Beige 3D-printed Santa lantern 17.2 cm glowing from an LED tealight on a light oak sideboard at dusk, snowman lantern and two small tree lanterns beside it, fir sprigs and pine cones, blurred Christmas lights behind

Christmas Lanterns for LED Tealights: Which Height for Which Spot

5 min read Updated November 4, 2026 By Kahaus · printed in Poland

In short

Hollow PLA figures with room for one LED tealight: Santa 17.2 cm, snowman 14 cm, four trees from 13.2 to 14.5 cm, a star cone 9.2 cm.
Tall figures on the sideboard, slim trees on a narrow sill, the low cone and the 7.2 cm star holder on the dinner table.
LED tealights only, never a real flame, never above a running radiator. Tealights are not included.

A Christmas lantern has one job: it turns a plain LED tealight into a warm point of light that still looks finished by day. Ours are 3D printed in Poland from PLA, hollow inside. The tallest, the Santa lantern, is 17.2 cm high on a base only 5 cm across, so it fits where glass would not.

Below we compare them by height and footprint and name two pieces in this group that are not lanterns at all. For the rest of the sill, see our Christmas decor ideas for the windowsill, sideboard and shelf.

Christmas lantern figures: Santa and snowman

The Santa lantern is a slender figure with a full beard and a tall pointed hat. The body is a hollow column of vertical ribs, 17.2 cm high, 5 cm across, 52 g. The light comes out between the ribs: the lower half glows, the face stays matte.

The snowman lantern is shorter and rounder: 14 cm high, 6.5 cm across, 82 g, with top hat, scarf and carrot nose. It takes a standard LED tealight.

Both come in one of twelve colours, from beige, white and oak to silk gold, cherry red and black. Our advice for a lantern: stay light. Beige and white let the glow through; black or chocolate look striking by day but give back little light at night.

Beige slender Santa lantern with a pointed hat glowing from an LED tealight on an oak sideboard, fir sprigs and pine cones beside it — Santa lantern, 17.2 cm high, 5 cm across: the glow comes out between the ribs. See the product →

Four tree lanterns: which height fits where

Trees are the easiest Christmas lantern to place, because a cone has no front. We print four.

The tree 13.2 cm is printed in vase mode as one thin continuous wall, 9.4 cm across, 46 g. The light glows through the wall itself.
The set of 2 trees gives the same cone in two sizes, 14.5 and 10.1 cm, 87 g together. Two heights read as a small forest, not a pair of copies.
The twisted spiral tree is 14 cm high, 11 cm wide and only 20 g. It is open at the bottom: you stand it over a switched-on LED tealight.
The modern geometric tree is 13.7 cm high and 7.6 cm wide, built from faceted planes with openings that throw angular reflections around it.

For a narrow sill take the vase-mode trees or the geometric one: none is wider than 9.4 cm. The spiral tree needs 11 cm but is the lightest piece here.

Beige snowman lantern with top hat and scarf glowing from inside on a wooden sideboard with pine cones and fir twigs — Snowman lantern, 14 cm: top hat, scarf and a standard LED tealight inside. See the product →

Two beige conical tree lanterns in two sizes glowing on a dining table with fir sprigs and pine cones — Set of 2 trees, 14.5 and 10.1 cm: two heights read as a small forest. See the product →

Low lanterns for the table: the star cone and the shooting stars holder

On a dinner table a 17 cm figure blocks the view across, so for the table we print two low pieces.

The cone with stars is 9.2 cm high, 8 cm wide, 20 g, printed in one piece on a wide base. Star-shaped openings dot the ribbed walls and the LED candle inside shines out through them.

The tealight holder with shooting stars is lower still: a 7.2 cm cylinder, 6 cm across, open at the top, with shooting stars cut through the wall. It is a holder, not a figure, so it keeps working after Twelfth Night.

The Merry Christmas sign belongs with them: 24.3 × 5.2 cm, a round cup for the tealight on the left and the words in slanted calligraphy, two parts, 31 g. It runs along a mantel or down the middle of the table.

Beige ribbed cone lantern with star-shaped openings standing on an oak sideboard in daylight — Cone with stars, 9.2 cm: low enough for the middle of the table. See the product →

Two pieces that look like lanterns but are not

The Christmas house with tower is 17.9 cm high, 9.8 × 9.4 cm, one piece, 138 g. Its pointed windows show the dark inside, but it is sold as a figure, not a tealight holder: a daytime piece next to the lanterns.

The Japanese pagoda lantern is an ornament: 12.8 cm high, 8.9 × 8.9 cm, two parts, an openwork lattice and a loop on the roof to hang it from a ribbon on the tree. No open flame inside, lighting not included; by day the lattice decorates on its own.

All heights at a glance

Piece	Height	Footprint	Best spot
Santa lantern	17.2 cm	Ø 5 cm	sideboard, narrow sill
Snowman lantern	14 cm	Ø 6.5 cm	sideboard, shelf
Set of 2 trees	14.5 and 10.1 cm	Ø 9.4 cm (larger)	sill, sideboard
Twisted spiral tree	14 cm	Ø 11 cm	sideboard, hallway
Modern geometric tree	13.7 cm	Ø 7.6 cm	narrow sill, shelf
Tree 13.2 cm	13.2 cm	Ø 9.4 cm	sill, festive table
Cone with stars	9.2 cm	8 × 8 cm	dinner table
Shooting stars holder	7.2 cm	6 × 6 cm	dinner table, all year
Merry Christmas sign	5.2 cm	24.3 × 5.2 cm	mantel, table runner
House with tower	17.9 cm	9.8 × 9.4 cm	shelf, no light
Pagoda ornament	12.8 cm	8.9 × 8.9 cm	shelf or hung on the tree

LED tealight: what fits and what to avoid

Every lantern above is built around a standard LED tealight, the battery kind about 38 mm across. Tealights are never included, so add a pack to the order. We would choose warm white: it suits beige, oak and silk gold far better than cool white.

LED tealights only, never a real flame: PLA softens at high temperatures. Keep every lantern away from fireplaces, radiators and other heat sources, and off a windowsill directly above a radiator while the heating runs. Indoors only.

For real candles on the table buy glass holders, not PLA. Our low holders and trays for LED tealights are in Home decor, ready-made combinations in Sets. How to group them on one tray: candle tray decor with LED tealight holders.

See our Christmas lanterns and holders

Questions we often hear

Is the LED tealight included?

No. Every lantern and holder here ships without one. A standard battery LED tealight fits; buy a pack of warm white ones.

Can I put a real tealight inside?

No. PLA softens at high temperatures and a real flame can deform the lantern. For real candles use glass holders.

Which lantern fits a windowsill 10 cm deep?

Santa (5 cm), the snowman (6.5 cm), the geometric tree (7.6 cm) and the vase-mode trees (9.4 cm). The spiral tree needs 11 cm, so it goes on the sideboard.