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Thingiverse’s holiday collections offer ideas ranging from hanging ornaments to tabletop decorations, figurines, and printable activities. The latest holiday-specific challenge surfaced here is the 2025 Holiday Ornament Challenge; it is closed, and its 210 entries are a count for that challenge—not for all holiday designs on Thingiverse.
What can you 3D print for the holidays?
Think beyond a single style of tree ornament. The official challenge collections show designs for hanging on a tree, displaying on a table, giving as gifts, or making as an activity. Thingiverse’s 2024 challenge described the category as “3D printable holiday decorations,” including ornaments, tree toppers, figurines, and trinkets.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors| Collection | Examples | What the count means |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 Holiday Ornament Challenge | Articulated reindeer, a Christmas tree ornament kit card, a glowing LED spiral tree, gingerbread house ornament set, advent calendar, and snowflake candle holder. | Thingiverse reported 210 entries for this closed challenge. |
| 2024 Holiday Design Challenge | Christmas balls, a spinning Christmas tree, a gnome ornament, a snow dome ornament, and other holiday designs. | Thingiverse reported 343 entries for this challenge. |
These are challenge collections, not a complete catalog of holiday models. Use them as inspiration, then inspect the individual Thing page before choosing a design. Challenge examples do not establish a model’s print time, material use, supports, or ease of printing.
#1 Best Overall
- 【More Colors for More Projects】 Multiple compact 250g mini spools provide practical amounts of different colors for small prints, multicolor models, accent parts, and test prints. Explore more colors without filling your shelf with full 1kg spools or leaving large amounts of rarely used colors behind
- 【Easy to Print PLA】 Built for smooth printing with standard PLA profiles, low warping, and dependable layer adhesion. A practical everyday material for beginners and hobbyists making models, toys, decor, prototypes, and utility parts
- 【Neatly Wound for Reliable Feeding】 Precision winding supports smooth, consistent feeding and helps reduce snags and mid-print interruptions. Keep light tension on the filament end while loading or unloading, and secure it before storage to prevent loose loops
- 【Consistent Diameter and Steady Extrusion】 A consistent 1.75mm ±0.02mm diameter supports stable flow, even layers, and clean detail from the first layer to the final layer. Reliable extrusion means less time troubleshooting and more time printing
- 【Fits Most FDM Printers】 Designed for most 1.75mm FDM printers with external, top-mounted, or open spool holders. Each spool measures 140mm in diameter and 36mm in width, with a 53mm center hole. For Bambu Lab AMS or AMS lite, search MakerWorld for a compatible 250g spool adapter before use
How to choose a design for your printer and plans
Compare the actual Thing pages rather than relying on a thumbnail or collection description. A model that suits a quick gift may not be the right choice for a multi-part display or a customizable project.
- Use: Decide whether you want a hanging ornament, tree topper, tabletop decoration, gift, or activity.
- Print evidence: Look for photos of a completed physical print. A rendered preview alone does not show how the finished object looks off-screen.
- Files and construction: Check which files are provided and whether the designer describes multiple parts, a kit-card format, or assembly. Do not assume every model is a single-piece print.
- Printer and material fit: Read the model notes and confirm your printer supports the filament type, diameter, and spool format you plan to use. There is no universal material recommendation for the designs in these collections.
A Thingiverse model is a digital file, not a finished decoration. You need access to a compatible 3D printer or a print service, and the physical result depends on the specific design and print workflow. For filament, match the printer’s requirements and the designer’s notes rather than treating a challenge prize as a material recommendation.
Rank #2
- Colorful Variety 4 Pack: Each color weighs 200 g, providing a total of 800 g. Dive into the vibrant world of 3D printing with AMOLEN silk multicolor PLA filament pack, featuring stunning shades. Even small models can display multiple colors
- Silk Dual Color PLA: Experiment with multiple hues without the commitment of larger spools. You can print beautiful multicolors in one PLA filament, perfect for arts, crafts, DIY. Whether you're crafting Easter decorations, designing Halloween costumes, creating Christmas ornaments, or making Valentine’s surprises, this filament delivers stunning results every time
- Precision Printing: Achieve flawless prints with shiny silk dual color PLA filament, engineered for ease of use and exceptional precision. With a product diameter of 1.75 mm and precision tolerance of +/- 0.02 mm, smooth and consistent results
- Smooth and Reliable Printing: Experience smooth printing with AMOLEN silk PLA filament. Good shaping, strong toughness, no bubble, no jamming, no warping, melt well, feed smoothly and constantly without clogging the nozzle or extruder
- After-sales Service: AMOLEN is focused on innovative and better quality 3d printing filaments. Stand behind the quality and performance of our 3D printer filament. Provide professional 3D printing technical guidance and good 24/7 customer service
Where can I find holiday STL files on Thingiverse?
