About this puzzle
December is packed with celebrations, and this puzzle tries to give each one a turn. Christmas Eve and Hanukkah are here, along with Kwanzaa and its kinara, the Mexican tradition of Las Posadas, and Saint Lucia Day from Sweden. The month ends with a New Year's Eve countdown, so the list carries all the way to midnight on the 31st.
Beyond the holidays, there's history and science. The Wright brothers flew at Kitty Hawk in December, the Bill of Rights was ratified in December, and the shortest day of the year arrives with the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. Turquoise, tanzanite, and paperwhites cover the birthstones and flowers. This December word search fits nicely into the last school days before winter break.
The 30 words in this puzzle
Every word, with a short note. Handy for teaching the vocabulary before or after solving.
In every version (12)
- Candy Cane
- Candy canes are a December favorite. Candy makers twist stripes of red and white candy together, pull the rope thin, and bend each piece into a hook.
- Countdown
- Counting down the last ten seconds before midnight is a New Year's Eve tradition around the world, followed by cheers, noisemakers, and "Auld Lang Syne."
- Gift Wrap
- Gift wrap hides a present until it's opened. Saving and reusing wrapping paper, ribbons, and gift bags is an easy way to cut down on holiday trash.
- Hanukkah
- Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, lasts eight nights and usually falls in December. Families light one more candle on the menorah each night.
- Hot Cocoa
- Hot cocoa is made with cocoa powder, sugar, and warm milk. Cocoa comes from the seeds of the cacao tree, which grows in warm, rainy places near the equator.
- Kwanzaa
- Kwanzaa runs from December 26 to January 1 and celebrates African American culture and heritage. Dr. Maulana Karenga created it in 1966, and each day honors one of seven principles.
- Menorah
- The Hanukkah menorah, also called a hanukkiah, holds nine candles: one for each of the eight nights plus a helper candle, the shamash, used to light the others.
- Mittens
- Mittens usually keep hands warmer than gloves, because your fingers share one space and help warm each other on cold December days.
- Scarf
- A scarf wrapped around your neck holds in body heat on cold, windy December days. Many people knit scarves to give as homemade holiday gifts.
- Sledding
- Sledding down a snowy hill is a favorite winter activity. The best sledding hills have a gentle slope and a long, flat area at the bottom for slowing down safely.
- Snow Day
- A snow day is when school closes because roads are too snowy or icy for buses. In many northern states, the first snow days of the year come in December.
- Snowman
- Snowmen are easiest to build with wet, sticky snow that packs well. On very cold days, dry and powdery snow tends to fall apart instead of sticking together.
Added in Medium and Hard (8)
- Cardinal
- Northern cardinals don't migrate, so the bright red males stand out against December snow. The cardinal is the state bird of seven US states.
- Christmas Eve
- Christmas Eve is December 24. The poem A Visit from St. Nicholas, which begins "Twas the night before Christmas," was first published in 1823 and shaped how Americans picture Santa.
- Ice Skating
- Outdoor ice skating is a December tradition in many cities. The famous rink at Rockefeller Center in New York City opened on Christmas Day in 1936.
- New Years Eve
- On New Year's Eve, December 31, people stay up to welcome the new year at midnight. The first ball drop in New York City's Times Square happened in 1907.
- Peppermint
- Peppermint is a natural cross between two other mints, watermint and spearmint. Its cool flavor shows up in candy canes, hot cocoa, and holiday treats.
- Solstice
- The word solstice comes from Latin words meaning the sun stands still, because the sun seems to pause in its path across the sky before the days begin to lengthen.
- Sugar Cookie
- Rolling out sugar cookies and cutting them into stars, bells, and snowflakes is a December baking tradition in many homes, followed by plenty of icing and sprinkles.
- Winter Break
- Most American schools close for a winter break of one to two weeks in late December, usually lasting through New Year's Day.
Added in Hard (10)
- Bill of Rights
- The Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the US Constitution, was ratified on December 15, 1791. It protects freedoms like speech, religion, and the press.
- Kinara
- The kinara is the candleholder used during Kwanzaa. It holds seven candles, three red, three green, and one black in the middle, with one more lit on each day of Kwanzaa.
- Kitty Hawk
- On December 17, 1903, Orville and Wilbur Wright made the first powered airplane flights near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The first flight lasted 12 seconds and went 120 feet.
- Las Posadas
- Las Posadas is a Mexican tradition held over nine nights, December 16 to 24. Neighbors walk from house to house acting out Mary and Joseph's search for a place to stay.
- Paperwhite
- Paperwhites are a type of narcissus, one of December's birth flowers. Their bulbs can bloom indoors in a bowl of pebbles and water, which makes them a popular winter gift.
- Poinsettia
- December 12 is National Poinsettia Day in the United States. It marks the death of Joel Roberts Poinsett, who brought the plant north from Mexico in the 1820s.
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Lucia Day on December 13 is a festival of light in Sweden. A girl dressed in white wears a crown of candles and brings saffron buns to her family.
- Shortest Day
- The winter solstice, around December 21 or 22, is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. After it, the days slowly start getting longer again.
- Tanzanite
- Tanzanite, another December birthstone, is a violet-blue gem found in only one small area of Tanzania, near Mount Kilimanjaro. It was discovered in 1967.
- Turquoise
- Turquoise is one of December's birthstones. This sky-blue to green stone has been used in jewelry for thousands of years, including by ancient Egyptians and Native American artists.
A few facts to share while you solve
- December comes from decem, the Latin word for ten. It was the tenth month in the early Roman calendar, which started in March.
- In the Northern Hemisphere, the earliest sunset of the year happens in early December, about two weeks before the shortest day, while the latest sunrise comes in early January.
- The Wright brothers made four flights on December 17, 1903. The longest, flown by Wilbur, covered 852 feet in 59 seconds.
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 | 12 × 12 | The 12 most familiar words, reading forward across and down. |
| Medium | 20 | 15 × 15 | Twenty words across, down and diagonally. No backwards words. |
| Hard | 30 | 18 × 18 | Every word, in all eight directions including backwards, with look-alike filler letters. |
| Large print | 12 | 12 × 12 | The 12 most familiar words on a small grid with big letters. No backwards words. |
Hard and large print versions
Hard december word search: all 30 words on a 18 × 18 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 december word search: the 12 most familiar words on a 12 × 12 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
What holidays are in the December word search?
The list includes Christmas Eve, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Las Posadas, Saint Lucia Day, and New Year's Eve. That mix makes it a good choice for classrooms where families celebrate different holidays, or none at all, since it also covers December history, nature, and the winter solstice.
What age is the December word search for?
Easy mode suits kids around 6 to 8, who will spot words like Snow Day and Mittens quickly. Medium and hard are a better match for older kids, teens, and adults, who can hunt for longer words like Bill of Rights and Christmas Eve.
How is this different from the Christmas word search?
The Christmas puzzle focuses on that one holiday, with words like reindeer, stockings, and the manger. This one is about the whole month, so it includes several holidays plus December birthstones, the Wright brothers' first flight, and the winter solstice. The two lists work well side by side.
Is there an answer key for this december 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 30 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.
