Printable Christmas word search
Santa, stockings and mistletoe on one photocopiable sheet. Eight words are hidden in a 12 by 12 grid. The answer key prints on a second sheet, so you can hand out the puzzle and keep the solution.
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Christmas word search
Name: ______________________ Date: ______________
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | G | E | T | T | S | S | E | E | R | A | A | O |
| 2 | S | E | T | O | E | T | L | E | F | E | L | C |
| 3 | Y | O | Y | L | A | T | U | R | K | E | Y | T |
| 4 | S | E | N | C | J | L | H | A | D | W | E | T |
| 5 | A | C | S | A | E | S | T | R | R | E | T | L |
| 6 | N | I | N | A | K | N | N | E | H | I | N | U |
| 7 | T | B | E | O | H | O | A | O | N | T | F | B |
| 8 | A | A | T | L | T | T | L | S | W | I | S | A |
| 9 | Y | U | H | H | H | N | E | S | I | M | E | D |
| 10 | Z | B | D | N | A | L | R | A | G | R | A | A |
| 11 | P | L | C | H | I | M | N | E | Y | R | A | N |
| 12 | O | E | G | B | J | A | E | S | T | I | P | O |
Words to find
- Chimney
- Tinsel
- Bauble
- Snowman
- Turkey
- Santa
- Wreath
- Garland
Words run in straight lines: forwards, backwards, up, down or diagonally. Circle each one when you find it.
Christmas word search — solution
Highlighted letters show where each word sits.
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | G | E | T | T | S | S | E | E | R | A | A | O |
| 2 | S | E | T | O | E | T | L | E | F | E | L | C |
| 3 | Y | O | Y | L | A | T | U | R | K | E | Y | T |
| 4 | S | E | N | C | J | L | H | A | D | W | E | T |
| 5 | A | C | S | A | E | S | T | R | R | E | T | L |
| 6 | N | I | N | A | K | N | N | E | H | I | N | U |
| 7 | T | B | E | O | H | O | A | O | N | T | F | B |
| 8 | A | A | T | L | T | T | L | S | W | I | S | A |
| 9 | Y | U | H | H | H | N | E | S | I | M | E | D |
| 10 | Z | B | D | N | A | L | R | A | G | R | A | A |
| 11 | P | L | C | H | I | M | N | E | Y | R | A | N |
| 12 | O | E | G | B | J | A | E | S | T | I | P | O |
Where each word is
| Word | From | To | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| CHIMNEY | C11 | I11 | across, left to right |
| TINSEL | K5 | F10 | diagonal, down and left |
| BAUBLE | B7 | B12 | down, top to bottom |
| SNOWMAN | F5 | L11 | diagonal, down and right |
| TURKEY | F3 | K3 | across, left to right |
| SANTA | A4 | A8 | down, top to bottom |
| WREATH | J4 | E9 | diagonal, down and left |
| GARLAND | I10 | C10 | across, right to left |
Other word search sheets
Animals · Birds · Colors · Countries · Dinosaurs · Family · Farm · Feelings · Flowers · Food · Fruits · Halloween · Insects · Jobs · Music · Nature · Ocean · School · Space · Sports · Summer · Vegetables · Vehicles · Weather · Winter
What is on the sheet
- One 12 by 12 grid of letters with columns labelled A to L and rows numbered 1 to 12.
- Eight christmas words, listed so nobody has to guess what is hiding in the grid.
- A name and date line at the top, which is what turns a puzzle into a worksheet.
- A separate solution sheet, printed on page two, with every word highlighted and its exact position.
How to use it
- Print at 100 percent. The grid is sized from the page width, so a "fit to page" setting stretches the squares and makes the letters uneven.
- Two pages come out. The puzzle is page one and the solution is page two. Print both and cut the solution off, or print page one twice if you want a clean copy per player.
- Black and white is fine. The sheet uses solid fills rather than colour, so it comes out clean on the cheapest printer available.
- Photocopy as many as you need. These sheets are free to reproduce for classroom, club and family use, and no attribution is required on the copy.
- Harder versions are easy. Cross out the word list and let the player work from a category instead, or take the solution sheet away and let the class check each other.
Why a printable word search is still worth printing
A printable Christmas word search for the last week of term or a quiet hour at home: decorations, food and the reindeer everyone can name. Eight words hide in the 12 by 12 grid and the answer key prints separately, so the puzzle can be handed out without the solution.
A paper word search does three things a screen cannot. It works when the connection does not, it gives two people something to race on rather than something to tap on, and it survives a room full of children and six tablets. The grid above is generated from the same word list as the online game, so anyone who gets stuck on a word can move to the screen version without starting over.
Tips for whoever is handing it out
- Print one sheet per child and a second copy for the table. Two sheets racing each other is what keeps a room quiet.
- Point at the object as each word is found. A word attached to something real is remembered for longer.
- Let people scan the grid in a fixed order — down each column first, then across, then diagonally. Random scanning is what makes people think they are bad at word searches when they are simply looking in the wrong place.
Prefer to play on a screen
The word search game has a fresh free-play puzzle every time and a daily puzzle where everyone gets the same grid. This exact printable puzzle can be played online as well, letter for letter.