Free Printable Christmas Word Search

Twenty Christmas words, from Santa's workshop to the poinsettia on the windowsill, on a 15 x 15 grid with an answer key. Written for grades two to five, and one click away from a proper puzzle for grown-ups.

Christmas Word Search grid
T	R	U	D	O	L	P	H	G	F	S	S	F	R	J
I	S	Z	T	A	Y	C	H	I	M	N	E	Y	E	C
N	P	K	F	F	W	R	L	W	P	S	D	P	I	P
S	R	E	L	K	V	R	S	M	L	P	O	R	N	W
E	E	E	P	N	U	H	E	O	V	H	P	Y	D	T
L	S	M	O	U	R	U	R	A	S	F	L	A	E	E
S	E	S	I	T	I	A	K	K	T	L	B	E	E	M
T	N	T	N	C	C	K	R	D	O	H	O	T	R	G
A	T	O	S	R	O	O	C	H	G	T	N	A	D	H
R	S	C	E	A	W	A	N	I	E	E	A	D	I	C
F	N	K	T	C	C	T	E	L	M	T	G	V	V	A
D	R	I	T	K	R	L	T	A	N	V	E	E	Y	M
N	K	N	I	E	S	S	N	A	G	D	P	N	E	P
N	G	G	A	R	I	R	S	V	N	T	S	T	H	C
A	W	S	V	M	O	S	S	A	N	G	E	L	M	L

Christmas from start to finish

Every word on this list belongs to Christmas: Santa and his workshop, Rudolph and the reindeer, the sleigh, stockings by the chimney, carols, the nutcracker, the wreath on the door and the tinsel on the tree. Star and angel are there as the things that go on top of the tree. It is the puzzle for a family, a Christmas party or a class that celebrates Christmas together.

It is set for grades two to five: words run forwards, down and on both diagonals on a 15 x 15 grid. Elf, star and Santa give everyone a quick start. Poinsettia, nutcracker and mistletoe take longer, and poinsettia is a word many adults misspell, so finding it letter by letter is good practice.

Where it fits

The countdown week at school. A puzzle a day for the last days of term: this one, then the winter one, then a version of your own.
Christmas Eve. The hour before bed when nobody can sit still. Leave a few on the kitchen table with pencils, and give the answer key to whoever is in charge.
In a card. Fold a puzzle into a Christmas card for a grandchild, and send the answer key in a second envelope or a message a week later.
Office or family party. Click Hard, print a stack, and the first person to find all twenty words picks the next song.

Easier or harder

For kindergarten and first grade, cut the list to ten short words (Santa, elf, star, angel, holly, sleigh, wreath, tinsel, carols and chimney), set the grid to 10 x 10 and click Easy, so every word reads forwards or down.

For adults, click Hard for all eight directions and set the grid to 18 x 18. Twenty words on a grid that size are spread thin, and poinsettia read backwards takes real looking. Untick "Let words cross" to make it a little easier again.

After the puzzle

Younger children write a letter to Santa that uses five of the words they found. Older children write an acrostic down the side of the page with one of the long words, one line per letter: N-U-T-C-R-A-C-K-E-R gives ten lines, which is a proper poem. For a quick one, sort the twenty words into three groups on the board: things on the tree, things Santa needs, and everything else. The arguments about where Rudolph goes are part of it.

Printing

Puzzle and word bank print on one page, the answer key on the next. Red or green paper is festive and still readable; dark paper hides the letters. For a class set, print one puzzle per child and a single key. For copies that go home over the break, untick "Include the answer key" so the key stays with you.

The 20 words in this puzzle

The grid is 15 x 15. Edit the words, the grid size or the allowed directions above and the puzzle is rebuilt as you type.

Santa
Reindeer
Rudolph
Sleigh
Elf
Workshop
Stocking
Chimney
Presents
Wreath
Holly
Mistletoe
Poinsettia
Ornament
Tinsel
Star
Angel
Carols
Nutcracker
Advent

Printable Christmas Word Search and answer key: a 15 x 15 letter grid and a word bank that starts with Advent, Angel and Carols. — This puzzle with two words found. The answer key comes on a page of its own.

Frequently asked questions

How is it different from the winter holiday word search?

The winter holiday word search is written for a mixed classroom, with snow, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa words alongside the festive ones. This one is Christmas only. The two puzzles share no words, so a class can do one in the classroom and the other at the Christmas party without finding the same word twice.

Can I make a nativity version for church or Sunday school?

Yes. Keep star and angel, delete the rest, and add Bethlehem, manger, shepherds, stable, wise men, gold, frankincense and myrrh. Frankincense is twelve letters, which still fits the 15 x 15 grid. Ten words leave plenty of room, so you can add a few more from the story or start from a blank list in the word search maker.

Is there a large-print version for older relatives?

Set the grid to 12 x 12 and cut the list to ten or twelve words; with fewer squares across the page, each letter prints larger. Keep the directions on Easy or Medium. Large print with words running backwards is frustrating rather than satisfying.

Is there Christmas bingo to go with it?

Yes. Christmas bingo uses most of these words and thirty-odd more, and prints a caller sheet with the cards. Hand out the word search as children arrive at the party and play bingo once everyone is there.

Christmas Word Search

Your puzzle

Preview · 15x15 · 20 words placed

Words to find