Printable Christmas Boxes (6 Free Templates to Color)

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These printable Christmas boxes turn a coloring activity into a little holiday keepsake. Choose one of six festive designs, color the pictures, and fold the template into a box. Each design has a matching character or Christmas tree topper that stands on top.

Make a Santa box for a small surprise, a gingerbread box for your holiday display, or a whole set for a Christmas craft afternoon. The templates are black and white, so kids can choose all the colors themselves.

If you enjoy paper projects that turn into something three-dimensional, try our printable paper Christmas village or winter paper house templates alongside these boxes.

Why You’ll Love These Christmas Boxes

• Six designs to choose from: Pick a favorite Christmas character or make the whole collection.
• Color before you build: The flat templates give kids room to decorate each panel.
• Standing toppers: Front and back pieces make a two-sided decoration for the lid.
• A useful little craft: Display the boxes or use them for small, lightweight gifts and notes.

Materials

• The printable Christmas box PDF: Grab it in the signup section below.
• White cardstock: Choose a weight your printer can handle. Regular paper works for a lighter practice version.
• Colored pencils, crayons, or markers: Use whichever coloring supplies work well with your paper.
• Scissors: Younger children may need help cutting around the toppers and small tabs.
• Glue: A glue stick or a small amount of craft glue works for joining the tabs.
• A ruler: Helpful for making straight, neat folds.

What’s Included in the Printable

The free printable Christmas box template pack is a nine-page, black-and-white PDF. The first six pages each contain a box template. The last three pages contain the matching front-and-back toppers, with two characters or designs on each sheet.

• Santa box: A festive box with a standing Santa topper.
• Snowman box: Winter pictures and a cheerful snowman topper.
• Gingerbread box: Sweet holiday illustrations and a gingerbread man topper.
• Nutcracker box: Christmas scenes with a nutcracker to stand on the lid.
• Elf box: Holiday illustrations and an elf carrying presents.
• Christmas tree box: A festive box topped with a decorated tree.

You only need the box page and the topper sheet for the design you want to make. Each topper has a front and a back, with rounded tabs beneath the figure for attaching it to the box.

How to Make the Christmas Boxes

1. Print your chosen pages. Select one box template and its matching topper sheet. Print both at the same scale so the pieces stay in proportion.

2. Color everything while it is flat. Decorate the box panels and both sides of the topper before cutting. Leave the glue tabs mostly uncolored to make assembly easier.

3. Cut out the pieces. Cut around the outside of the box template, keeping all the tabs attached. Cut out the front and back of your chosen topper, including their rounded bottom tabs. Do not cut along the dashed fold lines.

4. Fold the box. Crease the dashed lines and fold the tabs inward. Bring the panels together to see how they form the box before adding glue.

5. Glue the marked tabs. Apply a little glue to the tabs labeled “PASTE” and press them against the inside of the adjoining panels. Leave the tab marked “INSERT” unglued so it can tuck into the opening to close the lid.

6. Assemble the topper. Glue the front and back of the figure together, lining up their edges. Keep the rounded bottom tabs separate and unglued. Fold those tabs outward in opposite directions to create a base.

7. Attach the topper. Glue the undersides of the two tabs onto the marked circle on the lid. Hold them in place gently, then let the glue dry before opening, filling, or moving your box.

Top Tips

• Make the folds first. Pre-folding helps the panels line up when it is time to glue.
• Use a little glue at a time. Too much wet glue can wrinkle the paper or make the tabs slip.
• Keep the lid working. Avoid gluing the insert tab shut if you want to put something inside.
• Support the topper. Pick the finished box up by its base rather than lifting it by the character.
• Keep the contents light. These are small paper craft boxes, so they are best for notes, stickers, or other lightweight surprises.

Ways to Use Your Printable Christmas Boxes

Write a kind message, fold it up, and pop it inside a finished box for a friend or family member. If you need help with the wording, our Christmas wishes and messages have plenty of ideas.

For a classroom activity, let each child choose a design and add their name to the bottom. Display the finished boxes together, or have children exchange encouraging notes. Coloring the flat panels and folding them into a box also gives you a simple way to explore how a two-dimensional net becomes a three-dimensional shape.

You can also use the boxes as small table decorations. Pair them with our printable Christmas wreath craft for a holiday craft session, or browse our Christmas printables for more projects.

Printing Tips

The PDF pages are A4 size. If you print on US Letter paper, use your printer’s fit-to-page setting and check the preview so no tabs or character pieces are clipped. Use the same paper size and scaling setting for the box and topper sheets.

Print at actual size on A4 paper if your printer can fit the whole template within its printable area. Cardstock makes a sturdier box, but check your printer’s paper-weight limits before loading it.

The download contains outlines to color yourself. The colored Santa box shown as a display example is inspiration for decorating your own version.

Grab the Printable Christmas Boxes

Ready to color and build? Pick your favorite design and grab the free printable Christmas boxes below.

Put your name and email in the pink box below, and we’ll send the free printable straight to your inbox.