About this puzzle
This list covers both sides of the season. There's the Nativity, with Bethlehem, the Manger, and Advent, and there's the cozy household side: Stocking, Tinsel, Sugarplum, Gingerbread, and a Snowman in the yard. A few words, like Poinsettia and Nutcracker, are long enough to slow down even confident spellers.
Teachers tend to hand it out in that last restless week before winter break, and families like it for the long afternoon between opening presents and dinner. Each word has a short note underneath, so you can learn why stockings hang by the chimney or who the poinsettia is named after while you hunt for the next one.
The 32 words in this puzzle
Every word, with a short note. Handy for teaching the vocabulary before or after solving.
In every version (12)
- Angel
- In the Gospel of Luke, an angel announces the birth of Jesus to shepherds watching their flocks at night. Many families top their tree with an angel instead of a star.
- Bells
- Church bells ring out on Christmas morning in many towns. The song Jingle Bells was published in 1857 under the title One Horse Open Sleigh.
- Candy Cane
- The earliest candy canes were plain white. Red-striped canes begin appearing on Christmas cards and in pictures around the start of the twentieth century.
- Cookies
- Many families leave a plate of cookies and a glass of milk out for Santa on Christmas Eve. Baking cookies to share with neighbors is another favorite tradition.
- Elf
- In stories, Santa's elves make toys in a North Pole workshop. Elf helpers became part of the American Santa story in the 1800s through magazines and books.
- Presents
- Christmas gift giving recalls the gold, frankincense, and myrrh the wise men brought to Jesus, as well as the generosity of Saint Nicholas.
- Reindeer
- Both male and female reindeer grow antlers. Rudolph was created in 1939 by Robert L. May for a booklet given away by the Montgomery Ward department store.
- Santa
- Santa Claus grew out of stories about Saint Nicholas, a fourth-century bishop known for secret gift giving. The name Santa Claus comes from Sinterklaas, the Dutch name for him.
- Snowman
- People have built snowmen for centuries. The song "Frosty the Snowman" was a hit for Gene Autry in 1950 and was later turned into an animated TV special.
- Star
- A star often tops the tree as a reminder of the Star of Bethlehem, which the Gospel of Matthew says guided the wise men to the young Jesus.
- Stocking
- The 1823 poem that begins "Twas the night before Christmas" describes stockings "hung by the chimney with care," which helped spread the tradition in America.
- Tree
- Decorating a tree at Christmas began in Germany. Since 1923, a National Christmas Tree has been lit each year near the White House in Washington, DC.
Added in Medium and Hard (8)
- Carol
- In medieval Europe, a carol was a dance performed in a circle while people sang. Over time the word came to mean a joyful song, especially one sung at Christmas.
- Chimney
- Santa's trip down the chimney appears in the 1823 poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas," which also gave his reindeer their names.
- Gingerbread
- Gingerbread houses became popular in Germany in the 1800s, around the time the Brothers Grimm published Hansel and Gretel, with its house made of sweets.
- North Pole
- In stories, Santa lives and builds toys at the North Pole. The real North Pole sits on floating sea ice in the middle of the Arctic Ocean, with no land beneath it.
- Ornament
- Glassblowers in Lauscha, Germany, began making glass Christmas ornaments in the 1800s, and the town is still known for them.
- Sleigh
- A sleigh is a sled pulled by horses or other animals, built to glide over snow on runners instead of rolling on wheels.
- Snowflake
- Most snowflakes have six sides or six arms because of the way water molecules link together as they freeze into ice crystals.
- Wreath
- An evergreen wreath has no beginning or end, so it is often read as a symbol of everlasting life. The Advent wreath with candles began in Germany in the 1800s.
Added in Hard (12)
- Advent
- Advent, from the Latin for coming, is the season of about four weeks before Christmas. Many families count it down with an Advent calendar or wreath.
- Bethlehem
- The Gospels of Matthew and Luke name Bethlehem, a town south of Jerusalem, as the birthplace of Jesus. Its Church of the Nativity is one of the oldest churches still in use.
- Evergreen
- A widely printed 1848 drawing of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert around a decorated tree helped make the indoor Christmas tree fashionable in Britain and America.
- Holly
- Holly's glossy, spiny leaves stay green through winter. Its bright red berries look festive but are mildly poisonous to people and pets.
- Manger
- A manger is a trough that holds food for farm animals. The word traces back to the French verb "manger," which means to eat.
- Mistletoe
- Mistletoe grows on tree branches and draws water and nutrients from its host. The custom of kissing beneath it was well established in England by the 1700s.
