12 Free Printable Paper Chain Christmas Decorations in Retro Candy Stripes, Gingham and Polka Dots

Twelve paper chain christmas decorations live here, and nothing on the list repeats a palette twice on purpose. Eight are classic strip chains glued into interlocking rings: candy stripes, gingham, tartan, buffalo check. Four are cut shapes threaded on string instead, snowflakes and mittens and gingerbread men that hang flat rather than loop.

Every garland comes with its own printable sheet and nothing else to source. Print it on plain white cardstock (printer paper works in a pinch but goes limp fast), cut on the solid lines, and glue or string as the entry describes. If paper is the only craft material she owns this year, this whole set still gets made.

A short chain of ten rings takes about fifteen minutes once the strips are cut. A shape garland of a dozen cutouts runs closer to twenty, mostly spent threading string through punched holes. Hang the finished chains on a tree already doing the heavy lifting, or loop them along a mantel, a doorway, a kid’s bedroom window: the paper does not care where it ends up.

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Candy Shop Brights

These two go together because they refuse to be subtle: saturated red against mint, red against bubblegum pink. Hang either one somewhere that wants a jolt of colour rather than quiet good taste, a playroom, a buffet table, a stair rail for a kids’ party in December.

Red and Mint Candy Stripes Paper Chain

A strip paper chain in alternating candy stripe patterns, red and mint running diagonal on some strips and straight on others, so the finished rings never look like one repeated print. It suits a mantel or a doorway in a room that already leans red and green and wants one more texture.

Cut along the strip lines, curl the first one into a ring, glue the ends, then thread the next strip through before closing it. Keep going down the sheet in order so the stripe directions alternate the way they are drawn.

One sheet makes about ten rings and roughly two feet of chain once glued, so a six foot length needs three sheets. The honest problem is drying time: hold each glued end a few seconds longer than feels necessary or the ring springs open overnight.

Red and Pink Polka Dots Paper Chain

Red and pink dots in varying sizes across the strips, some strips a red ground with pink dots, others flipped, so the finished chain reads as confetti rather than one flat print. It suits a girls’ bedroom, a dessert table, anywhere Christmas can afford to look a little like a birthday party too.

Cut, curl, glue, thread, repeat, the usual four steps of any strip chain, working down the sheet so the dot sizes alternate on purpose rather than by accident.

Small dots print cleanly but cut messily on a home printer’s default settings; check the preview is sharp before committing the whole ream. One sheet makes roughly ten rings, about two feet once assembled.

Classic Checks and Gingham

Three different checks, three different moods: cool mint for a calmer room, warm red for a classic one, chunky buffalo check for a cabin-and-plaid kind of Christmas. None of them share a scale, so lined up together they still read as separate garlands.

Mint Gingham Paper Chain

A strip chain in mint and white gingham, the check scale shifting slightly from strip to strip so the rings do not all look stamped from one block. It reads cooler and calmer than the usual red Christmas palette, good for a room that is doing white and silver with one soft colour.

Assembly is the same loop and thread method as any strip chain: cut, curl the first ring, glue, feed the next strip through before closing it, and keep going until the chain reaches the length wanted.

Gingham patterns hide glue smudges less well than solid stripes do, since the white squares show every fingerprint. Keep a damp cloth nearby, or glue with the pattern side held away from her hands.

Red Gingham Paper Chain

The warmer cousin of the mint version: red and white gingham at a slightly larger check scale, which keeps the two from reading as the same garland in two colourways. It suits a traditional room, a farmhouse kitchen, anywhere the rest of the decor is already red and green.

Same loop and thread assembly as any strip chain. The only difference worth noting is that red gingham photographs darker than it prints, so test one ring against the room’s actual light before committing to a full length.

It eats paper at the standard rate, about ten rings and two feet of chain per sheet. Cardstock holds the check lines crisper than printer paper, which goes soft and rounds off the corners of each square within a day or two.

Buffalo Check Paper Chain

Oversized red and black squares, the pattern scaled up so even a 1 inch strip reads clearly as buffalo check rather than a blur. It suits a cabin-style room, a plaid-heavy tree, a rustic mantel that wants chunky pattern rather than anything delicate.

Because the check is large, line up the squares across strips as she cuts so the finished rings do not look randomly offset against each other. The loop, glue, thread method stays the same as every other strip chain here.

This is the one pattern on the list that looks fine even cut slightly crooked, since the bold squares hide a wobbly scissor line better than a fine gingham does. Good choice if cutting straight is not her strength.

Tartan and Rainbow Checks

One plaid, one pastel rainbow of gingham squares: the two extremes of what a checked paper chain can look like. Tartan suits a traditional room, the rainbow version suits a house with small kids who have opinions about colour.

Rainbow Pastel Gingham Paper Chain

Gingham in pink, mint, lavender and soft yellow, a different pastel on each strip rather than one colour repeated. It suits a house with small children who want Christmas to look like their colours too, or a tree that is going pastel instead of traditional this year.

Assemble exactly as any strip chain: cut, loop, glue, thread the next one through, working down the sheet so the pastel order stays as drawn rather than random.

Four colours in one chain means four colours of glue smudge show differently; wipe hands between strips. One sheet still makes about ten rings regardless of how many colours are on it.

