When I first saw red paper chains hanging in my friend’s Brooklyn apartment last year, I thought: How cute! What a fun throwback to Christmases past, and a perfect way to make the place feel ten times cozier as we gathered to drink wine, gossip, and be merry.
Back then, that was all I thought about paper chains. Now, fast forward to 2025, and I can’t seem to escape them. They’re in shop windows, on trees at the local holiday market, and all over my Instagram. Call it holiday-induced craft mania, or kindergarten chic. Paper chains—the classic kind, made by looping strips of colorful construction paper together—are having a moment.
Since Thanksgiving, my feed has been taken over by a seemingly endless stream of TikTok videos explaining how to make paper garlands. These tutorials suggest the best papers, materials, and techniques for creating the chunkiest chains or the most durable links. They experiment with velvet, felt, and ribbon, and offer advice on how to hang your decorations for the most whimsical effect.
Paper chains certainly aren’t new—they’re believed to date back to at least the 1800s, when they were first noted as a popular activity for schoolchildren—but their online resurgence has introduced them to a new audience eager to get crafting (and post about it). Retailers seem to have noticed, too: a number of stores, including Toast, Anthropologie, East End Press, and Cambridge Imprint, now sell paper chain kits, some of which have sold out online. On Pinterest, searches for “paper chains” have spiked during the holiday season.
So, what’s behind this paper chain revival? For many, it’s about reconnecting with a sense of childlike wonder.
Some call the trend a “recession indicator” (isn’t everything these days?); others refer to it as a “Little Women Christmas” (à la the Greta Gerwig version), or the kitschy polar opposite of a “Ralph Lauren Christmas.”
It may also be, as others have noted, a reaction against the “sad beige” trend of minimalist, neutral interiors. Just last week, Pantone announced their Color of the Year is literally white (or rather, “Cloud Dancer,” as they call it), and there’s already been pushback from those who prefer colorful chaos, texture, and nostalgia over a manicured, catalog-ready look.
Sean A. Pritchard, an award-winning English garden designer, is a devoted fan of paper chains as Christmas decor—just look at his holiday tablescapes in a recent Vogue story. For Pritchard, paper chains are synonymous with the magic of Christmastime as a child, a feeling many of us strive to recreate as adults. Plus, he explains, paper chains are a sure sign that you’re having fun and “surrendering to the chaos” of the holidays.
“There can be a bit of snobbishness around Christmas,” Pritchard adds. “This idea that we can have Christmas, but we should also have a tasteful Christmas. I’m just not interested in that at all. Thinking about being a child at Christmas, you weren’t concerned about whether everything color-matched or was really elegant and whatnot. It was kind of just a free-for-all of color, shape, pattern, noise, lights.”
Pritchard suggests the paper chain trend might also be linked to a growing interest in slowing down, noting the “mental health benefits” of crafting. “When you’re making a paper chain, it’s quite therapeutic,” he says. (Not everyone on TikTok agrees—for every few wholesome videos about the comfort of crafting, there’s a jokey, slightly unhinged one about how the quest to make paper chains pushed some people to the edge of their sanity, one paper cut away from a full breakdown.)
Still, for Pritchard, paper chains carry an enduring timelessness and charm. “I think it just transcends being a…””I think it will always be part of someone’s Christmas,” he says.
Delaney Lundquist, a design manager and interior design content creator from Charlotte, North Carolina, known as Tremont Home, has made several videos about the paper chain trend. She loves that it’s an activity you can share with friends and family. Lundquist suggests inviting people over to make paper chains together and using scraps from around the house or from a local creative reuse center to make your crafting more creative and sustainable. This way, your decorations become part of the celebration.
“I think the appeal of the paper chain is its simplicity,” says Lisa Przystup, a writer based in Delhi, New York, who has decorated with paper chains for years. “I really love that it takes the whole ‘throw money at it’ approach to holiday decorating and turns it on its head,” she adds. For Przystup, making paper chains also “taps into that childlike joy of play, which I think is so freeing and sets it apart from more ambitious crafts.”
So as we settle in for the holidays, why not give it a try yourself? While sipping hot chocolate by a roaring fireplace—or, if you’re like me, by a crackling YouTube yule log—you might find a new way to enjoy the festive spirit and make your inner kindergartener proud.
Frequently Asked Questions
Of course Here is a helpful FAQ about the 2025 holiday decoration trend of paper chains
Paper Chain Holiday Decor FAQ
Beginner General Questions
Q Wait paper chains Like the ones from kindergarten
A Yes exactly The trend is all about taking that simple nostalgic craft and elevating it with modern materials sophisticated color palettes and creative designs for a stylish ecofriendly and personal holiday look
Q Why are paper chains suddenly a top trend for 2025
A They perfectly hit several current desires sustainability nostalgia affordability and the handmade aesthetic They offer a cozy personalized alternative to massproduced plastic decor
Q What are the main benefits of using paper chains for holiday decorating
A They are incredibly cheap ecofriendly easy to make highly customizable and lightweight
Q What kind of paper should I use to get the trendy look
A Move beyond basic construction paper The trend uses things like
Recycled book pages or sheet music for a vintage feel
Old maps or patterned scrapbook paper
Metallic or kraft paper for a modern twist
Fabricbacked or textured paper for durability
Design Style Questions
Q What are some popular color schemes for 2025 paper chains
A While classic red green are always an option trendy palettes include
Monochromatic All shades of cream white and gold
Natural Earthy Sage green terracotta brown kraft paper and burnt orange
Icy Modern Silver slate blue and frosted white
Q How can I make my paper chains look more adult or sophisticated
A Use cohesive muted color schemes incorporate metallic accents vary the sizes and shapes of the links and layer multiple chains at different lengths for depth
Q Where are the best places to hang paper chains