- Nativity
- The Nativity is the story of the birth of Jesus. Saint Francis of Assisi is credited with staging the first live Nativity scene in Greccio, Italy, in 1223.
- Nutcracker
- Tchaikovsky's ballet The Nutcracker premiered in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1892. Today many ballet companies perform it every December.
- Poinsettia
- Named for Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first U.S. minister to Mexico, who brought the plant north in the 1820s. Its red "petals" are actually colored leaves called bracts.
- Sugarplum
- Sugarplums were old-fashioned candies made of sugar layered around a seed or nut. The poem A Visit from St. Nicholas mentions them, and The Nutcracker has a Sugar Plum Fairy.
- Tinsel
- Tinsel was first made in Germany in the 1600s from thin strips of real silver. Modern tinsel is usually made of plastic.
- Yule Log
- Burning a large log through the Christmas season is an old European custom. The name also means a rolled chocolate cake decorated to look like a log, a French favorite.
A few facts to share while you solve
- In December 1965, astronauts aboard Gemini 6 played "Jingle Bells" on a small harmonica and bells, making it one of the first songs performed in space.
- "Silent Night" was first performed on Christmas Eve 1818 in the village church of Oberndorf, Austria, accompanied by a guitar.
- Canada Post gives Santa Claus his own postal code, H0H 0H0, and volunteers answer letters that children send to the North Pole.
Four versions of this puzzle
Pick a version with the buttons above the grid. Each one has its own grid and answer key, and your progress on each is saved separately in this browser.
| Version | Words | Grid | Directions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easy | 12 | 11 × 11 | The 12 most familiar words, reading forward across and down. |
| Medium | 20 | 14 × 14 | Twenty words across, down and diagonally. No backwards words. |
| Hard | 32 | 17 × 17 | Every word, in all eight directions including backwards, with look-alike filler letters. |
| Large print | 12 | 11 × 11 | The 12 most familiar words on a small grid with big letters. No backwards words. |
Hard and large print versions
Hard christmas word search: all 32 words on a 17 × 17 grid, hidden forward, backward, up, down and along both diagonals, with filler letters borrowed from the word list. Print it without the word list for an extra challenge. Play the hard version, or see all hard word searches.
Large print christmas word search: the 12 most familiar words on a 11 × 11 grid, printed with big letters and a big word list, and no backwards words. Play the large print version, or see all large print word searches.
Printing this word search
Press Print / PDF above the puzzle. You get a clean one-page sheet with the title, the grid, a word list with tick boxes, and optional name and date lines. The answer key prints on a second page. Prefer a file? Download it as a PDF or an image to print later or drop into a worksheet. Whatever version is showing on screen is the one that prints, and the large print version prints with bigger letters.
How to play online
- Find a word from the list in the grid. Scanning for its first letter is the quickest way.
- Drag across the word from its first letter to its last. On a phone, you can also tap the first letter, then the last.
- Found words get highlighted and crossed off. Stuck? Hint circles the first letter of a word you haven’t found.
Read the full guide to solving word searches, with tips that make big grids much faster.
Questions and answers
Is this Christmas word search religious or secular?
It includes both. Words like Bethlehem, Manger, and Advent come from the Christian Christmas story, while Snowman, Reindeer, and Gingerbread come from popular holiday traditions. That mix suits most classrooms and families, and the notes explain each word in a neutral, factual way.
What's the hardest word in the Christmas puzzle?
Poinsettia trips up the most solvers because people tend to spell it the way they say it, often dropping the middle i. Nutcracker and Gingerbread are long, but most kids know how to spell them. Short words like Holly and Carol can be surprisingly easy to overlook.
Can I use this Christmas word search for a holiday party?
Yes. Print a stack before an office party, a classroom celebration, or a family gathering and give a small prize to the first finisher. Different levels let kids and adults play at the same table without anyone getting bored.
Is there an answer key for this christmas word search?
Yes. Choose Print / PDF above the puzzle and keep “Add an answer key page” ticked. The key prints on its own page, with every word highlighted. While playing online, Show answers outlines any words you haven’t found yet.
Can I print copies for my class or group?
Yes. Every puzzle on BetterWordSearch is free to print for personal, classroom, library and homeschool use. Print as many copies as you need. To change the words or make several different versions of the grid, use the word search maker.
What changes between Easy, Medium, Hard and Large print?
Easy hides the 12 most familiar words, reading left to right and top to bottom. Medium uses 20 words and adds diagonals. Hard hides all 32 words in every direction, including backwards, with look-alike filler letters. Large print uses the same words as Easy on a small grid and prints with big letters.
