Christmas is a time for joy, creativity, and sharing festive spirit. What better way to embrace the holiday season than with a touch of nostalgia? Dive into our curated collection of Free Christmas Images To Print, featuring charming vintage designs perfect for adding a unique, handcrafted feel to your celebrations. These delightful images, reminiscent of Christmases past, are ready to be downloaded and used in countless ways – from creating personalized decorations and crafts to designing bespoke Christmas cards.
The way we celebrate Christmas today is a relatively recent development. While the holiday commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, many of the traditions we cherish were popularized during the Victorian era in the late 19th century. It was then that Christmas truly blossomed into the grand annual celebration we know and love.
The Victorian Roots of Modern Christmas
Many of our beloved Christmas customs can be traced back to the Victorian period. Prince Albert, the German husband of Queen Victoria, played a significant role in popularizing traditions like the decorated Christmas tree. The very first Christmas card was designed by Henry Cole in 1843, and the tradition of sending cards quickly gained momentum. By the 1880s, an astonishing eleven million Christmas cards were being produced annually!
The Victorians also emphasized the importance of family during Christmas, establishing traditions centered around loved ones, including the classic Christmas dinner, festive decorations, gift-giving, and engaging parlour games.
Vintage illustration for free Christmas image to print featuring festive decorations and text
While Charles Dickens didn’t invent the Victorian Christmas, his famous novella A Christmas Carol profoundly influenced its spread. The book beautifully captured and promoted the Christmas ideals of family, charity, peace, and goodwill, messages that continue to resonate deeply today.
Discover Your Free Vintage Christmas Pictures
To download and print your chosen vintage Christmas image, simply click on the title above each picture. This will open a high-resolution version in a new tab, ready for you to save or print.
These versatile images can be printed at home, saved to your device for digital projects, or sent to online printing services for a professional touch. Consider the exciting possibilities – many printing companies offer services to transfer images onto various materials, opening up a world of creative gift ideas and personalized decorations.
Imagine these vintage Christmas images transformed into unique items. Just as demonstrated with personalized map pillows or charming wood slice ornaments, these prints can add a vintage Christmas touch to pillows, wooden decorations, and so much more!
1. Santa Claus Sugar Plums (1868)
This delightful vintage Christmas image originates from a 1868 advertisement for sugar plums. While “sugar plum” might sound old-fashioned today, it refers to a comfit – a sweet treat consisting of a seed, nut, or spice coated in a hard sugar shell, much like the crunchy exterior of modern candies. Comfits are considered one of the oldest forms of sugar confectionery.
Sugar plums also hold a special place in popular culture, notably in the Christmas ballet The Nutcracker, featuring the famous “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy.” Print this image to add a touch of classic confectionery charm to your Christmas projects, perfect for labels or festive kitchen decor.
Vintage Sugar Plums label illustration for printable Christmas decorations.
2. Merry Christmas Typography (1876)
This exquisite piece of Christmas typography, created in 1876 by Currier & Ives, showcases the phrase “Merry Christmas” beautifully adorned with acorns and foliage. Its intricate design makes it an ideal free Christmas image to print and color in, offering a relaxing and creative activity during the festive season. Print it for a unique coloring project or use it as a sophisticated design element in your holiday crafts.
Detailed vintage Merry Christmas typography illustration with acorns and leaves, perfect for printing.
3. Christmas Menu Sign (1900)
Step back in time with this vintage Christmas image featuring Santa Claus and festive motifs from the Tulane Hotel in Nashville’s 1900 dinner menu. This image provides a glimpse into Christmas celebrations of the past and can be printed for unique wall art, festive menu designs, or as a conversation-starting piece in your holiday decor.
Vintage Christmas menu illustration featuring Santa Claus and festive decorations, ready to print.
4. Santa in Cart (1900)
Another charming vintage Christmas image from a 1900 menu, this illustration depicts Santa Claus riding in a cart overflowing with presents. Its whimsical nature makes it perfect for free printable Christmas decorations, gift tags, or adding a touch of old-world charm to your holiday cards.
Printable vintage Christmas image of Santa Claus in a present-filled cart from 1900.
5. Christmas Sled With Holly (1907)
This 1907 vintage Christmas card image showcases a Christmas sled laden with holly, nestled in the snow. Holly, like ivy and mistletoe, is an evergreen plant historically used in pagan winter solstice celebrations to ward off evil spirits. Holly’s symbolism extends to Christianity, with its crown-like shape, spiny leaves representing Christ’s crown of thorns, and red berries symbolizing his blood. Use this image to create elegant Christmas cards or decorations with historical and symbolic depth.
Vintage Christmas card illustration of a sled with holly in snow, ideal for free Christmas prints.
