Christmas Crossword Puzzles Printable, Easy to Hard

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Christmas Crossword

Read each clue and write the answer in the squares that start at its number, one letter in each square.

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Answer key: Christmas Crossword

1CA2RRO3TIABGB4G5T6COOKIESUNFR7T8ST9ARKRLNE10EVE11GRAVYEDEL

Across 1 CARROT · 6 COOKIES · 8 STAR · 10 EVE · 11 GRAVY

Down 2 RIBBON · 3 TAG · 4 GIFT · 5 TURKEY · 7 TREE · 8 SLED · 9 ANGEL

Next step Find the same words in the Christmas word searchScramble your own list of December words

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Tree and Trimmings 24

  • Angel Winged figure that tops many trees
  • Balsam Fragrant evergreen of Canada and the northeastern United States
  • Bauble Shiny hanging ball, as it is called in Britain
  • Bell Metal cup that rings when it swings
  • Bow Looped knot on top of a wrapped box
  • Candle Wax stick with a wick that glows in a window
  • Fir Evergreen whose cones stand upright on the branch like candles
  • Garland Long rope of greenery or beads draped along a mantel
  • Holly Prickly green leaves with bright red berries
  • Ivy Climbing vine that stays green all year
  • Lantern Glass-sided lamp carried by a handle
  • Lights String of small colored bulbs
  • Mistletoe Plant that lives on branches as a parasite; people kiss under it
  • Nutcracker Toy soldier figurine from Germany, made to break walnut shells in its teeth
  • Ornament Glass ball or small figure hung on a branch
  • Pinecone Woody seed holder that drops from an evergreen
  • Poinsettia Plant from Mexico whose red "petals" are really leaves
  • Ribbon Strip of satin tied around a box
  • Spruce Evergreen with sharp, four-sided needles
  • Star Twinkling shape with five points, placed at the very top
  • Stocking Long sock hung up to be filled with small treats
  • Tinsel Shiny strands, first made from real silver in Germany
  • Tree Evergreen that stands indoors and gets decorated
  • Wreath Ring of green branches hung on a front door

Santa and Gifts 26

  • Antlers Branched headgear that a deer sheds and regrows each year
  • Beard White whiskers on a chin
  • Belt Wide black band with a big buckle
  • Boots Tall black footwear that reaches the shin
  • Carrot Orange root left out as a snack for a hungry team
  • Chimney Brick shaft that carries smoke up from the hearth
  • Eight Size of the flying team in the 1823 poem that begins 'Twas the night
  • Elf Small helper with pointed ears
  • Gift Something given freely; rhymes with lift
  • Harness Straps that hitch an animal to what it pulls
  • Hooves Hard feet that clatter on shingles
  • Jingle Light ringing sound of small bells
  • Letter Note mailed in an envelope with a stamp
  • List Names or wishes written one under another
  • Milk Cold white drink left out beside a plate of treats
  • Naughty Badly behaved; the opposite of nice
  • Present Something wrapped and waiting to be opened
  • Reindeer Deer of the far north, known as caribou in North America
  • Rooftop Landing spot above the attic
  • Sack Big cloth bag slung over a shoulder
  • Santa He says ho ho ho
  • Sleigh Open winter carriage on blades instead of wheels
  • Tag Small label on a parcel that says To and From
  • Toys Dolls, blocks and trains, for example
  • Workshop Room full of tools where things are built
  • Wrapping Colorful paper folded and taped around a box

