Impress your guests before they even start their meal

Looking for a few fun napkin folding ideas for the upcoming holiday season? You've come to the right place! Here, we've rounded up our favorite napkin folding tips and tricks to help you impress your guests without spending a dime. With just a bit of elbow grease, creativity, and imagination, you'll be able to turn a simple linen napkin into something truly extraordinary.

Fan Fold

Step 1

Lay a square napkin on a flat surface, then fold the two opposite edges in to meet at the center, making a rectangle.Starting at the short end, fold the napkin into 1-inch accordion pleats, stopping about 4 inches from the opposite end. Make sure the fold of the last pleat is at the bottom edge and all the pleats are underneath.

Step 2

Fold the napkin in half lengthwise so half of the pleats are now on top.

Step 3

Fold the upper left corner down and tuck it behind the center pleat, forming a triangle. Release and let the pleats fan out.

Step 4

Adjust the folds and back triangle as needed so the fan stands upright.

Place Card Holder Fold

Step 1

Fold a napkin in half twice to make a square and place it on a flat surface with the open corners facing you. Fold up each open corner one at a time, placing each corner about one inch from the previous one.

Step 2

Fold up the bottom edge about an inch to make a holder for the place card.

Step 3

Turn napkin over and fold napkin in thirds, tucking one corner under the other to hold.

Step 4

Turn the napkin over and put place card inside the bottom fold.

Diagonal Fold

Step 1

Fold a napkin in half twice to form a square with the open corners facing you. Pick up the top open corner and make 1-1/2 inch folds until it reaches the outside corners.

Step 2

Repeat again with the next open corner.

Step 3

 Then fold the napkin into thirds with the folds forming a diagonal on the front.