Christmas Colouring Pages
The holiday season is a magical time filled with joy, togetherness, and wonder. For many families, Christmas colouring pages has become a tradition. Children of all ages love to express their creativity by coloring holiday scenes of Santa Claus, Rudolph, Christmas trees, presents, and more. The popularity of Christmas colouring pages is easy to understand. They provide engaging and festive entertainment perfect for getting everyone into the holiday spirit. Plus, colouring is an activity the whole family can enjoy together on a cold winter’s night. With so many options to choose from, there is a Christmas colouring page out there for every interest and skill level.
In this post, we will take a comprehensive look at the delightful world of Christmas colouring pages. You’ll discover the history of Christmas colouring books and their evolution over time. Get ready to deck the halls and get inspired for the Christmas colouring books on your wish list this year!
History of Christmas Colouring Pages and Books
Christmas colouring books have a long and fascinating history, bringing joy and creativity to children for over a century. The first known Christmas colouring book was published in 1879 by McLoughlin Brothers, an American publishing company. It was a stocking-shaped book called “The Little Folks Painting Book” containing outline drawings for children to colour.
Most Popular Christmas Colouring Pages
Some of the most popular Christmas colouring pages feature the iconic characters, decorations, and symbols associated with the holiday. These fun and familiar images allow kids to express their creativity while also reinforcing the Christmas themes and traditions they know and love.
Santa Claus
The jolly figure of Santa Claus is one of the most beloved images of Christmas. Colouring pages of Santa are always a hit, whether they show him checking his naughty or nice list, delivering presents, or posing with his reindeer. Santa makes a great subject for Christmas colouring pages because his red suit and white beard are so recognizable. Kids also love adding their own colour and details to Santa’s smiling face and rosy cheeks.
Reindeer
Right alongside Santa are his trusty reindeer, most famously Rudolph with his red nose. Reindeer colouring pages often depict the whole reindeer team pulling Santa’s sleigh on Christmas Eve. The antlers, furry coats, and soft noses of reindeer give kids ample opportunity for creativity in their colouring. Reindeer are some of the most endearing symbols of the Christmas season.
Christmas Trees
Beautifully decorated Christmas trees are perhaps the most iconic symbol of Christmas. Christmas tree colouring pages allow kids to illustrate trees covered in colourful ornaments, lights, and a star on top. They range from simple triangular shapes perfect for little hands to intricate illustrations of decorated firs and spruces. Christmas trees are part of many holiday scenes and also make lovely colouring pages on their own.
Snowmen
Snow-covered winter scenes are closely associated with Christmas, making snowmen another popular colouring page choice. Simple snowman outlines let kids get creative with drawing faces, adding hats, scarves, and other accessories. More elaborate snowman illustrations set the scene in festive winter wonderlands. Snowmen colouring pages evoke the excitement of the season.
Elves
Santa’s little helpers are also staples of Christmas colouring fun. Pages featuring busy, industrious elves making and wrapping toys are holiday classics. Elves’ pointy ears, rosy cheeks, and jaunty outfits coloured in vibrant hues help spread Christmas cheer. Like Santa, colouring elves is a way for kids to explore the mythology and magic of the North Pole.
Stockings
Finally, decorating stockings hung by the chimney with care is a beloved Christmas tradition. Stocking colouring pages let kids adorn these empty Christmas Eve stockings with their own creative patterns, designs, and colours. Whether plain or decorated with bows, buttons, candy canes, and names, stocking colouring pages bring tidings of comfort and joy.
The most iconic Christmas characters and symbols make for both recognizable and open-ended colouring fun. As young artists dream up their own colour combinations, they help bring the holiday to life through their creativity and imagination. For kids and adults alike, Christmas colouring pages are a merry way to get into the holiday spirit.
Religious Christmas Colouring Pages
Religious Christmas colouring pages allow children to explore the origins of Christmas through art. Popular religious themes include the Nativity scene, angels, the Three Wise Men, and the Star of Bethlehem.
The Nativity scene depicts the birth of Jesus Christ in a manger, often with Mary, Joseph, animals, shepherds and angels. Colouring pages allow kids to imagine the awe and joy of witnessing the newborn Savior. The baby Jesus swaddled in cloth lying in a humble manger contrasts with the majesty of the moment.
Colouring religious Christmas images is an enjoyable, creative way for children to reflect on the spiritual meaning of Christmas. Bringing biblical figures to life through art is a tradition families can treasure for generations.