Start with the official challenge collections above, or search Thingiverse for the kind of object you want—for example, an ornament, tree topper, or snowflake decoration. A challenge entry is one route to a model, not proof that every holiday design on the site follows the same rules or provides the same files.
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Rank #3
- Cost-Effective Filament Bundle: Get 2 "1kg" spools of PLA filament for the price of 1 with classic black and white color
- Smooth and Stable Printing: Patented design and manufacturing process ensures smooth, clog-free printing
- Durable and Strong: Improved toughness and strength for printing functional parts
- Compatible with Most Printers: Works with 99% of FDM and FFF 3D printers with heated beds
- Renewable Material: Made from starch derived from renewable plant resources for environmental friendliness
Can you customize a Thingiverse ornament before printing?
Sometimes. Thingiverse Customizer is for supported OpenSCAD designs that include an SCAD file; it is not a general customization tool for every STL. For an eligible Thing, the documented workflow is to open Customizer from the Thing page, adjust the available settings, create a Thing, then download, print, and share. If the page does not provide a supported SCAD file, do not expect those adjustable settings.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the holiday challenges tell you—and what they do not
The 2025 Holiday Ornament Challenge asked entrants to submit at least one STL and a photo of a completed print, and says entries were judged on creativity, printability, theme fit, and photography. Those were requirements and judging criteria for that challenge, not guarantees about every Thingiverse model or its print quality.
Rank #4
- 【10 Rolls of 1kg 1.75mm PLA+ Filament, Multiple Color Choices】10 rolls of 1000g SUNLU 1.75mm PLA plus filament. Color: Black+White+Grey+Blue+Green+Orange+Red+PureYellow+GrassGreen+Blue Grey. The design of 1000g PLA+ filament is convenient for customers with multiple color needs. Especially for multi-nozzle 3d printer users and 3d pen users.
- 【SUNLU 100% Wound Neatly Filament】- SUNLU R&D team has mastered advanced technology and produced 100% Neatly Wound PLA+ Filament, which is impossible for other brands. No knot, no winding, improve printing efficiency.
- 【SUNLU PLA PLUS 3D Filament Advantages】- PLA PLUS filament is 10 times stronger than PLA Filament, the color is brighter, it has many advantages, Clog/Bubble/Tangle/Warping/Stringing free, easy to Use, better layer adhesion.
- 【1.75mm Diameter】- Dimensional Accuracy +/- 0.02mm. SUNLU filament has wide compatibility due to the small diameter error, it's suitable for almost all 1.75mm FDM 3D printers.
- 【Spool Diameter】- Spool Diameter: 8.00", Spool Width: 2.50", Spool Hub Hole Diameter: 2.20". The size of the SUNLU filament spool is suitable for hanging on many 3D printers.
The same closed 2025 challenge listed Polymaker filament prizes: a 10 kg bundle for first place, 5 kg for second, 2 kg for third, and 1 kg spools for fourth through tenth. These were historical prizes, not current offers or evidence that one filament suits every printer. Thingiverse’s 2023 Tree Ornament Challenge also required an STL and completed-print photo; its page listed a printer and filament prizes. Those historical details do not establish current promotions.
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If you are browsing later in the season, check Thingiverse for newer collections or challenges. Challenge dates, status, and examples change over time; the 2025 Holiday Ornament Challenge closed after its December 31, 2025 deadline.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- 【16 Rolls of 250g PLA Plus Filament】- Color: Black, Roasted Chestnut Black, White, Bone White, Grey, Blue, Red, Green, Yellow, Sunny Orange, Lavender Purple, Pink, Wood, Olive Green, Coffee Brown, Transparent
- 【Small Spool Diameter】- Spool Diameter: 140mm(5.5 inches), Spool Hub Hole Diameter: 53mm(2.08 inches), Spool Width: 36mm(1.4 inches). Please pay attention to the filament spool size! Please check if it is compatible with your 3D printer.
- 【PLA Plus Filament Bundle】- The design of 250g PLA+ filament is convenient for customers with multiple color needs. Especially for multi-nozzle 3d printer users and 3d pen users.
- 【SUNLU Wound Neatly Filament】- SUNLU R&D team has mastered advanced technology and produced Neatly Wound PLA+ Filament, which is impossible for other brands. No knot, no winding, improve printing efficiency.
- 【SUNLU PLA PLUS 3D Filament Advantages】- PLA PLUS filament is 10 times stronger than PLA Filament, the color is brighter, it has many advantages, Clog/Bubble/Tangle/Warping/Stringing free, easy to Use, better layer adhesion.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
