Most Christmas 3D prints are the same snowflakes and stars you’ve seen for years. These ten aren’t. Some glow, some look knitted, one is a highland cow in a holiday outfit, and one is a bowl wearing Santa’s boots. If you’re new to 3D printing Christmas pieces, start here. All of them are new this season, and they cover 3D printed Christmas decorations, ornaments for the tree and a few gifts.
3D Printed Christmas Decorations
When you 3D print Christmas decorations, pick pieces that look good with the lights off and better with them on. Three of the seven below are built around a light.
Important
Every model in this list is printed in plastic (PLA or PETG). Never put a real candle inside or near them: use only LED tealights or LED string lights.
1. 3D Printed Christmas Village Candle Holder
A cluster of little houses with cut-out windows and a tree tucked between them. Put a light inside and every window glows, so a plain white print turns into the coziest thing on the mantel. In white or pale cream filament, this Christmas village 3D print reads as porcelain from across the room.
Use LED tealights only. PLA starts to soften at around 60°C, and a real flame inside a plastic house is a bad idea even if it survives the first night.
See the Christmas Village Candle Holder
2. Knitted Christmas Candle Houses
Two of this season’s trends in one 3D printed candle holder: glowing windows and a surface that looks like a chunky knitted sweater. The texture is part of the model, so there’s nothing to paint, and the light coming through the windows makes the knit pattern look almost real.
See the Knitted Christmas Candle Houses
3. 3D Print Christmas Tree Lanterns
If you want a 3D printed Christmas tree but don’t have room for a big one, these slim cone trees are the answer. They’re covered in small star cut-outs, and with a light inside they scatter dots of light across the shelf. Three heights look better than three of the same.
See the Christmas Tree Lantern
4. Santa’s Reindeer Sleigh
Santa in a carved sleigh pulled by a reindeer, with ornamental scrollwork along the sides. It’s the most detailed of these Christmas 3D prints and the one that makes people ask «you printed that?» One color in ivory or gold shows off the detail better than paint would.
Use a fine layer height. The scrollwork is what sells this print, and it disappears at draft settings.
5. Snow Globe Trio
Three snow globes with little winter scenes inside: a house, trees and a snowman. They’re solid prints with no water or glass, so they’re safe on a low shelf where kids can reach. Two colors, a white globe on a green base, give the look in the photo.
6. 3D Print Nutcracker Couple
A nutcracker soldier with a ballerina-style partner, each on a round base. Nutcrackers show up at every Christmas, and a pair turns them into a small story on the shelf. Print them in one color for a figurine look, or paint the uniforms afterward.
7. Santa Snack Bowl
A bowl shaped like Santa’s belly, belt and boots, ready for candy on the coffee table. It’s a funny piece of 3D printed Christmas decor, and it gets a reaction every time guests sit down.
Use it for wrapped candy, or line it with a paper cup. 3D prints have tiny gaps between layers that are hard to clean, so they aren’t a good choice for loose food.
3D Printed Christmas Ornaments
Good 3D printed ornaments are light, quick to print and readable from across the room. Both of these come in sets, so the tree looks planned rather than random.
8. 3D Printed Snowman Ornaments
Snowmen whose bodies are printed as a spiral, topped with a knitted hat and scarf. The coil shape makes them look different from every angle, and they turn slowly when they hang on the tree. In three colors they read as a set.
See the Spiral Snowman Ornaments
9. Knitted Heart Ornaments
Puffy hearts with a cable-knit texture, hung on twine. These 3D printed Christmas ornaments look like they came from a craft fair, not a printer, especially in cream, dusty pink and sage. They’re quick to print, so a batch for gift tags or a whole tree is realistic.
See the Knitted Heart Ornaments
3D Printed Christmas Gifts
Of all the 3D print Christmas gift ideas this season, this one has the clearest audience.
10. 3D Printed Highland Cow Christmas Set
Highland cows are everywhere in home décor right now, and this set gives them the holiday treatment: shaggy coats, little hats and seasonal props. For anyone with a farmhouse kitchen, a 3D printed highland cow is one of the easiest Christmas gifts to get right.
A highland cow 3D print in warm orange or caramel filament needs no painting: the shaggy texture is modeled in, so the color does the rest.
See the Highland Cow Christmas Set
Before You Print
Start with the 3D printed Christmas gifts, since they need to be finished by mid-December, while decorations for your own home can wait. Light-up pieces look best in white or translucent filament and only with LED lights. Knitted and shaggy textures hide layer lines, so they’re the most forgiving prints here if your printer isn’t perfectly tuned.
