Beige 3D-printed snowflake napkin ring on a rolled linen napkin beside a white plate and cutlery, Christmas table with fir sprigs and warm LED light in the background

Christmas Napkin Rings: 3 Easy Folds and Which Ring Holds Them

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

In short

A rolled napkin slides through every D-shaped ring here; a fan wants a thicker band; a cutlery pocket lies flat and needs no ring.
Six snowflake rings cover six places, four reindeer holders cover four, the 12-design set gives each of twelve guests a different figure.
All of them are PLA: hand wash, no dishwasher, no hot dishes, and real candles stay at a distance.

Christmas napkin rings have one job: keep a folded napkin in shape from the moment guests sit down until the first course arrives. The fold decides which ring works. A tight roll slides through almost anything, a fan needs grip at the base, and a cutlery pocket lies flat and needs no ring at all.

Below are the three folds we use ourselves and how our 3D printed rings handle each one. The napkin rings with snowflake, 6 pcs are the set we would start with for a table of six; the rest of the range is for bigger tables and for people who want a different figure at every place.

Three napkin folds that work with a ring

1. The roll

Fold the napkin in half, roll it from the short edge into a tube, slide the ring over one end and move it to the middle. This is the fold in our photos and it works with every ring here, because a roll compresses as it passes through. Fold a paper napkin in quarters first.

2. The fan

Fold the napkin into an accordion of narrow strips, pinch the bottom, slide the ring over the pinched end and spread the top. The ring has to grip a gathered base, so a thicker band helps: we would pick the 12-design set with its 1.5 cm bands over the 0.2 cm flat plates of the set of 3, which hold a roll but have little to grip a fan with.

3. The pocket

Fold in quarters, fold the top layer down twice to form a diagonal pocket and slide the cutlery in. It lies flat, so no ring goes round it. Lay the ring on top as an ornament, or use the branches holder, which holds a folded napkin flat like a clip rather than wrapping it.

How a napkin ring actually holds the napkin

The opening does the work, not the figure on top. Our rings are D-shaped: a straight bottom so the ring stands on the plate without rolling, and an arched opening for the napkin. We do not state the opening size, so roll or fold the napkin thin first; a cloth napkin folded double will not pass through a small ring.

Two pieces here are not rings. The branches hold a folded napkin on the setting, one per person. The bow holder has a half-round opening for a strip or a roll, and a flat base that sits on the plate, beside the cutlery or on a glass.

Beige snowflake napkin rings on rolled linen napkins at a Christmas table with white plates and fir sprigs — Napkin rings with snowflake, 6 pcs: one ring is 6.5 × 5.3 cm, the pack weighs 31 g. See the product →

Which Christmas napkin rings for which table

Count the places first. Our packs match real tables, and single rings top up a pack when two more guests turn up.

Product	In the pack	One piece	Best for
Snowflake rings, 6 pcs	6 identical	6.5 × 5.3 cm, 0.5 cm thick	a table of six, one calm pattern
Reindeer holders, 4 pcs	4 identical	8 × 7.4 cm, 0.4 cm thick	a small family table
Branches holders, 5 pcs	5 identical	7.7 × 8.3 cm, 0.6 cm thick	flat folded napkins
Bow holders, 5 pcs	5 identical	7.6 × 6.8 cm, 0.6 cm thick	a strip or a roll, also on a glass
Napkin rings, 12 designs	12 different	7.2 × 5 cm, 1.5 cm thick	a big table, a figure per guest
Set of 3	reindeer, tree, gift	up to 9.9 × 9.4 cm, 0.2 cm	three places
Reindeer ring	1	9.7 × 5.8 cm, 0.6 cm thick	topping up, mixing
Snowflake ring	1	8 × 5 cm, 0.6 cm thick	topping up, mixing

For eight guests, take the 6-pack of snowflakes and two single snowflake rings in the same colour; the single is a touch larger at 8 × 5 cm, which nobody notices across a table. For twelve, the 12-design set has a reindeer, tree, snowflake, antlers, snowman, angel, gift, bow and gingerbread man, so the rings double as place markers. Most rings come in 12 colours, the reindeer, branches and bow holders in 10.

Beige snowflake napkin ring from the 12-design set on a rolled linen napkin next to a white plate on a wooden table — 12 designs, 7.2 × 5 cm each: one colour, a different figure for every guest. See the product →

Four beige reindeer napkin holders on rolled linen napkins on a wooden Christmas table — Reindeer holders, 4 pcs: the napkin slips under the hooves. See the product →

One honest note: at 31 g for six snowflakes the rings are light, so they do not shatter like glass, but they do not weigh a napkin down the way metal does. The centrepiece is covered in our guide to Christmas table decor in minimal Scandinavian style.

A napkin holder for the sideboard

Rings dress the places; spare napkins need a home too. The napkin holder with fir trees is U-shaped: a base 13 cm long and 4.2 cm wide, two arched sides 9 cm high, and a row of fir silhouettes in each arch, visible from both sides. Folded napkins drop in from above, and the holder stands on the table, a buffet or the sideboard. It weighs 45 g and comes in 12 colours.

Beige napkin holder with arched sides and fir trees filled with Christmas paper napkins on a linen runner, candle in the background — Napkin holder with fir trees, 13 cm long: folded napkins go in from the top. See the product →

Pick one colour for rings and holder, or two already on the table. The rest of the room is in Christmas decor ideas for the windowsill, sideboard and shelf, ready combinations in Sets.

PLA on the festive table: what to know

We print all of these in Poland from PLA, to order. Wipe the rings with a damp cloth or wash them by hand in lukewarm water; the dishwasher is too hot. Keep them away from hot dishes, the oven and radiators. Fine layer lines on the surface are part of the technique, not a defect, and thin pieces like the 0.2 cm plates of the set of 3 should not be bent.

Candles: PLA softens in heat, so with real candles keep the rings at the plates and the flames in the centre, at a distance; LED candles are the easier choice. The rings are not intended for contact with food: the napkin goes through, not the bread. Napkins are not included with any ring or holder.

After the holidays the rings go back in a box for next year. The rest of our table pieces are in Home decor and Practical home.

See our table and home decor