Christmas Table 28

  • Cane Candy ___, a red and white stick with a hook
  • Chestnut Glossy brown nut roasted over a fire
  • Cider Spiced apple drink served warm
  • Cinnamon Brown spice ground or rolled from inner bark
  • Clementine Small, sweet citrus with a peel that comes away easily
  • Cloves Dried flower buds pushed into an orange to scent a room
  • Cocoa Hot chocolate drink topped with marshmallows
  • Cookies Small sweet baked rounds cut into shapes
  • Cranberry Tart red berry grown in bogs and cooked into sauce
  • Eggnog Thick, creamy drink made with beaten eggs and a dusting of spice
  • Feast Big meal shared on a special day
  • Fruitcake Dense loaf packed with candied fruit and nuts
  • Gingerbread Spiced dough baked into people and houses
  • Goose Large waterfowl, the roast of an old English Christmas dinner
  • Gravy Brown sauce poured over mashed potatoes
  • Ham Salty pink meat baked with a sweet glaze
  • Icing Sweet topping piped onto baked shapes
  • Marzipan Sweet paste of ground almonds and sugar, shaped into tiny fruits
  • Nutmeg Spice grated from the hard seed of a tropical evergreen
  • Panettone Tall, domed Italian sweet bread from Milan
  • Peppermint Cool flavor of red and white striped sweets
  • Pie Dessert with a crust: pumpkin, apple or pecan
  • Pudding British steamed dessert of dried fruit; the plum in its old name meant a raisin
  • Shortbread Crumbly Scottish biscuit of butter, sugar and flour
  • Stollen German fruit bread dusted with powdered sugar, a Dresden specialty
  • Stuffing Seasoned bread mixture cooked inside a bird
  • Tamales Filled corn dough steamed in husks, a seasonal favorite in Mexico
  • Turkey Large roasted bird at the center of many dinners

Winter Weather 25

  • Blanket Warm cover for a couch or bed
  • Blizzard Severe storm with strong winds and almost no visibility
  • December Twelfth month
  • Earmuffs Padded band that keeps the sides of your head warm
  • Fireplace Brick opening where logs burn in the living room
  • Flurry Brief, light snowfall
  • Frost Feathery white coating on a cold windowpane
  • Hat Knit cap with a pom-pom, for one
  • Ice Frozen water
  • Icicle Hanging spike of frozen dripping water
  • Igloo Dome-shaped shelter built from hard white blocks
  • Mittens Hand warmers with one space for four fingers
  • Parka Hooded coat first made by Arctic peoples
  • Scarf Long knitted strip wound around a neck
  • Shovel Tool for clearing a driveway
  • Skates Bladed footwear for gliding on a frozen pond
  • Sled Flat rider for coasting down a white hill
  • Sleet Frozen rain that bounces and pings
  • Snow White flakes that cover the ground
  • Snowball Packed handful thrown in a playful fight
  • Snowflake Falling crystal with six matching arms
  • Snowman Figure built from three big rolled balls
  • Solstice Shortest day of the year north of the equator, on or near the 21st
  • Sweater Knitted pullover, sometimes proudly ugly
  • Toboggan Long wooden coaster with a curled front and a flat bottom

Holiday Customs 34

  • Advent Season of waiting that begins four Sundays before Christmas
  • Boxing ___ Day, the 26th in Britain, Canada and Australia
  • Calendar Countdown with 24 little doors to open
  • Card Folded paper with a picture, mailed to faraway friends
  • Carol Song of the season, sung door to door
  • Choir Group that sings together in robes
  • Cracker British table favor that snaps when pulled and spills a paper crown
  • Dreidel Four-sided spinning top, a game of the Jewish winter festival
  • Epiphany Celebration on January 6, also called Three Kings' Day
  • Eve The night before
  • Family Parents, children, cousins and grandparents together
  • Goodwill Friendly kindness toward all people
  • Hanukkah Jewish festival that lasts for 8 nights
  • Holiday Day off from school for a celebration
  • Joy Great happiness
  • Kinara Holder for seven candles, lit during the last week of the year
  • Kwanzaa Week-long celebration of African American culture that starts on the 26th
  • Latkes Potato pancakes fried in oil
  • Luminaria Glowing paper bag weighted with sand, set out in rows in New Mexico
  • Menorah Branched candleholder; the one for the Jewish winter festival has nine arms
  • Merry Cheerful; the usual word before Christmas
  • Midnight The stroke of 12 at night
  • Nicholas Fourth-century bishop of Myra, remembered for secret generosity
  • Noel French word for Christmas
  • Pageant School or church play put on for families
  • Peace Calm, with no fighting
  • Piñata Hanging figure full of sweets, broken open with a stick
  • Posada Spanish word for lodging; Mexico's nine nights of processions are named for it
  • Tannenbaum German word for a Christmas evergreen, praised in an old folk song
  • Tidings Old word for news, as in glad ___
  • Tradition Custom handed down through the generations
  • Twelve Days of Christmas, most often counted from the 25th to January 5
  • Wassail Hot spiced punch, and the old English custom of singing house to house for a cup
  • Yule Old Germanic midwinter festival; its name lives on in a log

