DIY Paper Christmas Village (Free Printable Templates + SVG)

I had wanted to make a little paper Christmas village for years, so I finally sat down and designed my own houses. I made four different house templates, two simpler ones and two with more detail, and I just love how the whole village turned out on my mantel!

I’m sharing the free Christmas village templates in PDF, SVG, and DXF formats, so you can make your own using a cutting machine or simply print the templates and cut everything by hand.

How to Make a Paper Christmas Village

I made this village using white cardstock for the houses and black cardstock for the roofs. I love the contrast, especially when the little houses are lit up from the inside.

You don’t need to use the same colors, though. Glitter cardstock would look so cute for the roofs, or you could make the whole village white for a different look.

The houses are much easier to make with a cutting machine, especially those little windows and detailed pieces. But don’t worry if you don’t have one. You can absolutely make this project by hand using the printable templates, a craft knife, and a little patience.

Once all the pieces are cut, it’s mostly folding and gluing. Then comes my favorite part, arranging the houses and trees to create your little Christmas village.

Free Printable Christmas Village Templates and Cut Files

I designed four different paper houses for this project, including two simpler designs and two with a little more detail. I also included the trees to complete the village.

The free download comes in three formats:

• PDF templates: For printing and cutting the paper houses by hand.
• SVG files: For compatible electronic cutting machines, including Cricut and Silhouette.
• DXF files: Another option for compatible cutting software.

Download the files below, choose the format that works for you, and you’re ready to start.

Supplies:

You don’t need many supplies for this project. Most of the work is in cutting the little house pieces and putting them together.

• Cardstock. I used white for the houses and black for the roofs. I recommend medium-weight cardstock, around 160–180 gsm or heavier if your machine can handle it.
• Glue. I Love UHU all-purpose glue, but a low-temperature hot glue gun works too.
• Battery-operated LED string lights. To light up the houses from the inside.
• Fleece. To create the snowy ground.
• Optional decorations. Anything you want to add around your village.

Tools

• Cutting Machine (Silhouette Cameo, Cricut, or another compatible cutting machine)
• Scissors.
• Printer and craft knife if cutting by hand
• Cutting mat
• Pen or hook tool to help press down small glued tabs

Instructions:

Let’s make those little houses! I’ll show you how I cut mine with my Silhouette Cameo, then we’ll assemble the houses, make the trees, and set up the village.

Step 1: Cut Your Paper Christmas Village Houses

First, download the Christmas village templates and save them to your computer.

I used Silhouette Studio with my Cameo, so that’s what you’ll see in my photos. If you’re using another cutting machine, the process will be similar, although the software settings may be different.

Open your cutting software, import the appropriate file, and arrange your house pieces to fit your cardstock. Leave a little space around the edges so nothing gets cut off.

I wanted my houses white and the roofs black, so I arranged the pieces according to the cardstock colors I was using.

Before cutting, double-check your blade settings, material selection, and the size of your designs.

Place your cardstock on the sticky side of your cutting mat, smooth it down, and load the mat into your machine.

Once everything looks right, send the design to cut.

Cutting by hand? Print the PDF templates, cut around the shapes with scissors, and use a craft knife for the smaller windows and detailed areas. It takes longer, but you can still make the same little village.

Step 2: Assemble the Paper Houses

Once your machine finishes cutting, carefully remove the excess cardstock from around your designs.

I love this part because you finally get to see all those tiny windows and house details!

Gently lift your pieces from the cutting mat. Take your time with the smaller parts so they don’t bend or tear.

Check the windows and other small cutouts. Sometimes little bits of paper stay attached, especially when the designs have tiny details. Just remove those carefully.

Now start folding along the dashed lines. As you fold each part, you’ll begin to see how the house comes together.

Add glue to the tabs and start joining the sides of your house.

I like using UHU glue for this because it holds the cardstock without making it too wet. I also find it easier to work with on those small tabs.

Next, attach the roof. Some of the tabs can be a little tricky to reach once the house starts taking shape, so don’t rush this part.

Here’s a little trick I use: turn the house upside down and use the end of a pen or the back of a hook tool to press the glued tabs firmly from the inside.

