Christmas coloring activities your family will actually enjoy

December hits and suddenly every parent is searching for ways to keep the kids entertained during the long stretch between school letting out and Christmas morning. I've been there. You've been there. We've all been there.

Coloring is one of the easiest holiday activities to pull together, and it doesn't require a trip to the craft store or a Pinterest-level setup. Here are some ideas that work for families with kids of different ages.

The family coloring session

This is the simplest version and honestly my favorite. Print a stack of Christmas-themed coloring pages, spread them out on the dining table with a big pile of crayons and colored pencils, and let everyone pick what they want.

That's it. No rules. No structure. Just everyone sitting together and coloring.

It sounds almost too simple to work, but there's something about the combination of a shared activity, no screens, and low pressure that makes conversation happen naturally. My kids tell me things while they're coloring that they'd never bring up if I asked directly. There's something about having your hands busy that frees up the talking part of your brain.

Coloring page advent calendar

Instead of buying a chocolate advent calendar (or alongside one, let's be honest), print 25 Christmas coloring pages and number them 1-25. Each day in December, your kid gets a new page to color.

By Christmas morning, they'll have a stack of 25 colored pages. You can:

• Hang them on a string with mini clothespins as a decoration
• Staple them together into a little book
• Use them as wrapping paper for small gifts (this one gets genuine reactions from grandparents)

For the 25 pages, mix up the themes: Santa, reindeer, snowflakes, Christmas trees, nativity scenes, gingerbread houses, elves, winter animals. Keep a few harder pages for weekends when there's more time.

DIY Christmas cards

Kids love giving things they made. Print coloring pages sized to fold into cards (half-letter size works well), let your kid color them, and write a message inside. Done.

Relatives appreciate these more than store-bought cards. Something about a six-year-old's handwriting and a slightly-outside-the-lines candy cane just hits different.

For younger kids, keep the design simple: a big Christmas tree, a star, a snowman. Older kids can handle detailed scenes.

Coloring page ornaments

Print coloring pages on cardstock, let kids color them, then cut out individual designs (a star, a bell, an ornament shape). Punch a hole at the top, thread a ribbon through, and hang them on the tree.

They're not going to look like ornaments from a catalog, and that's the point. Homemade ornaments have a charm that nothing from a store can replicate. Plus, you'll find these in your decoration box for years and remember exactly when your kid made them.

Coloring placemats for Christmas dinner

Print coloring pages on 11x17 paper (if you have access to a larger printer) or tape two letter-sized pages side by side. Let the kids color them, then laminate them (or just use clear contact paper) to create placemats for the holiday table.

Kids feel special when something they made is part of the "real" celebration. And bonus: it gives them something to do if dinner goes long.

Themed coloring for different ages

The trickiest part of family coloring activities is that a page that works for your four-year-old will bore your ten-year-old, and vice versa.

Here's how to handle it:

Ages 2-4: Big, simple designs. Thick lines, large areas. Think: big Christmas tree with a few ornaments, simple snowman, large star. They're going to scribble, and that's perfect.

Ages 5-8: Medium detail. Characters with some background, scenes with multiple elements but still clear boundaries. Gingerbread houses, Santa with his sleigh, reindeer in a forest.

Ages 9-12: Detailed designs. Intricate snowflakes, detailed village scenes, ornate Christmas ornaments. These pages take time, which is exactly what older kids want.

Teens and adults: Mandala-style holiday patterns, detailed winter landscapes, or complex character illustrations. Don't be surprised if your teenager actually sits down and colors if the page is interesting enough.

We organize all our coloring pages by difficulty level, so you can easily find the right complexity for each person.

A few practical tips

• Print extras. Someone always wants to start over or do a second one. Print more pages than you think you need.
• Use good paper. 28-32lb paper makes a noticeable difference in how the colors look. Standard copy paper works fine for crayons, but heavier paper is worth it for colored pencils and markers.
• Play Christmas music. This isn't a coloring tip, exactly, but background music makes the whole experience feel more festive and less like an "activity."
• Display the results. Tape finished pages to windows, the fridge, or a dedicated "gallery wall" in the hallway. Kids color with more care when they know their work will be seen.

Get started

We have hundreds of free Christmas and winter-themed coloring pages ready to print. You'll find everything from simple Santa outlines for toddlers to intricate holiday mandalas for adults.

Pick a few pages, grab your supplies, and carve out 30 minutes this week. It might become your family's new favorite tradition.