost of Christmas decorations One alone can return you hundreds of dollars, and that’s before you start worrying about endless gifts and copious amounts of food.

Why not save some money this Christmas and 3D printing some holiday decorations for your home? Here are 10 great ideas that will make you the envy of your neighborhood.

1. Christmas tree

Christmas trees are the undisputed king of holiday decorations. Their roots can be traced back to devout Christians in 15th century Germany, but they did grow up among the population in late 19th century Victorian Britain.

While it’s impractical (or aesthetically pleasing) to print a six-foot pine tree, you can make a small copy that would look great on a sideboard or fireplace.

The designers of this tree recommend using a translucent unfilled filament so that you can place LED lights inside it.

3d printed christmas tree

2. Star and Snowflake Ornament

A Christmas tree is useless if there is nothing on it. At this moment it is just a tree — there is nothing «Christmas» about it.

Glitter tinsel is a bit beyond the scope of a 3D printer, but subtle trinkets are well within its capabilities.

This star and snowflake decoration looks fantastic. It comes with a hook so you can hang it from a tree — but for an even better effect, print it in translucent thread and hang it in front of some fairy lights or LEDs.

3d printing star snowflake

3. Star Topper

No Christmas tree is complete without a decorative ornament on its crown. Traditionally, you have two choices: an angel (representing Gabriel of the Nativity) or a star (representing the Star of Bethlehem).

Instead of using glitter and glitter star, why not try this pixel star? It’s perfect for both adding the finishing touches to your tree and guiding your inner geek.

It is printed as one piece and includes a hole at the bottom for locking in place.

3d print christmas star

4. Gift box

With wood sorted and trinkets, you should start thinking about gifts.

We all know that wrapping paper is expensive wrapping paper — harmful to the environment and not reusable — so why not make an elegant lockable gift box instead?

This design doubles as a gift box and wood decoration. The key and the box itself are fully printable, while thoughtful tapes provide an extra layer of lid security. For maximum effect, hang the box from your tree and place the key in your kids’ stockings.

3d printed gift box

5. LED Christmas Star

The designers of this star wanted to honor Isama Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano and Shuji Nakamura. The trio received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2014 for their work with LED lighting – without them there would be no HDTVs, computers or smartphones.

The design itself comes with a mount for hanging the star on a vertical or horizontal surface and vents for cooling airflow.

It is designed to work with low power LED strips for indoor use.

3d printing led star

6. Christmas angel

Angels are one of the main decorations of Christmas and are often mentioned in the stories and songs of the festive season.

You can have your own angel thanks to Vic in Thingiverse. This is a simple geometric design with room for a light or LED candle at the base. It also includes a loop in case you want to hang it from your tree.

3d printing Christmas angel

7. Santa Claus

What’s Christmas without Santa? The story of the legendary giver can be traced back to Odin, the white-bearded pagan god who led the hunt for the yuletids in the middle of winter.

In modern times, various interpretations have permeated all Western cultures, and it is now impossible to go outside at this time of the year without seeing his image.

This sculpture of Santa Claus disappearing down the chimney is designed to bring the holiday season to your office; the chimney serves as a handle holder.

santa 3d print

8. Reindeer

Santa won’t get very far without his faithful helpers, Rudolf and his colleague.

These elegant designs are as delicate as anything you can find in a store. They are 28 cm tall and take almost seven hours to print.

To get a shiny finish like you see in the photo, first spray them with metallic paint, then add glitter paint, and finally coat them with glitter sealer.

3d printed deer

9. Castle

There is nothing festive about the castle, but there is something about their turrets in the clouds, snow-covered fir trees and fairy princesses who scream at Christmas.

This winter castle on Thingiverse looks like something straight out of a King Wenceslas tale. Throw in some fake snow and a few of the aforementioned reindeer and you have a winter scene your whole family will be jealous of.

3d printed castle

10. LED Death Star

No, it’s not remotely festive. But it’s the Death Star, it lights up and hangs on your Christmas tree — what more can you ask for?

The main sphere is 10 cm in diameter. At the top are two STL files, one of which forms a solid hemisphere, and the other is a place for the LED strip.

You need to know the basics of electronics and soldering to make the LED part look good and work properly.

3d death star

Tell us your favorites!

I hope these 10 designs have opened your eyes to the sheer amount of cool holiday decorations out there.

Of course, there are thousands more — it’s quite possible that I’ve missed some really cool projects. Naturally, I would like to hear your input. Will you be filling your home with 3D prints for Christmas? What are the best jewelry you’ve come across? Have you successfully completed any of the plans that I have described?

As always, you can get in touch via the comment box below.

Image Credits: Gearstd/Shutterstock

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