Red and Green Tartan Paper Chain

A proper tartan plaid in red, green and a thin gold line, printed across the strips so the crossing lines of the pattern line up as the rings glue closed. It suits a traditional mantel, a staircase, anywhere already leaning into classic plaid rather than pastel Christmas.

Cut carefully along the lines since tartan shows a crooked cut more than a solid stripe does. Otherwise it is the same loop, glue, thread sequence as any strip chain, worked down the sheet in order.

The gold line is thin and can disappear on an older printer’s lower ink settings; check a test strip before running the full sheet. Expect the usual ten rings and two feet of finished chain per page.

Shapes on a String

Here the chain gives way to cutouts threaded flat on a length of string: snowflakes, mittens, gingerbread men. They photograph as bunting rather than rings, and they eat less paper per foot than a strip chain does.

White Snowflakes on Red Paper Chain

White snowflake shapes, each one drawn with a different icy pattern of lines and small dots so no two look identical, threaded flat on a length of red cord. It suits a window or a child’s doorway where a strip chain would feel too busy and a single snowflake would feel too bare.

Cut both snowflakes from the sheet, then punch a small hole wherever it hangs best, there is no marked spot to follow. Thread red string or ribbon through the holes and knot a loop at each end, spacing the snowflakes along the string however she likes.

This one eats surprisingly little paper, two large snowflakes per sheet, but the points are fiddly with blunt scissors. Small sharp craft scissors earn their keep here far more than on the strip chains.

Red and Mint Mittens Paper Chain

Mitten shapes alternating red and mint, each with a simple cuff line and a few stitch marks drawn in, strung flat along a string rather than looped into rings. It suits a child’s room or a kitchen window, somewhere small and cheerful rather than a full mantel statement.

Cut each mitten from its sheet, punch a hole wherever it sits naturally in the hand, and thread string through in whatever order looks good, there is no fixed sequence to follow.

Two large mittens print per sheet, so this one needs more sheets than it looks like it should for a long garland. Skip adding real yarn pompoms or string ties: they weigh the paper down and it starts to droop by evening.

Tiny Gingerbread Men Paper Chain

Small gingerbread man cutouts, each with a simple white icing line and a tiny red dot for buttons, threaded flat along string rather than linked into rings. It suits a kitchen window, a kid’s party table, anywhere that wants Christmas to look edible without the baking.

Cut each gingerbread man from the sheet, punch a hole wherever feels right in the hand, no marked spot to hit, and thread the string through in whatever spacing looks good.

Two large figures print per sheet, so a long garland needs more paper than the strip chains do for the same length. Keep the icing detail simple when cutting; the arms and legs are the first thing to snap off under impatient scissors.

Retro and Atomic

Pink and mint in a 1950s diner stripe, then a scatter of atomic starburst cutouts in the same era’s turquoise and pink. Put them near each other and the decade reads clearly without a single plastic prop.

1950s Pink and Mint Paper Chain

Diagonal diner stripes in pink and mint, the two colours trading places strip to strip so the chain has movement rather than sitting flat. It suits a retro-leaning tree, a kitchen doing a 1950s Christmas, anywhere that wants pattern without a single traditional red in sight.

Assemble exactly as any strip chain: cut on the lines, curl the first ring, glue, thread the next strip through before closing it, and continue down the sheet in the stripe order drawn.

Pink and mint show scissor fray more than darker colours do, so a fresh blade or new scissors earn their keep here. One sheet gives the usual ten rings, about two feet once glued.

Atomic Starbursts Paper Chain

Starburst shapes in turquoise and pink, each with thin radiating lines drawn across it, strung flat on string rather than looped into rings. It suits a retro-styled tree or a party table that wants a bit of 1950s diner energy without committing a whole room to the theme.

Cut each starburst from its sheet, punch a hole in whichever point sits best in the hand, and thread string through in any order that looks balanced.

The points are sharp and narrow, so this one is slower to cut than the rounder shapes on the list. Skip trying to punch a hole too close to a point; the paper splits rather than punches cleanly there.

Frequently Asked Questions

What paper should I use for a paper chain?

Cardstock holds a loop far better than printer paper, which goes soft and the rings slowly sag open. If only printer paper is on hand it still works for a day or two, just do not expect the chain to survive being packed away and reused.

How long should the strips be?

Most printed strip chains sit around 1 inch tall running the width of a letter page, which gives a ring a couple of inches across once glued. Hand cut strips are commonly made a similar size, with guidance suggesting strips a little under an inch wide and several inches long for a standard looking chain.

How much paper do I need for a long chain?

As a rough rule, one sheet of 8.5 inch by 11 inch paper gives roughly 2 feet of paper chain garland once cut into strips and glued into rings. For a six foot length over a doorway, plan on three sheets per colour or pattern used.

Do I need a special glue for paper chains?

A plain glue stick is enough for every garland on this list; it dries fast and does not wrinkle thin cardstock the way wet glue can. Tape or a stapler both work too if glue is not to hand, the rings hold either way.

How do you hang a finished paper chain?

Drape it rather than pin it tight: a loose swag across a mantel, a doorway or a banister holds its shape better than a chain pulled straight. A small loop of tape or a drawing pin at each end is usually all that is needed, nothing fancier.

Can a paper chain be reused next year?

A cardstock chain stored flat in a box survives several seasons without much damage, though the folds at each glued join eventually soften. Printer paper versions rarely make it past one season without the rings going limp.