Christmas Crossword Printable: A Festive Puzzle for the Whole Family
A crossword is the holiday puzzle that rewards knowing, not speed. One clue at a time, one letter at a time, a grid slowly fills with Christmas words. It works at the breakfast table, in a classroom, and at a party where half the guests want a quiet challenge between courses.
Below is a complete printable-style Christmas crossword: the clues, the word list, and an answer key for the host, plus easier and harder versions.
How to Play
Print the clues and solve them one by one, writing the answers into the grid. Across clues run left to right, Down clues run top to bottom, and letters shared between two words must match — that crossing letter is often the clue that unlocks a word you were stuck on. Work in pencil, not pen, because a wrong guess early on is part of the game, not a failure.
Play solo for a quiet morning, or cooperatively as a family: one person reads the clues aloud, everyone shouts guesses, and the fastest hand writes the answer in. For a party, split into two teams and race to complete the same grid — first team to finish with all correct answers wins.
Across Clues
- Jolly man in a red suit (5 letters)
- He pulls Santa’s sleigh and has a red nose (7 letters)
- Decorated tree topper that shines (4 letters)
- Sweet striped candy (5, 4 letters)
- White stuff that falls in winter (4 letters)
- Warm drink with marshmallows (5 letters)
- Where stockings hang (9 letters)
- Song sung at Christmas (5 letters)
- He is made of snow and wears a scarf (7 letters)
- Green plant hung in doorways for kissing (9 letters)
Down Clues
- Santa’s little helpers (4 letters)
- Vehicle Santa rides in (6 letters)
- Round decoration hung on a door (6 letters)
- Gift giver’s helper that reports to Santa (3 letters)
- Spiced Christmas cookie man (11 letters)
- Shiny balls hung on the tree (9 letters)
- Christmas Eve visitor who comes down the chimney (5 letters)
- Striped sweet, also a shepherd’s crook shape (5, 4 letters)
- First Christmas gift givers, in the nativity story (4, 3 letters)
- Christmas tree decoration that twinkles (6 letters)
Answer Key (Host Only)
Across: 1 Santa, 2 Rudolph, 3 Star, 4 Candy Cane, 5 Snow, 6 Cocoa, 7 Fireplace, 8 Carol, 9 Snowman, 10 Mistletoe. Down: 1 Elves, 2 Sleigh, 3 Wreath, 4 Elf, 5 Gingerbread, 6 Ornaments, 7 Santa, 8 Candy Cane, 9 Wise Men, 10 Lights. Cover this section when printing for players, and keep it handy for quick checks.
Easier and Harder Versions
Easier (Ages 6–8)
Use just the shortest answers — Santa, Star, Snow, Cocoa, Carol, Elf, Sleigh — and give a word bank so children can match clues to words instead of recalling them cold. Picture clues work beautifully here: a drawing of a snowman beside its clue, or a star beside the treetop clue.
Harder (Ages 12 and Up)
Remove the word bank, add longer answers like Poinsettia, Nutcracker, and Fruitcake, and time the challenge. For a genuinely tricky grid, add clues that need a little general knowledge: the name of the town in a famous carol, or the reindeer whose name means thunder in German. A harder crossword is a wonderful stocking stuffer for the puzzle lover in your family.
Classroom Version
Print one grid per student and let early finishers work through it quietly. For a literacy twist, ask students to write a sentence using three of the answers they found. For a party version, print the grid large and solve it together on a whiteboard, with teams taking turns calling out a word.
Crossword Strategy Tips
Start with the shortest answers and the clues you are surest about — a filled-in letter often unlocks two or three crossing words at once. If you get stuck, switch direction: work the Down clues for a while instead of the Across ones, since a fresh angle often reveals a word hiding in plain sight. And if a word still will not come, take a break and come back — fresh eyes solve crosswords faster than tired ones.
Crosswords for Different Occasions
A crossword adapts to almost any holiday moment. On Christmas morning, a short crossword in a stocking keeps early risers happily busy while the rest of the house wakes up. At a family dinner, a large-print crossword on the table gives guests something to puzzle over between courses, and it sparks conversation in a way that phones never do — someone always knows the reindeer clue, someone else knows the carol clue, and together the table solves it. In a classroom, a crossword makes a calm, purposeful activity for the last day before break, when excitement is high and focus is short. And for a quiet evening alone, a harder crossword with a cup of cocoa is one of the simplest pleasures December offers.
Make Your Own Crossword
Once your family has solved this one, try building your own. Pick eight to ten Christmas words, arrange them on graph paper so they cross at shared letters, number the starting squares, and write a clue for each word. Swap grids with another family and solve each other’s puzzles. The best homemade crosswords include a few words only your family knows — the name of a pet, a favorite cookie, a family joke — because a crossword built from your own life is far more satisfying to solve than any store-bought grid.
Want a Full Printable Puzzle Pack?
If you want a full printable puzzle pack with crosswords, word searches, and scrambles for the whole season, visit the Fukroo shop on Etsy. The Black Friday Mega Sale is on now with 50% off storewide.
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