Honestly, sitting down with a blank piece of paper during the holidays can feel kind of intimidating. You want to be festive. You want to create something that looks like those cozy Pinterest illustrations, but then your brain just freezes up like a windshield in December. Finding christmas stuff to draw shouldn't feel like a chore or a graded art assignment.
It’s about the vibe.
Drawing during the holidays is usually less about creating a masterpiece and more about decompressing while "Home Alone" plays in the background for the hundredth time. Whether you’re doodling in a bullet journal, making handmade cards, or just trying to keep the kids busy so you can finish wrapping gifts, having a go-to list of prompts changes everything.
Most people overcomplicate it. They think they need to draw a photorealistic reindeer with complex skeletal anatomy. You don't. Sometimes a wonky-looking gingerbread man has way more character anyway.
Why We Get Stuck on Holiday Doodles
Creative block is real, especially when the "holiday spirit" feels like a lot of pressure. We see these incredible digital paintings on Instagram and suddenly our little snowman feels inadequate.
But here is the thing: Christmas iconography is basically just a collection of simple geometric shapes. A Christmas tree? That’s just a stack of triangles or a single elongated cone. An ornament? It’s a circle with a tiny square on top. When you break it down like that, the "stuff" becomes much less scary to approach.
I’ve noticed that the best christmas stuff to draw usually falls into three camps: the classic symbols, the cozy "hygge" elements, and the character-driven stuff.
The Classics: Fast and Festive
If you only have five minutes, stick to the basics.
The Evergreen Tree
You can go a few ways here. There is the "Charlie Brown" style, which is basically just a few sad, drooping lines and one lonely red bulb. Then there’s the tiered approach. Draw three triangles overlapping each other, with the bottom of each triangle being slightly wavy to represent branches. If you want to get fancy, add "snow" by leaving white gaps on the top of each branch layer.
Ornaments and Baubles
Don't just draw a circle. Think about the reflections. If you draw a small "C" shape or a comma-shaped highlight near the top left of the circle, it suddenly looks glass-like. You can fill them with patterns: stripes, polka dots, or even tiny silhouettes of pine trees.
The Classic Stocking
Draw a "J" shape, but make it chunky. Add a fluffy rectangle at the top. To make it look "pro," add some "stitch" marks along the edges or draw a candy cane peeking out of the top.
Gingerbread People: The Ultimate Beginner Hack
Gingerbread men are great because they are supposed to look like cookies. If your lines are a bit shaky, it just looks like icing! Give them little "X" eyes or tiny bowties. You can even draw a "nibbled" gingerbread man where a chunk of his head or leg is missing. It adds a bit of humor that people love.
Cozy Lifestyle Vibes
Christmas isn't just about Santa. It's about the feeling of being inside while it’s freezing outside. This is where you can get really creative with your christmas stuff to draw list.
Think about a steaming mug of cocoa.
To draw this, start with an oval for the top of the mug. Draw two vertical lines down and a curved bottom. The "steam" is just a couple of wavy lines. But the magic is in the details. Add tiny squares for marshmallows or a cinnamon stick poking out at an angle.
Mistletoe is another one that looks harder than it is. It’s basically just pairs of oval leaves attached to a central stem. Add three small circles (berries) where the stems meet. Tie it all together with a big, floppy ribbon.
Speaking of ribbons, let's talk about presents.
A cube is a cube, but a gift-wrapped box has personality. Draw a square, add a cross-pattern of lines for the ribbon, and then draw a "figure eight" on top for the bow. To make it look realistic, make sure the ribbon lines follow the perspective of the box. If the box is tilted, the ribbon should tilt too.
Getting Into the Character Spirit
If you’re feeling a bit more ambitious, you might want to tackle some characters.
The Simplified Reindeer
Skip the realistic deer. Draw a large oval for the head and two smaller ovals for the ears. The antlers are just like tree branches—start with a main "trunk" and add smaller "V" shapes branching off. And of course, a big circular nose. If you’re drawing Rudolph, make that nose slightly larger than you think it should be.
Snowmen with Attitude
Anyone can draw three circles. But try drawing a snowman from a different perspective. Maybe he’s looking up at the falling snow? Or maybe he’s melting into a puddle with his carrot nose floating sadly to the side? Changing the "camera angle" of your drawing makes even simple christmas stuff to draw feel much more professional.
The Nutcracker
This one is for when you have a bit more time. Nutcrackers are very geometric. They are made of cylinders and rectangles. Focus on the uniform details: the tall hat (shako), the shoulder pads (epaulettes), and the big white beard. The key to a good nutcracker drawing is symmetry.
Putting It All Together: Composition Tips
Once you have a few of these elements down, you can start combining them. You aren't just drawing a tree anymore; you're drawing a living room scene.
- Layering: Put the presents in front of the tree. This creates depth.
- Scale: Make the ornaments huge and the tree tiny for a whimsical, "Alice in Wonderland" type of Christmas vibe.
- Framing: Draw a snowy window frame and put all your holiday doodles "inside" the house as seen from the outside.
One thing I see people do wrong is trying to fill every inch of the paper. Negative space—the white part of the paper—is your friend. It looks like snow. Let it breathe.
Surprising Details That Make Your Art Pop
If you want your drawings to stand out on Google or social media, you need to add "the extras."
Lighting is the secret sauce. If you’re drawing a candle or a string of lights, use a yellow colored pencil or a light grey marker to create a "glow" around the flame or the bulb. This tiny bit of shading makes the drawing feel warm.
Textures also matter. Use short, flicking lines to show the needles on a pine branch. Use tiny dots (stippling) to show the texture of a wool mitten. These small touches take a "doodle" and turn it into "art."
According to art educators at institutions like the Rhode Island School of Design, the act of repetitive doodling—like drawing rows of holiday lights—actually lowers cortisol levels. So, you aren't just making "christmas stuff to draw," you're basically doing a therapy session with a pen.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Don't use a compass to draw your circles. Perfectly round circles look robotic. Hand-drawn circles have "wobble," and wobble is where the charm lives.
Stop worrying about the "right" red or green. Christmas colors are a spectrum. Deep burgundy and forest green look sophisticated; neon red and lime green look "Grinch-y" and fun. Mix them up.
Also, don't forget the background. Even a few simple blue dots can represent falling snow and make your central subject feel like it’s in a real environment rather than floating in a void.
Actionable Next Steps for Your Holiday Art
Ready to actually put pen to paper? Here is how to start without the overwhelm:
- The "Warm-Up" Sheet: Take a piece of scrap paper and draw 10 different types of trees in 60 seconds. Don't think, just draw. This breaks the "perfectionism" barrier.
- Pick a Theme: Choose a limited color palette. Maybe just black, white, and gold. This makes your drawings look like a cohesive collection.
- Use Reference Photos: Don't guess what a holly leaf looks like. Look it up. Holly leaves have distinct points and a specific vein structure.
- Create a "Doodle Border": If you’re writing a letter or a list, draw a string of lights or a vine of ivy around the edge of the paper. It’s low-stakes and looks great.
- Mix Mediums: Try using a ballpoint pen for the outlines and a highlighter for the color. The contrast is surprisingly cool.
There isn't a wrong way to do this. If your reindeer looks like a dog with sticks on its head, call it a "reindeer-dog" and move on. The joy of finding christmas stuff to draw is in the process, not just the final product. Grab a pen, find a cozy spot, and just start with one circle. You'll be surprised how quickly the rest of the page fills up once you get that first mark out of the way.