Christmas clipart can be used to create far more than a single festive design. If you sell printables, worksheets or digital products, one coordinated Christmas clipart pack can become the visual foundation for an entire seasonal collection — from gift tags and classroom activities to games, activity books and party printables. 🎄
The trick is to use the artwork as a design ingredient, not the finished product. Instead of dropping a PNG onto a blank page and calling it done, combine the graphics with useful layouts, instructions, text, activities and branding so the customer receives a complete product.
Below are 15 practical ways to use Christmas clipart in digital products, along with design tips, product examples and ideas for getting more mileage from each set.
🎨 What can you make with Christmas clipart?
Christmas clipart can be used in many types of finished digital products, including printable games, worksheets, gift tags, planners, reward charts, activity books, party printables, classroom resources and seasonal bundles. The exact products you are allowed to sell will depend on the licence that comes with the artwork.
If you are brand new to licences, read What Is Commercial-Use Clipart? A Beginner’s Guide before you start. It explains the difference between personal use, commercial use and reselling the original files.
Quick rule of thumb 💡
If you bought commercial-use clipart, you will usually be expected to turn it into a new finished product rather than reselling the original PNG files unchanged. Always check the specific licence because permissions can vary.
🎁 1. Create Printable Gift Tags
Christmas clipart is ideal for printable gift tags because you can turn individual graphics into small, easy-to-use designs without needing a complicated layout. Start with a simple tag shape, add one main illustration, then include a short message such as “Merry Christmas”, “For You”, or “From Santa”.
To create several listings from the same artwork, make themed sets rather than one mixed page. For example, you could create a snowman tag set, a gingerbread tag set and a cute Christmas-animal tag set. That gives shoppers more choice and makes it easier to bundle related products later.
Quick tip: SEO/product angle: gift tags can target phrases such as Christmas printable gift tags, kids Christmas gift tags, teacher gift tags or Santa gift tags.
See the Christmas Baubles clipart pack →
🎨 2. Design Colouring Book Covers and Activity Book Covers
If you create colouring books or kids activity packs, clipart can do a lot of the visual work on the cover. Use one larger focal character, a bold title and two or three smaller coordinating graphics around the edges. That is usually enough to make the cover feel themed without becoming cluttered.
The same clipart set can also be reused on divider pages, answer keys and bonus pages so the whole product feels consistent. This is especially useful when you are building a series of seasonal books and want them to look like they belong together.
Quick tip: Keep the cover readable at thumbnail size. On Etsy and Pinterest, tiny details disappear quickly, so one strong character often works better than a page full of small graphics.
See the Girl Christmas Elf clipart pack →
🔎 3. Make Wordsearches, Crosswords and Puzzle Pages
Puzzles can look very plain if they are only text and boxes, which is where clipart helps. A few festive graphics around the heading, corners or answer section can make a basic wordsearch feel like a finished Christmas product.
You can also use clipart to create themed visual clues. A reindeer, stocking, ornament or gingerbread character can help reinforce the theme without distracting from the puzzle itself. For larger packs, keep the same illustration style across all pages so the set feels deliberate.
Quick tip: A useful workflow is to build one reusable puzzle-page template in Canva, then swap the word list and a few graphics to create multiple products from the same layout.
See the Christmas Reindeer clipart pack →
🎲 4. Build Printable Games
Christmas clipart works especially well for printable games because each graphic can become part of the activity rather than just decoration. You can use individual PNGs for bingo squares, matching cards, Tic Tac Toe pieces, roll-and-cover games, I-Spy activities and sorting games.
For younger children, clear visual icons often make the instructions easier to understand. For family or classroom games, the clipart can be used more lightly as a seasonal design element around the board or title.
Quick tip: If you are building several games from the same clipart set, vary the activity itself. That helps each listing serve a different purpose instead of becoming a near-duplicate.
See the Boy Christmas Elf clipart pack →
🦄 5. Turn One Clipart Theme Into a Full Product Range
One of the strongest ways to use Christmas clipart in digital products is to stop thinking in single listings and start thinking in collections. If you have a coordinated set, you can use the same theme across reward charts, certificates, worksheets, colouring pages, games and party printables.
For example, a Christmas unicorn clipart set could become a unicorn Christmas reward chart, a festive unicorn colouring pack, a matching gift-tag set and a kids activity bundle. Because the artwork is coordinated, the finished products naturally look like a range.