It really helps with those awkward spots around the roof and chimney.

Continue folding and gluing the remaining pieces, including the little garage sections, front entrances, and other details.

Repeat the process with the rest of your houses, and allow the glue to dry before arranging them.

Optional window detail: You can glue little pieces of vellum or tissue paper behind the windows to soften the light from inside the houses. I thought about doing this, but of course, the idea came to me after my houses were already assembled! LOL.

Step 3: Make the Paper Christmas Trees

The trees are much simpler than the houses, and they look so cute scattered around the village.

Take your tree cutouts and fold each one in half.

Apply glue along one folded side and attach another tree piece to it. Keep adding folded pieces, gluing them side by side, until the tree comes together.

I used three or four pieces per tree, depending on how full I wanted them to look.

Make sure the folded edges line up nicely, then let the glue dry.

Once they’re ready, gently spread the sections so the trees stand on their own.

Step 4: Put Your Christmas Village Together

Now for my favorite part, decorating!

I knew exactly where I wanted my Christmas village to go. My mantel!

I started by arranging a few small cardboard boxes along the mantel to create different heights. Then I covered everything with white fleece to make it look like snowy hills.

Nothing fancy here, just a few boxes and a little imagination.

Once I was happy with the snowy background, I started placing the houses and trees.

I moved everything around a few times until I liked how the village looked. I wanted the houses to sit at different heights, with the little trees filling some of the empty spaces.

Then came the lights! I really wanted my paper houses to glow, but I didn’t want to deal with turning several little battery-operated candles on and off every night.

So I decided to use one string of battery-operated LED lights instead.

I ran the lights along the mantel and carefully tucked some of the LED bulbs through the back windows of the houses.

This way, I could light up the whole village without having to turn on each house individually.

If you’ve added vellum or tissue paper behind the windows, you can make a small opening wherever you need to insert a light.

Important: Use battery-operated LED lights only. Never place real candles or any open flame inside the cardstock houses.

And when I finally turned the lights on… WOW!

I loved it even more than I expected.

Some of the light came through the windows, while the rest softly lit up the trees and snowy background. The white houses, black roofs, and warm lights looked so pretty together.

I absolutely LOVE how it turned out. 

I’m so happy I finally made this little village. It was one of those Christmas projects I’d had in mind for ages, and seeing all the houses glowing on my mantel made all that cutting and gluing worth it.

And now you have the templates to make your own!

Ideas to Make Your Christmas Village Your Own

I love the black-and-white look of mine, but there are plenty of ways to change it depending on your Christmas decorations.

You could make an all-white village with warm lights, use glitter cardstock for the roofs, or try different cardstock colors for the houses.

You could also add vellum behind the windows, sprinkle a little artificial snow around the trees, or arrange the village on a shelf or sideboard instead of a mantel.

I think even just a few of the smaller houses grouped together would make a really cute Christmas centerpiece.

Storing Your Christmas Village

Because the houses are made from cardstock, I recommend storing them somewhere dry where they won’t get crushed.

If you want to reuse your village next Christmas, place the houses in a sturdy box with a little tissue paper around them. Keep the trees separate so they don’t get flattened.

You can also store the fleece and string lights with the village, making it easier to put everything together again next year.

Frequently asked questions

More Christmas Projects to Try

If you love this Paper Christmas Village tutorial, I’m sure you will love these other Christmas Project ideas too:

I hope this inspires you to make your own little Christmas village. If you give it a try, I’d love to know what colors you choose and where you decide to display it!

And if you enjoyed this project, don’t forget to save it to Pinterest or share it with someone who loves making Christmas decorations, and give it a star review.

✂️ Tutorial

Here I have some Christmas Inspiration for Paper Crafts from my favorite bloggers:

• DIY Paper Christmas Trees by Carrie over at Dream Green DIY
• DIY Paper House Christmas Ornaments by Lia over at Lia Griffith
• DIY Paper Christmas Ornaments by Dinah over at DIY Inspired

If you love this project as much as I do, don’t forget to PIN and share it with friends!