Holiday Crafting: Make a Christmas Tree from an Old Paperback Book

Do you love Christmas crafts? Are you a book lover? If you answered "Yes" to both questions, you will love this creative holiday project. Kids of all ages can participate in making festive home-crafted Christmas tree gifts and decorations from old soft-covered books.

If your home library overflows with paperbacks you've already read, why not pick out a few of the more tired and dog-eared volumes and transform them into intriguing holiday decorations?

As a lifelong bookworm, I still remember learning to make this fun craft as a child in an after-school activity club. My own kids and Sunday schoolers have made them with me too.

Here's how to make your own Christmas tree craft from an old paperback.

You can make approximately three holiday tree projects from one average mass-market pocket paperback book. Just follow these eight easy steps to complete this Christmas craft. (One tree craft takes less than half an hour for an adult to complete, plus decorating, if desired.)

1. First, tear off the front and back cover of the book. Toss or recycle these.

2. Count out the first 70 pages (35 sheets) of the book, and tear this packet carefully from the rest of the volume.

3. Place this book section on a flat surface, such as a counter or table, with the spine running vertically down the left-hand side.

4. Fold the upper-right corner of the first page all the way to the spine, forming a right triangle (90 degrees). Crease the fold neatly.

5. Next, fold that triangle to the left, aligning the newly creased fold with the book spine.

6. The bottom corner will extend past the lower edge of the book section. Fold this corner up to make the bottom edge straight again.

7. Follow the same steps for all of the pages of the paperback book. Fasten page folds with a glue stick or rubber cement, if you wish, for added durability.

8. Stand the paperback Christmas tree craft upright, and fan the folded pages out to form a complete circle at the base. Voila!

Use the rest of the paperback to create additional trees to keep or give away.

Decorate your newly crafted Christmas trees your own way.

Once you've constructed the tree, you can adorn it however you like. Experiment with glue and glitter, spray paint or puffy drip paints. Add jingle bells, tiny pine cones, buttons, pom poms, craft trims or ribbons.

Try grouping several trees in an artistic display on a shelf or the fireplace mantle. Surround them with fresh or artificial Christmas greenery or a festive floral garland.

Fact or fiction, these delightful little tabletop trees make creative gifts and add flair to a holiday buffet or banquet display.

Try these additional creative options for your paperback book Christmas tree.

Cast-off book Christmas trees are super on holiday tables as personalized take-home place markers for guests. I've also added construction paper angel wings and old Barbie doll heads (with pipe cleaner halos) to make Christmas angels from this craft.

These little crafted trees also make super holiday decorations for bookstores, libraries and classroom. Use your own imagination to create your own novel decorations from tired old books.

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