Quick tip: This is also useful for branding. Customers who like one design style are more likely to recognise matching products when they see them elsewhere in your shop.
📅 6. Create Christmas Countdowns and Advent-Style Printables
Countdown printables are a natural fit for Christmas graphics because you have repeated spaces that can each be decorated with a small festive icon. You could use baubles, stars, snowflakes, candy canes or characters to mark each day.
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The format can vary too: colour-one-a-day sheets, sticker charts, check-off calendars, activity countdowns and classroom countdowns can all be built around the same visual theme.
Quick tip: Keep the numbered areas large and clear. The clipart should support the countdown, not make the page harder to use.
✏️ 7. Add Seasonal Appeal to Learning Worksheets
A simple tracing or early-learning worksheet can be turned into a seasonal product with surprisingly little artwork. Add one or two matching clipart elements beside the title, use a few smaller icons as visual prompts and keep the learning area itself uncluttered.
This approach works well for alphabet tracing, number tracing, matching, counting, handwriting, simple addition and colour-by-code activities. You are not changing the educational skill — you are packaging it in a Christmas theme.
Quick tip: For preschool worksheets, choose larger, simple graphics with clear silhouettes. Tiny decorative elements can make the page feel busy when printed.
🍪 8. Make Christmas Eve Activity Printables
Christmas Eve products are useful because they solve a very specific customer need: keeping children entertained while building excitement for the next day. Clipart can help you create themed placemats, Santa snack sheets, checklists, mini games and quiet-time activities that all match.
A coordinated Christmas Eve set can include several small products that would also work as individual listings. That gives you the option to sell the pieces separately and later combine them into a larger Christmas Eve bundle.
Quick tip: Try to make the activity practical, not just decorative. A parent should be able to look at the product and immediately understand how it will be used.
✉️ 9. Create Letters to Santa, Elf Letters and Wish Lists
Text-heavy printables can feel much more polished when the artwork gives the page a clear theme. Add clipart as a header, border or corner decoration for Santa letters, wish lists, Elf arrival letters, farewell letters and Christmas notes.
Because the written content is the main feature, keep the graphics away from writing areas. A good layout leaves enough white space for handwriting while still giving the page a festive feel.
Quick tip: Editable versions can be especially useful for customers who want to personalise a child’s name or message, provided your product setup and licence allow that use.
🏆 10. Design Reward Charts, Coupons and Certificates
Clipart is useful for reward-based printables because it gives children an immediate visual theme. A Christmas tree, elf, reindeer or snowman can become the focal point of a reward chart, while smaller matching graphics can be used as progress markers.
You can also create Christmas helper certificates, festive reading rewards, kindness coupons or family experience vouchers. These products are simple to make but feel more complete when the graphics are coordinated.
Quick tip: Avoid squeezing too many illustrations onto reward charts. The tracking spaces need to remain obvious and easy to mark.
📚 11. Build Large Christmas Activity Books
An activity book is one of the best places to reuse a full clipart set because the same visual style can run across dozens of different page types. You might use the graphics on mazes, tracing sheets, word games, matching activities, colour-by-code pages and covers.
The important thing is not to paste the same character in the same position on every page. Rotate through the artwork, change the scale and use some pages with very light decoration so the book does not feel repetitive.
Quick tip: Before designing, list the activity types you want to include and assign different clipart elements to each one. That helps you make better use of the full set.
✂️ 12. Create Cut-and-Paste and Scissor-Skill Activities
Individual clipart elements are perfect for cut-and-paste products because the graphics can become the pieces children interact with. You can create matching, sorting, build-a-character pages, sequencing activities and simple craft worksheets.
For scissor-skill pages, use the clipart to create a destination or theme around the cutting path. For example, children could cut along a line to help an elf reach a present or guide a reindeer to a Christmas tree.
Quick tip: Make sure the cut pieces are large enough for the intended age group and leave clear white space around cutting lines.
✋ 13. Make Keepsake and Handprint Craft Printables
Christmas clipart can also support craft-based products. Handprint templates, footprint keepsakes and simple craft pages often need only a small amount of artwork around the activity itself.
Use clipart to frame the page, show a finished example or add festive wording. The child’s craft should remain the main feature, so this is one of those cases where less decoration is usually better.
Quick tip: Craft printables are especially suitable for preschool, nursery and early-years audiences, so keep instructions short and visual.
🎉 14. Create Christmas Party Games and Party Packs
Party printables give you lots of ways to use festive clipart without needing complicated design skills. Use the graphics on Would You Rather games, trivia sheets, icebreakers, table games, place cards and kids activity sheets.
