Some gifts are wrapped the night before, at the kitchen table, with whatever paper is left in the cupboard. A pretty tag is the easiest way to make those last-minute presents look like you planned them for weeks.
So I designed a set of free printable Christmas gift tags you can print at home, cut out in a few minutes and tie on with a bit of twine. There are 31 designs across 5 pages: vintage kraft tags, buffalo plaid round tags, To & From labels and a black-and-white set kids can color themselves.
What’s inside the free Christmas gift tags printable
The PDF is US Letter size and saved at print resolution, so the tags stay crisp even on an ordinary home inkjet printer. Here’s what you’ll get.
1. Vintage kraft Christmas tags (6 tags)
These are classic shipping-tag shapes in kraft, deep red, forest green and cream, decorated with holly, gold stars, snowflakes and a little Christmas tree. Each tag has To and From lines and a marked spot for the hole, so they work just as well on big boxes as on bottles of homemade syrup.
If I had to pick a favourite, it’s the cream Noel · 1925 tag. It looks lovely on brown paper with plain baker’s twine.
2. Buffalo plaid round tags (9 tags)
Round tags fit beautifully on jars, cookie tins and small gift bags. You’ll find nine designs in red-and-black, green and soft red plaid, each with a short word in the middle: Joy, Noel, Ho Ho Ho, Merry & Bright, Peace, Let It Snow, Cozy, Believe and Merry Christmas.
3. To & From Christmas gift labels (10 labels)
These rectangle labels are made to sit flat on a wrapped box instead of dangling from a ribbon. They’re perfect for wrapping paper with a busy pattern, where a hanging tag would get lost. A glue dot or a strip of double-sided tape is all you need.
4. Color-your-own Christmas tags (6 tags, ink saver)
The last page is a black-and-white version with simple outlines of trees, snowflakes and stars. It uses almost no ink, and it doubles as a little Christmas activity: hand the page to the kids with some crayons or markers and let them make the tags for their own presents.
What you’ll need
- A printer (inkjet or laser both work)
- White cardstock, 65–110 lb (176–300 gsm), or plain printer paper for the labels
- Scissors or a paper trimmer
- A hole punch
- Baker’s twine, ribbon, jute string or thin wire
- Optional: glue dots or double-sided tape, a gold paint pen, a corner rounder
How to print Christmas gift tags at home
- Download the PDF and open it in a PDF reader such as Adobe Acrobat Reader rather than in the browser preview. Browsers sometimes shrink the page.
- Load cardstock into your printer. If your printer has a rear or manual feed tray, use it for thick paper so the sheet stays flat.
- Choose “Actual size” or “100%” in the print settings, not “Fit to page”. Set the quality to High or Best.
- Print only the pages you need. Every page works on its own, so you can print three copies of the plaid tags and skip the rest.
- Let the ink dry for a few minutes before cutting, especially on the darker red and green tags.
Printing on A4 paper? Choose “Fit to printable area”. The tags will shrink very slightly, which doesn’t matter for gift tags.
How to cut and attach your tags
- Cut along the dashed lines. A paper trimmer makes the straight edges quick; save the scissors for the round tags and the angled corners.
- Punch the hole on the circle marked at the top of each tag.
- Thread twine or ribbon through the hole with a lark’s head knot, then tie it around the ribbon on your gift.
- For flat labels, use two glue dots or a strip of double-sided tape on the back.
- Add a finishing touch: a sprig of rosemary, a small pine cone or a cinnamon stick tucked under the twine looks lovely with the kraft tags.
6 more ways to use these printable Christmas tags
- Cookie and candy jars: the round plaid tags fit perfectly on mason jar lids.
- Place cards for Christmas dinner: write a name on the To line and stand the tag against a glass.
- Advent or countdown gifts: write a number from 1 to 24 on the back of each tag.
- Homemade food gifts: use the From line for the name of the recipe instead.
- Ornament labels for handmade or keepsake ornaments, with the year on the back.
- Junk journals and scrapbooks: extra tags make pretty Christmas pages and tuck-ins.
Planning a holiday get-together? Pair your gifts with my free printable Christmas bingo cards and Christmas word search puzzles for an easy afternoon of games.
A few notes from me
When I designed these tags, I wanted every page to be useful on its own, because nobody wants to print five pages for one present. I also kept the colors deep and slightly muted rather than bright, so they look a little vintage and don’t clash with most wrapping paper.
If you’re printing a lot of tags, start with the black-and-white page: it costs almost nothing in ink, and colored-in tags made by kids often end up being the ones people keep.
Frequently asked questions
Are these Christmas gift tags really free?
Yes. The PDF is free to download and print for personal use: for your own gifts, your family, your classroom or a small non-commercial event.
What’s the best paper for printable gift tags?
White cardstock between 65 and 110 lb (176–300 gsm) gives the best result. It’s sturdy enough to hang from a ribbon without curling. Matte cardstock looks more vintage than glossy.
Can I print these tags in black and white?
Yes. Page 5 is designed for black-and-white printing and coloring. The colored pages will also print in grayscale, but the color-your-own page will look much crisper.
Can I use these tags on gifts I sell?
Please don’t use them on products or gift sets that you sell. They’re for personal use only. You’re very welcome to share this page with friends instead of sharing the file. See the Terms of Use for details.
Why don’t my tags print at the right size?
Your print settings are probably set to “Fit to page”. Switch to “Actual size” or “100%”, and print from a PDF reader rather than from the browser.
Pin it for later
Save this pin to your Christmas board so you can find the tags again next year.
Happy wrapping!
Hakan
