3D printing for Christmas: decorations and gifts you print yourself
3D printing for Christmas: how to print decorations and small gifts yourself, what to check in files and licenses, plus two print files from me.
by Mara Krapp · Published on November 10, 2026 · 4 min read
The printer is already there, and suddenly it is November. If you own a 3D printer you know the moment: the home should feel like Christmas, the shop shelves look like every other year, and you think you could simply print it yourself. You can. It just helps to decide a few things first, so the plan does not end in leftover plastic and frustration.
Here is what works well for 3D printing at Christmas, what to look for in print files, and which two files I offer myself.
What you can print as Christmas decoration
The classics in the online collections are tree ornaments, stars, cookie cutters, small Christmas villages and figures. I like pieces that work all year and only look a little more festive in December. A simple figure on the windowsill does not need glitter to make an impression.
Three questions help with the choice:
- How big should it be? Small pieces suit the tree, an advent calendar or table decoration. A figure of 20 cm or more needs space on the shelf and clearly more time on the printer.
- Single colour or multicolour? A single-colour piece prints with one spool of filament, without swapping in between. That is calmer for a first try.
- With or without supports? Supports cost time and leave marks. On Christmas decoration you see them right away.
Where to find files and what to check
Free Christmas models are available on Printables, MakerWorld and Cults3D, for example. These are good places to browse. For every file, look at three things: how it is licensed, which printer and material it was set up for, and whether there are photos of real prints rather than only renderings. Real photos tell you whether the model actually works.
With a ready-made project you skip the setup. A 3MF file is a print project that includes the settings, while an STL holds only the shape. With the 3MF you open, check and print. With the STL you set everything up yourself.
My two print files
I currently offer two 3D files that I recommend as winter decoration. Both come as a ZIP with a 3MF, an STL and instructions as a PDF, and the download is available immediately after payment is received.
The reindeer is 24 cm tall, or more precisely 81 × 81 × 241 mm. The rounded body is covered all over with vertical grooves, and head, ears and antlers sit on top. I set it up for an Anycubic Kobra X with a 0.4 mm nozzle: single colour in PLA, 0.2 mm layer height, no supports. The private license costs €4.90.
The Seed Hut is a small house with a sloped roof, a hole in the roof and an open front with a low rim. It comes in two sizes: small at 30 × 40 × 46.6 mm, where the project puts five on one build plate, and large at 100 × 130 × 150 mm. The settings are for an Anycubic Kobra 2 Pro. The private license costs €3.90.
Both pieces are kept simple and are not explicitly Christmassy. With a fir sprig beside them, or inside an advent calendar, they become so on their own. A 24 cm reindeer will not print in an hour, though, so start in November rather than on December 22.
Print for yourself or sell: the license
Every one of my files comes in two licenses. With the private license you print for yourself and for gifts. With the commercial license you may sell the finished pieces, at a Christmas market for example. It costs €24.90. The exact terms are at /lizenz. Read them before you sell anything.
Ideas for what you have printed
Small pieces like the Seed Hut fit well into an advent calendar. A single printed piece also works as a Secret Santa gift. How to make a gift on a small budget that does not look like a fallback is in my text on Secret Santa gifts under €10. More printable files are under Digital Templates.