Nativity Story 22

  • Augustus Caesar whose decree sent everyone to be taxed (Luke 2:1)
  • Bethlehem Town where Jesus was born (Matthew 2:1)
  • Camel Humped desert animal shown with the wise men in nativity scenes
  • Crèche French word used in English for a nativity scene
  • Donkey Long-eared animal shown beside the ox in nativity scenes
  • Dream How the wise men were warned not to go back to Herod (Matthew 2:12)
  • East Direction the wise men came from (Matthew 2:1)
  • Egypt Country of the Nile, where the young child was taken (Matthew 2:14)
  • Flock What the shepherds watched by night (Luke 2:8)
  • Frankincense Fragrant resin burned as incense, second of the gifts (Matthew 2:11)
  • Gabriel Messenger sent from God to Nazareth (Luke 1:26)
  • Glory First word the heavenly host says (Luke 2:14)
  • Gold Precious yellow metal, first of the gifts (Matthew 2:11)
  • Inn Place with no room (Luke 2:7)
  • Joseph Husband of Mary, of the house of David (Luke 2:4)
  • Lamb Young sheep
  • Magi Name, from Greek, for the wise men of Matthew 2
  • Manger Feeding trough used as a bed (Luke 2:7)
  • Myrrh Bitter resin, third of the gifts (Matthew 2:11)
  • Shepherd Keeper of sheep in the fields (Luke 2:8)
  • Stable Animal shelter where nativity scenes are usually set
  • Swaddling Kind of clothes the baby was wrapped in (Luke 2:7)

How this list was compiled: 159 clues written for this site. Every factual clue was checked against the English Wikipedia article on its subject (en.wikipedia.org), and Nativity clues against the King James text at Project Gutenberg (gutenberg.org), in September 2026. No story, film or song character is an answer. The few King James phrases quoted are public domain in the United States and under Crown letters patent in the United Kingdom. Licence: own work

How it works

These Christmas crossword puzzles, printable on Letter or A4, run from easy clues such as Sleigh and Wreath to Challenge Clues that rest on a fact. They are vocabulary crosswords, and one set, Winter Weather, never mentions Christmas at all.

Read the full guide

Eight sets, from easy to hard

Easy Christmas Clues has short answers such as Bell, Elf, Snow and Gift. Six themed sets follow: Tree and Trimmings, Santa and Gifts, Christmas Table, Winter Weather, Holiday Customs and Nativity Story. Challenge Clues gathers the ones that rest on a fact, such as the plant from Mexico whose red "petals" are really leaves.

Clues with a fact inside

Tinsel was first made from real silver in Germany, a fir holds its cones upright like candles, and the plum in plum pudding meant a raisin. Nativity Story clues drawn from the text end with a King James chapter and verse and keep to it: Matthew 2 never counts the wise men.

  • For a class party, stay on Easy Christmas Clues, tick Word bank under the clues in More options, and press New puzzle for each table.
  • Holiday Customs opens a social studies talk: Posada, Luminaria, Dreidel and Kinara each show how another family marks December.

Questions and answers

Are these free holiday crossword puzzles printable for a class that does not keep Christmas?

Yes, with a little choosing. Winter Weather is snow, mittens, sleds and the solstice. Holiday Customs has Hanukkah, Menorah, Dreidel, Latkes, Kwanzaa and Kinara beside Advent and Epiphany. Nativity Story clues appear only in that set and under All.

Is there a harder Christmas crossword for adults?

Yes: choose Challenge Clues. Each rests on a fact, such as the Spanish word for lodging that names Mexico's nine nights of processions (Posada), or the glowing paper bags set out in rows in New Mexico (Luminaria). Easy Christmas Clues suits young solvers.

Can a whole class solve the same puzzle?

Yes. Tap or click a square and type. Every device opens on the same first puzzle. Letters typed on a tablet stay in that browser.

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