Make your own Christmas paper chains

While you're busy cutting strips from pretty paper, your little helpers can simply stick them together and you'll have the perfect Christmas paper chain production line!

There's no doubt that homemade decorations add a cool and classy touch to any Christmas party, but have no fear if you (like us... every year) have overspent on the pressies, since you probably have everything you need for this cheery chain in your house already.

Making a paper chain is the perfect way to use-up those awkward leftovers of wrapping paper when you just don't have enough for another present, and if you're a serial scrounger who saves old wrapping then this might just be the time to put it to use. We can't wait to deck our halls with these Christmassy creations. Glue, scissors, action!

To make your paper chains you will need

• Paper
• Scissors
• Glue

How to make your paper chain

• Step 1 Cut the paper into equal strips, the size depends on how large you want the loops on your paper chain. I used 2cm x 15cm strips.
• Step 2 Bend the first price of paper into a circle, overlapping the ends slightly and fasten together using glue or tape.
• Step 3 Repeat folding each piece of paper through the last to create a linked chain.

Tips for making your paper chains extra special

You can even do your bit to help good old planet Earth this Christmas by recycling your old newspapers, music sheets and brown-paper bags to add to your decoration, giving it a chic, vintage feel that wouldn't look out of place on Pinterest. ‘Waste not, want not,' our mother used to preach, and we can't wait to impress her with our resourcefulness when she pops over for Christmas lunch.

Even if you're a keen creator, don't be fooled into thinking the paper chain is old news. You can give it an original touch by using decorative craft scissors to create unusual patterns on the edges on the paper strips, creating a paper bow, or even incorporate some glittery wrapping paper into your chain to give it that extra-festive feel.