Christmas Ornaments
Decorating the Christmas tree with beautiful ornaments is one of the most beloved traditions of the holiday season. Children love helping to hang ornaments on the branches while adults take pride in finding that perfect addition to their existing collection each year. The history of Christmas ornaments dates back to 16th century Germany, where the first decorations were simple fruits, nuts, and ribbons. Over time, glass blowing allowed more ornate baubles and shapes to emerge. While some opt for a colour theme, others hang ornaments inherited for generations or collected through major life events.
The common styles of ornaments include:
- Round balls in solid colours, sparkles, stripes, or patterns
- Intricately painted glass or porcelain orbs depicting winter scenes
- Nature-inspired ornaments in the shapes of fruits, animals, flowers or hearts
- Character ornaments with images of Santa, snowmen, angels and reindeer
- Personalized ornaments with family names, baby’s first Christmas or wedding date
Hanging ornaments with names is a special way to involve each family member. Children beam with pride at finding “their” ornament on the tree each year. Engraving ornaments with names and dates also makes beautiful keepsake gifts for weddings, new babies, and other milestone events. The tree forms a timeline of precious memories.
Decorating the tree is a much-loved ritual. Families gather in the living room, sorting through boxes of familiar ornaments and untangling strands of lights. Parents lift up small children to reach the higher branches. Everyone looks for spots to hang their beloved ornaments, often sharing stories from years past. The end result is a glittering, personal display to enjoy throughout the season.
Christmas Colouring Pages – Christmas Characters
Some of the most classic and beloved Christmas characters that appear in colouring pages are Rudolph, Frosty the Snowman, The Grinch, and The Elf on the Shelf. These characters bring the magic and joy of Christmas to life for both children and adults.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer first appeared in a 1939 storybook written by Robert L. May. Rudolph was created as an anthropomorphic reindeer with a glowing red nose. In the story, he is initially mocked by his peers for his unusual nose but later saves Christmas Eve by guiding Santa’s sleigh through bad weather. Rudolph has become one of the most recognizable Christmas characters and is commonly featured in colouring pages wearing a red scarf and pulling Santa’s sleigh.
Frosty the Snowman comes from the popular 1969 Christmas song created by Walter Rollins and Steve Nelson. Frosty is depicted as a jolly snowman who comes to life through a magical silk hat. He frequently appears in colouring pages joyfully playing in the snow with children.
The Grinch originated from Dr. Seuss’s classic 1957 book How the Grinch Stole Christmas! He is portrayed as a grumpy green creature who lives in seclusion with his dog Max. The Grinch attempts to ruin Christmas for the nearby town of Whoville by stealing all their gifts and food. However, he comes to realize that the true spirit of Christmas goes deeper than just material items. The Grinch and his oversized heart are Christmas colouring page staples.
Finally, the Elf on the Shelf is a newer Christmas tradition that emerged in 2005 from a children’s book by Carol Aebersold and Chanda Bell. The elf serves as Santa’s scout elf who watches over children’s behavior during the holidays and reports back to the North Pole nightly. Elves on the Shelf are usually drawn with a red hat and festive dress sitting in different locations of the house. They have quickly become a beloved part of many families’ Christmas celebrations.
Winter Scenes
Winter scenes are a classic Christmas colouring page subject, capturing the magic and joy of the season. Children love colouring in whimsical illustrations of common winter activities such as sledding and building snowmen. Sleds racing down snowy hills, snowmen wearing scarves and hats, and kids making snow angels are some popular scenes. The crunch of footsteps in the snow and brushing snow off evergreen trees and bushes also helps set a fun wintry backdrop.
Beyond outdoor winter fun, another topic for winter scenes is Christmas lights and decorations. Colouring pages can showcase trees, mantels, and houses decked out in festive decor. Strings of lights, Christmas wreaths, holly sprigs, red bows, and candles are mainstays. Lights outlining windows and roofs help create a magical glow. Colouring in ornaments on the tree and hanging stockings by the fireplace also adds to the cozy Christmas feel.
Wreaths and holly are other common winter decorations. Evergreen wreaths on front doors signal the Christmas season. Adding a red bow or pinecones offers variety when colouring wreath designs. Holly branches with pointed, glossy leaves and red berries provide classic Christmas colouring fun too. Winter scenes capture the essence of Christmas through beloved traditions, decorations, and activities.
