Christmas crossword: 3 free printable puzzles for kids and adults

The short answer: this christmas crossword set has three free printable puzzles, and every clue shows how many letters the answer has.

• Easy: ages 6 to 9, 12 words
• Santa's Workshop: ages 9 and up, 14 words
• Movies and Stories: teens and adults, 14 words
• Answer keys are at the end of the PDF
• Next step: Get the free Christmas crossword (we email it to you); want more? The Christmas Budget & Gift Planner is $4.99.

This christmas crossword set has three free printable puzzles: an easy one for young kids, a medium Santa's Workshop puzzle and a hard Christmas movies and stories puzzle for teens and adults. Every clue shows how many letters the answer has, and the PDF ends with filled-in answer keys. Get the free download and print a stack for Christmas Eve, the kids' table or a holiday party.

What is in the free Christmas crossword printable

The PDF is six pages: one puzzle per page, then one answer key page per puzzle. Each puzzle page has the grid and the numbered across and down clues.

Crosswords have a long history. According to Britannica, the first modern crossword puzzle was published by Arthur Wynne in the New York World newspaper in December 1913, so holiday crosswords are almost as old as the format itself.

Puzzle 1: easy Christmas crossword for kids

This puzzle is made for ages 6 to 9. The words are short and the clues are simple, so it works as a first crossword. When the group needs a break from seated games, switch to a holiday scavenger hunt.

Across

• 1. Shape often put on top of the tree (4)
• 3. Jolly man in a red suit (5)
• 4. It goes jingle (4)
• 5. Small helper in Santa's workshop (3)
• 6. White flakes that fall in winter (4)
• 8. Sweet treat left out for Santa (6)
• 9. Santa's is red with a white pom-pom (3)

Down

• 2. You hang ornaments on this (4)
• 3. You ride this down a snowy hill (4)
• 4. Ribbon tied on top of a present (3)
• 6. A stocking is like a giant one of these (4)
• 7. Another word for a present (4)

Puzzle 2: Santa's Workshop Christmas crossword puzzle

The medium Christmas crossword puzzle uses longer words about decorations, the North Pole and the treats of the season. It suits ages 9 and up and adults who want a quick puzzle.

Across

• 3. Striped peppermint treat shaped like a J (two words) (9)
• 6. Decoration hung on a branch (8)
• 7. Frosty is one (7)
• 8. How Santa gets into the house in the stories (7)
• 10. Plant you might kiss under (9)
• 13. Spiced cookie used to build little houses (11)
• 14. Where the elves make the toys (8)

Down

• 1. Ring of evergreen hung on a door (6)
• 2. Shiny strands draped on the tree (6)
• 4. Where Santa lives (two words) (9)
• 5. Hung by the fireplace to be filled (8)
• 9. Animals that pull Santa's sleigh (8)
• 11. Santa's flying vehicle (6)
• 12. Reindeer with a shiny red nose (7)

Puzzle 3: Christmas movies and stories crossword (hard)

The hard puzzle tests what you know about classic Christmas films and books, from Charles Dickens to the Grinch. It is a good team game for teens and adults.

Across

• 2. Miser visited by three spirits in A Christmas Carol (7)
• 5. Scrooge's late business partner (6)
• 6. Mount where the Grinch lives (7)
• 9. Town where Cindy Lou Who lives (8)
• 11. George's last name in It's a Wonderful Life (6)
• 13. Author of A Christmas Carol (7)

Down

• 1. Girl given the nutcracker in the ballet (5)
• 3. He stole Christmas from Whoville (6)
• 4. Reindeer whose name means lightning (7)
• 7. Boy who wants a Red Ryder BB gun (7)
• 8. Bob Cratchit's youngest son (two words) (7)
• 10. Snowman brought to life by an old silk hat (6)
• 11. Will Ferrell's elf in Elf (5)
• 12. Boy left Home Alone (5)

How to use these Christmas crosswords

• Christmas Eve quiet time. Hand out the puzzles after dinner while you wrap the last gifts.
• Kids' table. Put the easy puzzle and a pencil at each child's place for the wait before the meal.
• Holiday party. Play the hard movie puzzle in teams. Set a 15-minute timer and score one point per correct answer. Brush up first with our list of the best Christmas movies.
• Classroom. Use the easy and medium puzzles in the last days before winter break, when a calm activity helps.
• Travel. Puzzles take no screen time, so they are good for long drives to family.

Tips for solving a crossword with kids

1. Start with the answers you know for sure and write them in first.
2. Use the letter count. If the clue says (4) and you think of a five-letter word, try another.
3. Use crossing letters. Each filled answer gives you letters for the words that cross it.
4. Say the clue out loud. Young kids often know the answer but need to hear the question.
5. Let kids use a pencil with an eraser. Wrong guesses are part of the fun.

The stories behind the movie answers

The hard puzzle pulls from stories that many families watch or read every year. Charles Dickens published A Christmas Carol in 1843, the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, the ghost of Jacob Marley and Tiny Tim. Britannica's article on Christmas traces how traditions such as trees, cards and gift giving grew in the 1800s, around the same time. Later classics fill the rest of the grid: the Grinch and Whoville from Dr. Seuss, George Bailey from It's a Wonderful Life, Ralphie from A Christmas Story, Kevin from Home Alone, Buddy from Elf and Clara from The Nutcracker.

More free Christmas printables

If your family likes paper games, try our Christmas word search, Christmas bingo cards, Christmas trivia questions and Christmas coloring pages. For a group, see our list of Christmas party games.

Plan the season while the kids are puzzling

A quiet half hour is a good time to sort out the grown-up side of Christmas. The Christmas Budget and Gift Planner keeps your holiday budget, gift list and spending in one place, and our Christmas budget planner guide walks you through setting a realistic number. The Holiday Season Bundle adds a sinking funds tracker, a meal planner for hosting, the 100 envelope savings challenge, a bill tracker and a cleaning schedule.

Answer key

The answers are also on pages 4 to 6 of the PDF.

• Easy: Across: 1 STAR, 3 SANTA, 4 BELL, 5 ELF, 6 SNOW, 8 COOKIE, 9 HAT. Down: 2 TREE, 3 SLED, 4 BOW, 6 SOCK, 7 GIFT.
• Santa's Workshop: Across: 3 CANDYCANE, 6 ORNAMENT, 7 SNOWMAN, 8 CHIMNEY, 10 MISTLETOE, 13 GINGERBREAD, 14 WORKSHOP. Down: 1 WREATH, 2 TINSEL, 4 NORTHPOLE, 5 STOCKING, 9 REINDEER, 11 SLEIGH, 12 RUDOLPH.
• Movies and Stories: Across: 2 SCROOGE, 5 MARLEY, 6 CRUMPIT, 9 WHOVILLE, 11 BAILEY, 13 DICKENS. Down: 1 CLARA, 3 GRINCH, 4 BLITZEN, 7 RALPHIE, 8 TINYTIM, 10 FROSTY, 11 BUDDY, 12 KEVIN.