Skip to Content

Santa Napkin Rings for Your Christmas Table

These Santa napkin rings will look so cute on your Christmas dinner table! Make them with inexpensive supplies including toilet paper rolls – perfect for beginners.

Skills Required: None. Even if you’ve never made anything before, you’ll be able to achieve this project. You’re using scissors/a craft knife and a hot glue gun to bring everything together.

Santa Napkin Rings

It’s truly amazing, the things you can make with cardboard tubes. Let’s face it – “cardboard tubes” is the fancy name for toilet paper rolls. You know, the same ones that you put in the recycling bins on a regular basis or save for kids crafts.

Well I have a toilet paper roll treat for you today, my holiday friends. Because as it turns out, Santa napkin rings are one of those amazing things you can make with cardboard tubes! And they are really easy to do.

The premise is very simple, but these look like a million bucks on your Christmas dinner table. Sure, napkin rings are never required . . . but they do add a little something to the holiday festivities.

Given how fast these are to make, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that you could have several of these done and ready the night before Christmas. Yep, they’re that quick!

Santa Claus Christmas napkin rings

Santa Christmas Napkin Rings

You’re going to complete this recycled Christmas project in five simple steps: cut the toilet paper roll, cut and apply the felt, add the belt, add the buckle, then add the first trim. And the first step is kind of a “half step.”

Honestly this holiday project is so easy that kids could make them. Maybe they want to make a set of their own for the kids’ Christmas table? Wouldn’t that be so cute?!

Learn how to make these Santa napkin rings below!


Gather These Supplies

  • Toilet paper rolls – makes two napkin rings
  • Red felt (about 2 x 6″ per ring)
  • Gold glitter craft foam or ribbon (a small square per ring)
  • Black glitter ribbon (about 6″ per ring)
  • Faux fur ribbon or just faux fur fabric
  • Ruler
  • Craft knife
  • Scissors

A few notes on substitutions before beginning. First of all, I got the fur ribbon at Hobby Lobby. So check out the ribbon section of your craft store, but you can also use faux fur from the fabric section as well. If you can’t find it, you can use regular white ribbon or pom pom trim, etc.

Also, I have a lot of gold glitter craft foam on hand (I have no idea, in case you’re wondering). But for Santa’s buckle, you can also use gold ribbon or even gold cardstock.

Red felt, gold glitter foam, faux fur ribbon, scissors, black glitter ribbon, toilet paper rolls, hot glue sticks, hot glue gun

Cut the Paper Tubes

This is the simplest step in the whole project! Simply cut a toilet paper tube in half. The roll will bend a little bit while, you’re cutting, and then you’ll have to bend it back. Boom.

Cutting a toilet paper roll in half with a pair of scissors

Cut the Felt Strip and Glue Down

Each piece of toilet paper tube is about 2″ tall and 6″ in diameter. So you’ll want to cut a strip about 1 3/4″ and then about 6 1/4″ for overlap. But measure your toilet paper roll, because I doubt they’re all the exact same size.

My felt is a little smaller than 2″ wide just because the fur is going to be covering the ends.

Cutting a strip of red felt with scissors and a craft knife

Here’s what you’ve got – half a toilet paper roll and a strip of felt.

Red strip felt laying next to half a toilet paper roll

If your strip is too long for the paper roll, trim it down. You don’t want Santa’s coat to have too much overlap!

Trim felt to cover the toilet paper roll

Apply hot glue to the red felt and wrap around the toilet paper roll. Secure the end with hot glue.

Hot gluing felt around a toilet paper roll

Make Santa’s Belt

Cut a length of black glitter ribbon to fit if it doesn’t already. I ended up having to cut mine in half with a craft knife and ruler because it was a little too wide.

Cutting a piece of black ribbon with a craft knife and ruler

Add hot glue to the ribbon and wrap it around “Santa’s middle.”

Applying hot glue to the back of black ribbon

Secure it on the other side, attach the ribbon to itself.

Fingers wrapping black glitter ribbon around a napkin ring

Create the Belt Buckle

Use a craft knife and ruler to cut a small square of gold foam or paper.

Square cut out of gold glitter foam and a craft knife

Cut a small square of black ribbon and attach it to the center of the gold square with hot glue.

Hot gluing a Santa belt buckle together with ribbon and foam

Press the gold square down onto the black ribbon using hot glue. Santa’s buckle is complete!

Gluing the Santa belt buckle to the napkin ring

Add the Fur

You’re so close to finishing your Santa napkin rings! Cut a strip of fur ribbon or faux fur to fit both the top and bottom of your napkin ring.

Cutting faux fur ribbon with a craft knife and ruler

Use hot glue to adhere the fur to both the top and the bottom. Hold down until cool.

Applying hot glue to the back of faux fur with a glue gun

Guess what – you made one Santa napkin ring! Now you can make many, many more. What do you think of these Christmas napkin rings? Are you in?

DIY Christmas napkin rings that are Santa inspired

I just love the way that these Santa napkin rings look, and they compliment just about any decor.


If you loved this Christmas project, I’d love for you to check out these other holiday ideas: