150 ideas

Christmas Drawing Ideas

Deal three Christmas subjects with hints for the first lines, then sort by easy, cute, detailed, cards, ornaments or trees.

All 150

A deer on a hill under a huge moon, in silhouetteOne big pale circle, one black hill and one black deer. Three shapes and it still reads from across a room.
A stack of presents taller than the child carrying itFive boxes in a wobbling column with only legs and fingertips showing. Tilt each box a different way.
A tree being carried home over a shoulderThe figure leans forward and the tree trails behind, tip down. Leave a line of footprints and fallen needles.

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All 150 ideas

Easy 33

A bauble hanging from a single thread A circle, a small square cap and a loop of thread. One curved highlight near the top makes it shine.
A beaded candy cane in red and white A hook made of small circles on a wire, colours alternating. Let the wire end show as a tiny curl.
A bell with a ribbon bow on top An upside-down U that flares at the rim, with a small round clapper showing below the edge.
A candy cane with a bow tied round the hook Typically white with red stripes, and said to stand for a shepherd's crook. Slant every stripe the same way.
A Christmas cracker with zigzag ends A tube pinched in twice like a big sweet wrapper. Inside go a paper crown, a joke and a small gift.
A dried orange slice on a string A circle, a thinner rim inside it, then about ten wedges meeting in the middle. Leave the segments pale.
A fir tree built from three zigzag tiers Three overlapping skirts, each wider than the one above, with a zigzag hem. Short trunk, star on top.
A five-pointed star drawn in one stroke Five straight lines without lifting the pen. Rub out the inside lines and you have a tree-top star.
A gift tag with a punched hole and a loop of string A rectangle with two corners clipped off, a small circle and a twist of thread. Letter a name on it.
A gingerbread house front with icing roof tiles A square, a triangle roof with scalloped rows and a round-topped door. On real ones royal icing is the glue.
A gingerbread person with icing cuffs Round head, stubby arms and legs, wavy white lines at the wrists and ankles. Two dots and a curve for the face.
A holly sprig with three berries Two spiky leaves meeting at a point and three small circles. Leave a white dot on each red berry.
A lit candle in a holder with a ring handle A short cylinder, a teardrop flame and a saucer underneath. Run one drip of wax down the side.
A page of tiny Christmas doodles in one pen Stars, holly, canes, baubles, trees and bells, each under 2 cm. Turn the page as you go to fill the gaps.
A pair of mittens joined by a string A big rounded shape with a small rounded thumb and a ribbed cuff. Mirror it for the second mitten.
A pinecone made of stacked U shapes Start with an egg outline and fill it with rows of small U-shaped scales, offset like bricks.
A reindeer face seen from the front An upside-down pear for the head, branching antlers on top and leaf-shaped ears just below them.
A row of six baubles, each with a different pattern Try stripes, dots, zigzags, snowflakes, plaid and a tiny scene. Curve every pattern line with the ball.
A salt-dough star with a ribbon loop A chunky star with rounded points, a hole punched near one tip and a ribbon threaded through it.
A Santa hat flopped to one side A bent triangle, a fluffy band along the bottom edge and a pom-pom where the tip lands.
A scribble tree: five rows of loops, each wider than the last Scribble a short row of loops, then a longer row under it, and keep going. Add a trunk and a star. One pen.
A six-armed snowflake built from three crossed lines Cross three lines at one point, then add the same small V to every arm. Snow crystals have six-fold symmetry.
A smiling gift tag with string for hair A rectangle with two corners cut off and a punched hole. Put dot eyes low down and let the string flop like a fringe.
A snowman in a top hat Two or three stacked circles, stick arms and a carrot nose pointing sideways. Make the brim wider than the head.
A spiral ribbon tree with a star on top One line that swings side to side, getting wider as it goes down the page. No outline needed.
A sprig of mistletoe with white berries Draw each leaf pair as a rabbit-ear V on the twig, then tuck two to six pale, waxy berries into a fork.
A stocking with a fluffy cuff A letter L with a rounded toe and heel, then a cloud-edged band across the top. Add a loop to hang it by.
A string of lights looping across the page One long wavy line with teardrop bulbs hanging from it. Alternate two or three colours along the string.
A teardrop ornament with a striped middle band A circle pulled down to a point. Curve the band lines downward so they wrap round the form.
A wooden sledge with curled runners Two long runners that curl up at the front, slats across the top and a loop of rope to pull it by.
A wrapped present with a looped bow A box, a cross of ribbon, two loops and two tails on top. Tilt the box slightly to show a second side.
A wreath made of overlapping leaf shapes Wreaths are conifer or holly with pinecones, berries and a bow. Point every leaf the same way round the ring.
Three triangle trees in a row, tallest in the middle Three triangles on short trunks. Overlap them a little so they read as one group, not three.

Cute 32

A baby reindeer finding its feet on ice Four legs sliding in four directions and wide, surprised eyes. Short curved lines show the skid.
A cat tangled in tinsel Tinsel came out of Nuremberg in about 1610, to mimic ice. Draw it as a fuzzy rope of short strokes.
A dog wearing felt antlers A headband across the top of the head and two soft, floppy antlers. One should already be slipping off.
A duckling in a Santa hat that covers its eyes A round head, a small beak and a hat pulled right down. Webbed feet pointing outwards.
A felt gingerbread ornament with blanket stitch The biscuit shape with short stitches all round the edge, each one at right angles to the outline.
A gingerbread couple holding hands Two biscuit figures whose round hands overlap. One icing bow tie, one icing skirt, matching buttons.
A happy Christmas pudding with a holly hat Christmas pudding is very dark and was once made round as a cannonball. A sprig of holly goes on top.
A hedgehog with baubles stuck on its spines A teardrop body pointing to the nose, short strokes for spines and three or four small baubles caught in them.
A kitten peeking out of a stocking Draw the stocking first, then two paws and half a face over the cuff. Ears wide, eyes wider.
A little elf asleep in a teacup A pointed hat hanging over the rim, striped socks over the other side and a row of Zs above.
A lopsided gingerbread house with a smiling door Let one wall lean and the roof slide a little. Two window eyes and a curved door make the face.
A marshmallow snowman floating in cocoa Three stacked marshmallows, pretzel-stick arms and dot eyes, half sunk in a wide mug seen from above.
A mouse asleep in a matchbox bed under a tiny tree Draw the open matchbox tray first, then a teardrop mouse with the blanket up to its nose.
A penguin holding a tiny present An egg-shaped body with a white tummy patch and flipper arms hugging a box half its size.
A photo-frame ornament with a pet's face in it A small round frame with a bow on top. The portrait inside needs only ears, eyes and a nose.
A polar bear cub hugging a candy cane A round white body with small ears set wide apart. The cane should be taller than the cub.
A reindeer wearing a striped scarf Big head, small body, eyes low and wide apart. Let the scarf ends fly out to one side as if it is windy.
A robin in a bobble hat Robins have appeared on Christmas cards since the mid-1800s. Orange-red face and breast, brown back.
A robin on a snow-topped postbox A round bird on a rounded box. The robin's breast is orange-toned red edged with grey, the belly whitish.
A sheep in a Christmas jumper two sizes too big A cloud body with the jumper drawn over it, sleeves hanging past the hooves. Zigzag band across the chest.
A smiling bauble with rosy cheeks A circle, a cap, two dot eyes set low and a small curved mouth. Pink ovals just under the eyes.
A smiling star sitting on top of a tree Only draw the top third of the tree. The star gets a face and two points that work as arms.
A snow globe with a sleeping bear inside A circle on a flat base. Curl the bear into a bean shape and scatter white dots round it.
A snowman family in order of height Same three-ball build, four sizes. Give each one a different hat so you can tell who is who.
A sparse, lopsided tree with a single bauble A thin trunk, a few branches with gaps between them and one heavy bauble bending the branch it hangs on.
A squirrel hoarding gingerbread biscuits A question-mark tail, full cheeks and a small stack of star biscuits held tight in both paws.
A stack of presents taller than the child carrying it Five boxes in a wobbling column with only legs and fingertips showing. Tilt each box a different way.
A tiny tree in a pot wearing one oversized star A small triangle in a flowerpot, bending slightly under a star as wide as the tree itself.
A tree tied to the roof of a small car The tree should be longer than the car. Tip points backwards, rope in two loops, a few needles flying off.
A tree with the cat halfway up it Two eyes and a tail showing between the branches, and one bauble already on the floor.
An owl in earmuffs on a snowy branch An egg body, two huge circles for eyes and a fluffy half-circle over each side of the head.
Two mittens giving each other a high five Tilt the mittens toward each other so the palms meet, and add a few short impact lines between them.

Detailed 34

A 26-point Moravian star hanging in a porch The common Moravian star has 26 points. It began in the 1830s as a geometry lesson at a school in Niesky.
A bauble with a snowy cottage painted on it Fit the scene into an oval on the front of the ball and let it bulge a little toward the middle.
A box of old ornaments nestled in tissue paper A grid of cardboard cells seen from above, each holding a different shape. Crumpled tissue fills the gaps.
A candle arch glowing in a window A Schwibbogen is a candle arch from Saxony's Ore Mountains, set in windows. The first, in 1740, was metal.
A candle pyramid with a rotor on top A Weihnachtspyramide is a tiered wooden carousel. Rising heat from its candles turns the rotor at the top.
A candlelit tree with a candleholder on every branch Before electric lights, trees carried real candles. Candleholders for them came into use around 1890.
A Christingle orange with its candle lit An orange for the world, a candle pushed into the top, a red ribbon round it and sweets on cocktail sticks.
A Christmas dinner table seen from directly above Plates become circles and glasses become rings. Lay a cracker beside each plate and a wreath in the middle.
A Christmas market stall at dusk A striped awning, a counter crowded with small goods and a string of bulbs. Light the inside, darken the sky.
A forest of firs fading into a snowstorm Near trees dark and sharp, far trees pale and soft. Dot white over everything last.
A gingerbread house cut-away showing the rooms inside Gingerbread houses began in early-1800s Germany. Slice off the front wall and furnish each room in sweets.
A gingerbread village street with iced roofs Bergen in Norway has built a gingerbread town, Pepperkakebyen, since 1991. Give every house a different roofline.
A half-decorated tree beside an open box of ornaments Decorate the top half only. A stepladder, a trailing garland and the open box tell the rest of the story.
A hand-drawn postmark beside three Christmas stamps Wavy cancel lines, a ringed date circle left blank and three perforated stamps, each with one tiny motif. Fine pen.
A mantel lined with tiny Christmas cards Sir Henry Cole commissioned the first commercial Christmas card in London in 1843. Make each tiny card differ.
A nativity told in three pen panels: road, stable, star St Francis is credited with the first living nativity, at Greccio in 1223. Rule three tall boxes; keep figures simple.
A nutcracker soldier in full uniform Nutcracker dolls come from Germany's Ore Mountains and most often look like toy soldiers in bright paint.
A page of twelve small panels, one for each gift in the carol Rule a 3 by 4 grid and give each gift its own box, starting with the partridge. The carol was in print by 1780.
A panettone with one slice cut Panettone comes from Milan: a tall cylinder with a domed top, dotted with raisins and candied peel.
A parol star lantern with two tails A parol is a Filipino star lantern of bamboo and paper, most often five points with two decorative tails.
A pōhutukawa branch in flower Pōhutukawa, the New Zealand Christmas tree, flowers crimson in December. Each flower is a burst of stamens.
A reindeer head in cross-hatching, antlers filling the page Both male and female reindeer can grow antlers. Let them branch to the page edge and shade with hatching only.
A row of farolitos along an adobe wall In New Mexico on Christmas Eve, candles set in sand inside paper bags line walls, roofs and paths.
A seven-pointed star piñata The traditional Christmas piñata is a star with seven points. Cover each cone in rows of crepe paper frills.
A snow-globe village with a church spire A snow globe is a clear sphere round a tiny scene. They date back at least to the 1878 Paris Exposition.
A spruce with drooping branches Spruce, pine and fir are the usual Christmas trees. Let each branch sag from the trunk, then lift at the tip.
A St Lucy crown of candles on a leaf wreath On 13 December in Sweden, Lucy wears a white gown, a red sash and a candle crown on a lingonberry wreath.
A stollen dusted white, two slices cut Stollen is a German fruit bread coated in icing sugar and eaten through Advent. Show the fruit in the cut face.
A straw Yule goat bound with red ribbon The Yule goat: a Scandinavian Christmas symbol. The ornament is bundled straw tied with red ribbons.
A tabletop tree in the style of an 1848 engraving An 1848 engraving of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert's tree set off a craze. Use fine hatching, no colour.
A tree hung with apples, wafers and paper roses Early trees were decorated with apples, wafers, paper roses and pastries cut as stars, hearts and flowers.
A Yule log cake with meringue mushrooms A fork dragged through the icing makes the bark. Dust it with sugar snow and set the cut end on top.
An Advent calendar with 24 doors, some open 24 little doors counted from 1 December. Scatter the numbers and show a tiny picture behind each open door.
Five stockings on a mantel above a lit fire The legend says St Nicholas slipped gold into stockings hung by the fire. Give each one a different pattern.

For cards 26

A bauble with your initial in gold script Red, green and gold are the traditional Christmas colours. Gold lettering reads best on a dark red ball.
A candle in a window with frost on the glass Frame the card as the window. Feathery frost grows in from the corners and stops short of the flame.
A carol-sheet border of stave lines, notes and holly Rule five stave lines down one side, hang a few notes on them and wind holly round the other three. Pen only.
A chalkboard sign reading Merry Christmas with holly corners White on black. Letter the words in the middle and tuck a holly sprig into two opposite corners.
A deer on a hill under a huge moon, in silhouette One big pale circle, one black hill and one black deer. Three shapes and it still reads from across a room.
A geometric tree of triangles in three greens Divide one large triangle into small ones with a ruler. Shade them in three greens, never two alike touching.
A holly border round a blank middle Holly fruits are bright red against glossy, spiny green leaves. Leave the centre empty for your message.
A lantern glowing on a snowy doorstep A boxy lantern with a candle inside. Colour a warm circle on the snow round it and keep everything else blue.
A pair of ice skates hung by their laces Two boots toe to toe, blades curling up at the front, laces tied in a bow over a nail.
A paper chain of figures in scarves One simple figure repeated edge to edge with hands joined. Change only the scarf colour each time.
A partridge in a pear tree The twelve days of Christmas run from 25 December to 5 January. One plump bird, one small tree, pears as ovals.
A red cardinal on a bare branch The male northern cardinal is crimson with a black face mask, a pointed crest and a cone-shaped coral beak.
A single bauble hanging from the top edge of the card Run the thread straight off the top edge so the bauble seems to hang from the fold. Keep it off-centre.
A snowy village inside a bauble outline Draw a large circle with a cap, then fit hills, three houses and a moon inside. Nothing crosses the outline.
A stocking spilling oranges, nuts and a small toy Three gold balls, sometimes shown as oranges, are a symbol of St Nicholas. Lay the stocking on its side.
A tall thin tree for a bookmark-shaped card Stretch the triangle until it is four times taller than wide. Stack narrow tiers and finish with a small star.
A terrace of houses with lit windows in snow A row of joined rectangles with different rooflines. Colour only the windows yellow and leave the rest cool.
A thumbprint tree with drawn-on strings Press green prints in a triangle, let them dry, then pen a loop of string and a tiny cap onto each.
A tree shape made of handwritten words Pencil a triangle and fill it with lines of writing that get longer toward the base. Rub out the triangle.
A window full of tree, seen from the street A dark house wall, one bright window and the tree filling it. Snow on the sill, glow on the path.
A window of nine panes, each with a different snowflake Rule a 3 by 3 grid as the frame. Every flake keeps six arms but changes its tips: forks, dots or arrowheads.
A wrapping-paper pattern border of stars and canes Rule a 2 cm frame and repeat two motifs at even spacing all the way round. Flip every other one.
A wreath framing the words Merry Christmas Draw the ring first and pencil the two words on a curve inside it. The bow sits at the top or the bottom.
Merry Christmas in ribbon lettering Write it in pencil first, then thicken every downstroke. Let the ribbon fold back wherever a letter turns.
One small winter scene repeated in four colours Divide the card front into four boxes. Draw the same tree and moon in each and change only the palette.
Three camel riders on a ridge, following a star Three silhouettes on one ridge line with a single large star ahead. Two tones in the sky are enough.

Ornaments 15

A clip-on bird ornament with a feather tail A small glass bird on a metal clip, its tail a spray of long fine lines. Perch it on a twig.
A glass bauble reflecting a window Glass tree ornaments first came from Lauscha, Germany, in 1847. A curved window shape sells the shine.
A knitted mini stocking ornament Rows of small V stitches fill the shape. Cuff, heel and toe are one colour and the leg another.
A lantern ornament with a tiny candle inside A small box with four window panes, a pointed roof and a ring on top. One flame shape in the middle.
A long finial ornament, pointed like an icicle A small ball, a narrow waist, a larger ball and a long spike, all on one centre line. Keep both sides matched.
A paper snowflake cut from a folded circle Six-fold symmetry: design one wedge, then repeat it six times round the centre.
A pinecone ornament with white-tipped scales An egg of overlapping scales, each with a pale edge like a dusting of snow. A wire loop at the top.
A red apple ornament beside a red bauble Red baubles took the place of the apples hung on early trees. Draw the pair side by side, same size.
A reflector bauble with a star-shaped dimple One side is pressed inward in ridges. Draw it as a star of lines shrinking toward a centre point.
A straw star ornament tied with red thread Eight straight straws crossed at the centre and bound. Snip each end to a point and show the binding.
A tin soldier ornament with a drum A stiff figure built from rectangles, with a drum at the hip and crossed white straps on the chest.
A twisted glass icicle catching the light A long twisted spike. Run one bright highlight down the twist and leave the rest pale blue-grey.
A wooden rocking horse ornament Draw the curved rocker first and stand the horse on it. Painted saddle, dot eye, a loop on the back.
An angel tree topper with paper wings Tree toppers are most often a star or an angel. A cone body, a circle head and two fan-folded wings.
An ornament cap, loop and hook, drawn large The cap is a crimped metal crown with a wire loop. Getting this small part right makes any bauble convincing.

Trees 10

A bare tree after Twelfth Night with one forgotten bauble Decorations traditionally come down on Twelfth Night, 5 or 6 January. Sparse needles and a drooping top.
A chalk-style tree, white on a black page White pencil or chalk on black: a solid star, a dotted garland and short dashes for the needles.
A decorated tree seen from directly above A many-pointed star shape with the topper as a dot in the centre. Baubles sit as circles on the branch tips.
A potted tree on a windowsill with paper chains Paper chains are linked ovals that alternate in colour. Drape them in shallow swags from branch to branch.
A snow-laden pine in a garden, strung with lights Draw the snow as white pillows sitting on each branch and tuck the bulbs underneath them.
A tree being carried home over a shoulder The figure leans forward and the tree trails behind, tip down. Leave a line of footprints and fallen needles.
A tree farm with rows shrinking toward the horizon Pick one vanishing point and run every row to it. Trees halve in height each time the row steps back.
A tree made of stacked books Lay book spines in a spiral pile, widest at the base. Wind a string of lights round and balance a star on top.
A tree shown only as lights in the dark The first electrically lit tree, in New York in 1882, had 80 red, white and blue bulbs. Try dots on black paper.
Presents under the tree, seen from floor level Only the lowest branches show at the top of the picture. Boxes overlap, and the nearest one is cropped.

How it works

Everything in this list of Christmas drawing ideas belongs to December: trees, ornaments, stockings, candles, food and customs. Each of the 150 subjects has a hint for the first few lines, and some carry a checked fact. Deal three, then pick a group for easy, cute, detailed or card-sized.

Read the full guide

Easy Christmas things to draw, and cute ones

The Easy group holds 33 subjects built from a few plain shapes. A stocking with a fluffy cuff is a letter L with a cloud across the top. Small ones suit gift tags, and ten of them fill a page of doodles. Cute Christmas drawing ideas run on one rule, eyes low and wide apart, as on A robin in a bobble hat.

Christmas card drawing ideas with room for the words

The For cards group holds 35 compositions planned for an upright rectangle. A holly border round a blank middle leaves the centre free for a message. Merry Christmas in ribbon lettering is one of three that letter the greeting itself. Work at the final size and keep the main shape off the fold. Change the greeting and the same picture serves any winter card.

Christmas tree drawing ideas sit under Trees: 32 takes, from A tree made of stacked books to a bare one after Twelfth Night.
Ornament drawing ideas depend on the cap. Draw the crimped metal crown and wire loop with care and a plain circle reads as glass.
Detailed holds 34 subjects for a longer sitting, such as A 26-point Moravian star hanging in a porch or A seven-pointed star piñata.

Questions and answers

What are good things to draw for Christmas as a beginner?

Start with the Easy group. A bauble hanging from a single thread is a circle, a square cap and a loop. Cute Christmas things to draw are nearly as simple, since most are two or three rounded shapes with a face.

Does the list have gingerbread houses and stockings?

Yes. Four gingerbread houses run from A gingerbread house front with icing roof tiles to a cut-away with furnished rooms. Five stockings include one with a kitten inside and Five stockings on a mantel above a lit fire. Find them all in the full list under the tool.

Can a class use these all through December?

Yes. Dealing by hand shows each of the 150 once before any repeats. On a chalkboard, redraw any Easy subject white on black, like A chalk-style tree, white on a black page.

Notes

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More notes about this page

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