December coloring pages

Free printable December coloring pages bring Christmas trees, Hanukkah lights and snowy villages.

These free printable December coloring pages cover the whole holiday month: Christmas trees and stockings, Hanukkah menorahs, gingerbread and snowy village streets. Toddlers get a smiling ornament, a tree and a gift box. Kids get Santa's sleigh, cookie baking and a family lighting the menorah. Teens and adults get a nutcracker toy soldier, a poinsettia and a holly wreath mandala, and seniors get bold gingerbread houses and a church in the snow. There are also real facts for coloring a menorah and a poinsettia the right way.

A single shiny ornament is the gentlest start.

Easy December coloring pages for toddlers start with an ornament, a tree or a gift.

Toddler sheets are one holiday shape at a time. Start with the Ornament, the Christmas Tree or the Gift Box. The December Bear holds a wrapped present in a snowy hat.

Preschoolers can try the Stocking, the Gingerbread Cookie, the Snowman or the Holiday Bell. All four have wide, simple spaces a crayon can fill fast. Soon kids want the busy, happy scenes of the season.

Christmas and Hanukkah coloring pages for kids fill December with sleighs, cookies and candles.

Kids love a holiday scene. In Decorating the Tree, a whole family hangs ornaments. Santa Sleigh flies over snowy rooftops, pulled by two reindeer. Baking Cookies has two kids rolling dough and cutting out shapes. The Reindeer wears a scarf, and the Wreath on the Door smiles back.

Hanukkah gets two pages. The Menorah is a smiling menorah with all its candles, and Hanukkah Lights shows a family lighting the candles together. For snow days, try Sledding or the Fireplace hung with stockings. Quick bold pages include Mittens and Cocoa, the Christmas Train and the Snowman and Lights. The Christmas Village is the most detailed kids' page, with shops and a big tree. Older colorers usually want that detail everywhere.

Detailed December coloring pages for teens and adults bring toy soldiers and poinsettias.

The Toy Soldier is a tall nutcracker in a room full of toys. The Poinsettia fills a pot with big pointed leaves and pine cones. The Holly Wreath Mandala rings a wreath with ornaments and snowflakes. The Winter Forest Zentangle shows a deer and fawn covered in tiny patterns, and the Snowflake Pattern fills a page with lacy flakes.

For a festive mood, try the Ornaments Zentangle, the Snowy Street or Winter Birds in their knitted hats. The Carolers sing from songbooks, and the Snow Fort has kids stacking snow blocks. For a cozy evening, try Wrapping Gifts Together, the December Window Seat or the December Kitchen. Quick bold pages include the Winter Lantern and Stack of Presents. Clear holiday shapes suit older colorers as well.

December coloring pages for seniors show gingerbread houses and quiet winter scenes.

The Gingerbread House is covered in candy canes and swirls. The Holiday Mantel is hung with stockings, garland and candles. The Toy Shop Window shows teddy bears, a rocking horse and a train. The Little Church in the Snow sits under a bright star.

A toy shop window and a gingerbread house bring back holiday memories for many families. Two of the season's most familiar decorations also come with rules worth knowing.

How many candles does a menorah hold, and what color is a poinsettia?

A Hanukkah menorah holds nine candles: one for each of the eight nights, plus a helper. Chabad.org explains that the lights are lit on each of the eight evenings of Hanukkah. The helper candle, called the shamash or "servant" candle, lights the others and stands apart from them, often higher. On the Menorah sheet, color the middle, taller candle differently from the eight around it.

Poinsettias hold a surprise too. The University of Florida's IFAS Extension explains that the colorful parts most people call the flower are really leaves called bracts. Red is traditional, but bracts can also be pink, white, orange or even purple. So the Poinsettia sheet can be any of those colors and still be true to life. Once the colors are set, the pages are ready for the holidays.

How do you make holiday pages sparkle?

Leave small white spots on ornaments, bells and candle flames. The white looks like light catching a shiny surface. Color around the spots, darker at the edges of each ornament, so it looks round.

For string lights, color each bulb a different bright color and leave a white dot in its middle. On snowy scenes like the Christmas Village, keep the roofs mostly white and add pale blue shadows under the edges. Gold or yellow on stars and windows makes a winter night look warm. With the sparkle done, the pages can go on display.

December coloring pages become gift tags, cards and window decorations.

A colored Gift Box or Stack of Presents makes a homemade gift tag. Print it on cardstock so it holds up tied to a present. Colored ornaments can hang on a real tree, and the Ornament sheet cuts out neatly.

Many families color together over the holidays. For more Christmas pages, see our Santa coloring pages and candy cane coloring pages. When the year turns, our January coloring pages bring New Year's Eve and snow days.

From a smiling ornament to a nutcracker toy soldier, these free printable December coloring pages carry you through Hanukkah and Christmas to the last night of the year. Pick an easy shape or a detailed scene, and leave a spot of white for the sparkle.