Christmas Food
Christmas is a time full of delicious treats and sweets. Many favorite Christmas foods have become traditions over the years. Here are some of the most popular edible Christmas icons:
Gingerbread Houses
Gingerbread houses are one of the most iconic Christmas foods. The tradition started in Germany in the 1800s, when gingerbread was baked in the shape of houses and decorated with icing and candy. They became especially popular after the Brothers Grimm fairy tale Hansel and Gretel was published.
Today, making and decorating gingerbread houses is a fun family activity. The houses are made out of baked gingerbread held together with icing. The icing is also used to “glue” on candy decorations like gumdrops, candy canes, m&ms, and more. Gingerbread houses are displayed during the Christmas season as a centerpiece and edible decoration. Some people even have gingerbread house making contests!
Candy Canes
The iconic red, white, and peppermint striped canes are a Christmas staple. Candy canes were first associated with Christmas in Germany in the 1600s, where legend says choirmasters passed out sugar sticks bent into a shepherd’s crook at the living Nativity scene during Christmas services. This treat became symbolic of the shepherds who visited baby Jesus.
In the 1900s, candy cane production in America boomed thanks to new automated technology. Candy cane flavors expanded beyond just peppermint to include fruit flavors, colour swirls, and more. Today, nearly 1.8 billion candy canes are produced each year!
Cookies for Santa
Leaving out cookies and milk for Santa on Christmas Eve night is a beloved tradition. It gives children a way to connect with Santa and show their appreciation. Christmas cookies are often cut into festive shapes and decorated with colourful icing and sprinkles. Popular varieties include sugar cookies, gingerbread men, snickerdoodles, snowball cookies, and chocolate crinkle cookies. Children take pride in arranging Santa’s cookie plate and often leave him their very favorite treat. In the morning, parents make sure to eat a few cookies and drink the milk, signaling that Santa enjoyed the offering and fueling a child’s imagination.
Christmas Colouring Pages – Christmas Around the World
Christmas is celebrated in different ways around the world, incorporating diverse cultural traditions and representations. Here are some examples of how people celebrate in various countries:
Germany – Christmas markets and festivals are very popular, with stalls selling food, drinks, and handicrafts. Decorations include light-up stars, wooden pyramids, and nutcrackers. St. Nicholas Day is also widely celebrated on December 6th.
Mexico – Posadas are the big Christmas tradition. These reenact Mary & Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem with candlelit processions going from house to house followed by parties. There are also elaborate nativity scenes, fireworks, and festivities that last until January 6th for Three Kings Day.
Philippines – They celebrate the longest Christmas season in the world from September to January. Misa de Gallo dawn masses leading up to Christmas are hugely popular. Holiday décor mixes indigenous traditions like parol lanterns with Western elements like Santa.
Sweden – The St. Lucia festival of lights is a beloved part of Swedish Christmas commemorating a Christian martyr. Many homes have a Jultomten gnome instead of Santa. They also celebrate St. Nicholas Day. Christmas trees are common, as is the tradition of watching Donald Duck cartoons.
Japan – While not a national holiday, Christmas is widely celebrated in Japan with public light displays and commercial events. Japanese Christmas cake and KFC chicken meals are very popular. Gift giving focuses on loved ones rather than Santa. Trees are decorated and holiday romance is in the air.
Christmas traditions truly vary across cultures, representing the diversity of how the holiday season is celebrated globally. While there are shared elements like Christmas trees, food, and spending time with family, unique regional and ethnic traditions make the season special in different parts of the world.
Christmas Colouring Pages – Conclusion
Christmas colouring pages allow people of all ages to express their creativity and get into the holiday spirit. Throughout this blog post, we explored some of the most popular Christmas themes and images to colour. Christmas trees, Santa Claus, reindeer, snowmen, stockings, and religious images are timeless favorites. More unique options like Christmas dinosaurs, emoji, and characters from popular movies and TV shows also make for fun pages to print out.
Beyond sparking creativity, the act of colouring also provides wellness benefits. Focusing on colouring helps relieve stress and anxiety. The repetitive motion promotes relaxation and mindfulness. Colouring pages are great calming activities for kids and adults alike. With these free printable pages, grab some crayons or markers and enjoy the relaxation, creativity, and connection with the Christmas season that colouring provides.
The Christmas colouring fun doesn’t have to end here! Choose your favorite designs from the themes discussed in this post. Print out pages to share with your family, students, or friends this holiday season. Colouring pages make great stocking stuffers, activity ideas for holiday gatherings, ways to wind down after Christmas dinner, and more. Spread some Christmas cheer through the relaxing, nostalgic, and creative act of colouring these festive pages.