If you create several matching products, combine them into a party pack. A coordinated set is more useful to customers planning one event than a group of unrelated designs.
Quick tip: Think about the customer’s situation. A family Christmas party, school party and office party may all need different wording and difficulty levels even if you use the same artwork style.
See the Christmas Jumpers clipart pack →
🔍 15. Make I-Spy and Visual Search Activities
I-Spy printables are one of the clearest examples of clipart becoming part of the activity itself. You can scatter repeated Christmas images across the page and ask children to count, find or circle specific objects.
This works particularly well when your clipart pack contains a good variety of distinct items. Keep similar colours and shapes separated enough that children can identify each object without frustration.
Quick tip: You can create different difficulty levels by changing the number of objects, how closely they overlap and whether children are asked to count or simply find them.
🛠️ How to use Christmas clipart in Canva
You do not need advanced design software to use clipart in printable products. In Canva, a simple workflow is:
- Upload the PNG files into your Canva uploads.
- Create your page size — for example US Letter, A4, square cards or gift-tag dimensions.
- Build the useful part of the product first — the game board, worksheet, checklist, writing area or activity.
- Add clipart afterwards so the artwork supports the layout instead of taking over the page.
- Keep spacing consistent and avoid placing important text over busy graphics.
- Export the finished product in the format you intend to sell, following the licence and marketplace requirements.
⚠️ Common mistakes when using commercial-use Christmas clipart
Clipart is easy to use, but there are a few mistakes that can make a finished product look weaker — or create licence problems.
- Using too many graphics: more clipart does not automatically make a better design. Leave enough white space for the activity to remain clear.
- Mixing unrelated art styles: combining watercolor, flat vector, hand-drawn and realistic graphics on one page can make the product feel inconsistent.
- Making the artwork the whole product: if the licence requires a finished end product, add real value through layout, text, activities or design.
- Forgetting printability: check margins, image quality and how colours look when printed on an ordinary home printer.
- Ignoring the licence: never assume “commercial use” means you can resell the raw files, pass on editable assets or use the artwork in every possible product type.
📦 How to turn one clipart pack into multiple listings
Before designing, pick one clear theme and map out a small product family. For example, a Christmas unicorn clipart pack could become:
- a printable reward chart
- a colouring or activity cover
- a matching gift-tag set
- a simple Christmas game
- a certificate
- a Christmas Eve activity sheet
You can list those products individually first, then combine related items into a larger bundle. This helps you reuse the same visual assets without making the products identical.
For more ideas on repurposing, see 12 Printable Products You Can Create From One PLR Template.
🎨 Want fresh clipart for your digital products?
The PLR Fairy Clipart Membership gives you new commercial-use clipart packs for just $7 per month.
Use the graphics as building blocks for your own finished printables and digital products instead of creating every illustration yourself.
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❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What can I sell using Christmas clipart?
Depending on the licence, Christmas clipart can be used inside printable games, worksheets, gift tags, activity books, reward charts, party printables, classroom resources, planners and other finished digital products. Always check the specific licence before selling.
Can I use Christmas clipart in products I sell on Etsy?
Often yes, if the commercial-use licence allows digital end products and your finished listing follows Etsy’s current seller rules. The artwork usually needs to be incorporated into a finished design rather than resold as the original files.
Can I use commercial-use clipart in Canva?
Yes, if the licence allows your intended use. You can upload PNG files to Canva, resize them and combine them with text, layouts and other design elements to create finished printable products.
Can I use the same Christmas clipart in multiple products?
Many commercial-use licences allow the same artwork to be used across several finished products, but you should confirm this in the licence. Reusing one coordinated set is a useful way to build a consistent seasonal product range.
Can I sell the clipart files themselves?
Not unless the licence specifically gives you resale rights for the original artwork. Standard commercial-use rights often allow finished products but not resale, sharing or redistribution of the raw PNG files.
What file type is best for printable clipart?
Transparent PNG files are especially useful because they can be layered over backgrounds and layouts without a visible box around the image. High-resolution files also give you more flexibility when resizing for print.
How much clipart should I use on one printable?
There is no fixed amount. Use enough to make the theme clear without making the product difficult to read or use. For worksheets and games, clarity should come before decoration.
Next: Browse the PLR Fairy Clipart collection, read the PLR Fairy licence terms, or explore the Clipart Membership. 🎨
