Edited by Jane Rosemarin
Papá Noel designed and folded by Mimi Nohara. See PDF diagrams. Links to video tutorials are below.

Hi! I am Noemi Nohara from Argentina. Everyone calls me Mimi. My Japanese grandparents came here after World War II. I started folding when I was 5 years old. Now I have a small business in Buenos Aires selling handmade wooden dolls and origami papers with my own Japanese-style designs.

On November 23 of this year, inspired by the work of Sensei Oriol Esteve — including his comet base — I created this Santa Claus in time for Christmas. And then I found variations: Santa Claus with a baby, Santa Claus with a crane, a mandala, a flower, a tray, a chopstick holder, a bookmark, and more. You can find photos of the variations on Instagram.

I propose a challenge: If you fold my Santa Claus, photograph it in the city where you live (with snow, with monuments, with beaches ...) to show Santa Claus traveling through many countries. Please send your photo to me on Instagram @tiendayoshiyoshi or by email at hohoho2021santa [at] gmail.com.

A video tutorial of Papá Noel is here.

A video tutorial of Papá Noel with a baby is here.