9 Handmade Christmas Cards Ideas to Spread Holiday Cheer This Year

This post is going to give you handmade Christmas cards ideas to add to any of your holiday gifts this year.

While creating a Christmas card through sites like Minted or Shutterfly to send out to all of your friends and family is awesome, it can also be a thoughtful touch to make handmade holiday cards for those you are really close to. This post is going to give you 9 handmade Christmas cards ideas to add to any of your holiday gifts this year.

Whether you recreate these designs or use them as inspiration, this post will help you create one of a kind Christmas cards for those who mean a lot to you. Making a card by hand really shows you care and adds a more personal touch then just buying a card at a store.

What supplies do you need to make these handmade Christmas cards ideas?

You don’t need a lot of expensive craft supplies to make these cards. Here is all you need for most of the holiday card designs in this post:

  • Cardstock paper (Plain holiday colors, festive patterns, etc.)
  • Scissors
  • Hot glue or other adhesive
  • Stickers (Letters, jewels, etc.)

Pro tip: If you are making several handmade Christmas cards for friends and family, it can really help to buy a holiday themed paper set, like this one.

9 Handmade Christmas cards ideas to spread holiday cheer this year…

Let’s get into all of the DIY holiday card designs you can make this year!

1. Merry and Bright

This card has a classic Christmas color scheme that is perfect for any holiday gift. This card layers multiple different papers in varying patterns and textures. To tie it all together, pick 2-3 colors to focus on for example red, green, and white.

2. ‘Tis the Season for Ugly Sweaters

This card is perfect to bring to an ugly sweater Christmas party or as an addition to a Christmas gift this year. You can make this card by cutting out a sweater shape from a patterned piece of paper and using letter stickers to spell out the message. Adding a hanger to the sweater is an extra touch that makes it even more special.

3. The Santa hat

For a fun twist on a holiday card, make the card itself a Santa hat! Using white paper that has some shine to it will elevate the design.

4. Let It Snow

This card is for the recipient who loves all things sparkly. This handmade Christmas card idea features Let It Snow message in glitter letters. It also uses snowflake cardstock as the base, and then applique snowflakes and other gemstones layered on top.

5. Pattern mixing

This handmade Christmas card idea involves using multiple holiday patterns to create a unique design. The first card takes multiple patterns and ties it together with a fun twist on Merry Christmas message by using scrabble letters.

The second card above uses two different colors of buffalo print for a fun holiday design.

Top tip: When mixing two patterns on a card, you often can’t go wrong with choosing multiple different patterns in the same color scheme, or the same pattern in different colors.

6. Sweater weather

This handmade Christmas card idea showcases a glittery snowflake cardstock and matching glittery letters. To give the letters a little flare, I took the letters for “Sweater” and cut around them individually so they could be layered over each other or move in different directions.

7. Some plaid for your Dad…and other loved ones

Classic Christmas printed plaid in festive colors is a great card base or starting point for your creation. This first card is a great gift for dad – but it doesn’t just need to be for your dad, you can customize it for any family member or name you want!

8. Winter wonderland

Next for these handmade Christmas cards ideas is a beautiful design for any of your loved ones. Mixing patterns and textures like this but keeping it in the same color family allows you to create a unique design without any of the elements clashing too much.

9. A simple and rustic holiday card

This simple handmade holiday card design is perfect for anyone who has a rustic style. And this card is so simple to make – all you need is some cardstock paper and some ribbon!

Those are the 9 handmade Christmas cards ideas to create for your loved ones this year.

Whether you are a long-time crafter or a beginner, these handmade designs are simple to make and will really show your loved ones how much you care. Use these designs as a template or as an inspiration to your own design.

Short on time? Print out your own cards at home.

If you are short on time and can’t make all of your cards by hand, printable Christmas cards can be a great alternative. Check out our printable Christmas card designs on Etsy to print out cards in minutes!

Comment below if you try out any of these card designs and let us know how they turn out!