First Christmas season with my laser, so many things to make Found this neat and easy to make tree from Thingiverse http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:37406. I added a small slot (3 x18mm) below the star to allow ribbon to be threaded through for more decorating options.  The stand cut files are for 3.0mm mdf, but my 3mm ply was about 3.15mm so I had to sand the slots a bit to get them to fit. The outer layer is cut from 3 sheets of A4 colored paper. I used 3 different shades of green, but you can do any colors you like. You could even cut different toppers and make this a year round tree for different occasions.
That’s pretty cool. A more durable option than paper would be fabric of some sort or leather (too expensive).
I used heavy scrapbooking paper so it’s fairly durable. Plus at $0.39USD per sheet I’m not overly concerned. I think fabric might be too droopy (unless you add some starch maybe). Leather might be kind of interesting though.
@Nedman I was thinking fabric like Canvas. Although at the prices they charge, it may be a bit overkill for this kind of job.