6. Father Christmas (1901)
This vintage Christmas image from 1901 portrays Father Christmas as the portly, jovial, white-bearded figure we recognize today. He is depicted in his iconic red coat with white fur collar and cuffs. Print this classic Santa image for timeless Christmas decorations, gift wrap, or festive banners.
Classic vintage Santa Claus illustration from 1901 for free printable Christmas art.
7. Father Christmas in Green (1909)
Interestingly, vintage depictions of Father Christmas sometimes showed him in a green coat instead of the now-standard red. This 1909 image offers a glimpse into that historical variation. Today, red is almost exclusively associated with Santa. Use this unique green Father Christmas image to create distinctive Christmas cards or decorations that stand out from the traditional red-clad Santa.
Vintage Father Christmas illustration in green robes from 1909, a unique printable Christmas image.
8. Santa Chimney (1901)
Another image from 1901, this one shows Santa in his red suit, carrying a sack of presents and preparing to descend a chimney. The image captures the popular depiction of Santa’s arrival. The idea of Santa Claus coming down the chimney was popularized by the 1823 poem “A Visit From St. Nicholas,” also known as “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.” Print this image to create classic Christmas scenes in your decorations or for story-telling crafts.
Vintage Santa Claus and reindeer illustration from 1901 depicting Santa entering a chimney for free Christmas printing.
9. Christmas Wreath (Menu Detail)
This vintage Christmas image, extracted from a menu, features a wreath of holly leaves. Holly wreaths are classic Christmas symbols, and this detailed image is perfect for adding a touch of traditional elegance to your projects. For more holly-themed inspiration, explore additional holly illustrations, including vintage Christmas cards. Print this wreath for cards, festive stationery, or as part of larger Christmas collages.
Vintage holly wreath image from a menu, perfect for free printable Christmas decorations.
10. Barnes Ad Christmas Image
Add a touch of humor to your Christmas with this vintage advertisement for Barnes featuring Santa. Its playful design makes it a fun and unique free Christmas image to print. Use it for quirky Christmas cards, humorous gift tags, or decorations that bring a smile to everyone’s face.
Humorous vintage Christmas advertisement for Barnes featuring Santa Claus, ready for printing.
11. Borwick’s Baking Powder Ad
This vintage advertisement for Borwick’s Baking Powder depicts Father Christmas carrying a large Christmas pudding on a tray. It’s a charming and festive image that celebrates both Santa and the culinary delights of Christmas. Print it for kitchen decor, recipe cards, or festive baking-themed crafts.
Vintage advertisement featuring Father Christmas carrying a Christmas pudding, a printable Christmas image.
12. Santa’s Workshop (1909)
This 1909 postcard offers a delightful scene of Santa Claus in his workshop, making toys, accompanied by the festive message “Wishing You a Merry Xmas.” It captures the magic and industrious spirit of Santa’s preparations for Christmas. Print this image to create heartwarming Christmas cards, children’s decorations, or festive scrapbook embellishments.
Vintage Christmas postcard illustration of Santa's workshop with elves making toys, ready for free printing.
13. Peace Christmas Gift
“Peace. Your Gift To The Nation. A Merry Christmas.” This powerful advertising poster combines festive cheer with a message of peace. Featuring an American flag, Father Christmas, and soldiers, it’s a poignant and historically significant image. Print it for unique Christmas decorations with a message of peace, or for educational purposes to explore historical Christmas themes.
Vintage poster advertising peace as a Christmas gift featuring Santa and soldiers, a printable Christmas image.
14. Christmas Church Scene (1919)
This vintage Christmas scene, an illustration of a white Christmas with an angel silhouette from the Chalfonte Hotel in Atlantic City’s 1919 menu collection, evokes a sense of serene winter beauty. Its peaceful church scene is perfect for creating elegant and spiritual Christmas decorations, cards, or framed prints.
Vintage Christmas illustration of a snowy church scene with an angel silhouette, free for Christmas printing.
15. Christmas Scene With Holly (1910)
“A Merry Christmas” postcard from E. Nash (Firm) (1910). This charming image depicts a snow-covered cabin adorned with holly decorations. Its cozy winter scene is ideal for creating warm and inviting Christmas cards, decorations, or framed art that captures the spirit of a traditional Christmas.
Vintage Christmas postcard of a snow-covered cabin with holly decorations, a printable Christmas image.
Explore More Festive Collections
If you’re seeking Christmas images featuring children, be sure to explore this delightful collection of vintage Christmas illustrations from children’s picture books.
Flowers are deeply associated with Christmas, from poinsettias to Christmas cacti. Discover beautiful Christmas flower prints to enhance your vintage Christmas image collection. And for a touch of winter wonder, don’t miss these vintage snowflake prints.
If you’ve enjoyed these free Christmas images to print, Pictureboxblue.com offers many other fabulous collections to explore, providing a wealth of visual inspiration for all your creative projects this holiday season. Embrace the vintage charm and bring a unique touch to your Christmas celebrations!
