Christmas List Template: 3 Free Printable PDFs and a Copy-Paste Version
A good Christmas list template has sizes at the top, a few ideas at each price, one bigger thing to share and a line for what you do not want. Below are three free printable PDFs — for adults, for kids and want-need-wear-read — plus a copy-paste version, and how to turn it into a shareable list on secret.gift.
Print one, fill it in by hand over coffee, then decide: hand the paper to whoever asks, or move it online so relatives can see what is already taken.
Your wishlist in 3 minutes: links from any store, one link to share. Free, no signup.
Make a Christmas listIn this guide
Quick answer
- Christmas list template for adults (PDF) — sizes, one dream gift, ideas under $25 and $25–75, something to share, an experience, stocking stuffers, "please, no more"
- Christmas list for kids (PDF) — a Dear Santa page with six numbered wishes and a box to draw the big one
- Want, need, wear, read (PDF) — the four-gift rule with room for a few ideas per line
- Copy-paste version — below, for notes or the family chat
- Online version — the same list as a link, where people reserve gifts so nothing gets bought twice: make a Christmas list
Printable Christmas list templates (PDF)
All three are US Letter, black and white, and print fine on A4. They open in the browser; save or print from there. No email, no sign-up.
For adults. The page relatives actually need: your sizes at the top, then one line for the thing you would love most, three ideas under $25, three at $25–75, a bigger gift two or three people can chip in for, an experience, stocking stuffers, and a "please, no more" line for the fifth scented candle.
For kids. A "Dear Santa" letter: name, age, what they were good at this year, six numbered wishes, something they would like to give to someone else, and a big box to draw the present they want most. Younger kids draw; you write the words underneath.
Want, need, wear, read. Four lines with room for two or three ideas each, plus a bonus "something to do". Popular with parents who want fewer, better gifts — more on the rule below.
Copy-paste Christmas wishlist template
No printer? Paste this into your notes app or straight into the family chat and fill in the blanks. Keep the price lines: they let everyone, from a teenage cousin to a grandparent, find something that fits.
- My Christmas list 2026 — [your name]
- Sizes: top __ · bottoms __ · shoes __ · ring/other __
- The one thing I would love most: __ (where to find it, color, size)
- Under $25: __ · __ · __
- $25–75: __ · __ · __
- Bigger, to share: __
- An experience: __
- Stocking stuffers: __ · __
- Please, no more: __
Add a link or a store next to anything specific. "Wool socks" gets you any socks; "wool socks, size L, the grey ones from [store]" gets you the right ones.
Christmas list template for kids
Kids write lists the way they think: twelve things, all at once, half of them from one ad. The Dear Santa page keeps it to six numbered wishes, which gives you a natural conversation about what matters most — whatever they write as number one usually is the answer.
Two lines on the page do quiet work. "This year I was really good at" turns the list into a small celebration of the year. "Something I would like to give to someone else" is often the most touching line on the whole page, and a nice project for the week before Christmas.
- Ages 3–5: let them draw in the box and tell you the wishes; you write
- Ages 6–9: they write, you help with spelling and stores
- Ages 10+: skip the paper and give them their own online list to manage — it is good practice
Want, need, wear, read: the four-gift list
The rule is simple: one thing you want, one thing you need, one thing to wear and one thing to read. It started with parents trying to cut down the pile of presents, and it works for adults too, especially couples and siblings who keep overbuying.
Our template leaves room for two or three ideas per line instead of one. The giver still gets to choose and surprise, but within a list you will actually be glad to receive. The bonus line, "something to do", is for a day out or a class — the gift people remember longest.
How to fill in a Christmas list people can use
- Sizes first. Clothing is the most returned gift; four sizes at the top fix most of it
- Spread the prices. A list where everything costs $200 gets ignored; a list where everything costs $10 gets you ten small things
- One big item, marked "to share". Relatives love chipping in when it is their idea and someone organizes it
- Be specific where it matters. Brand, color, size or a link for anything you have a strong opinion about; leave the rest open
- Say what you do not want. "Please, no more mugs" saves everyone money
- Hand it out early. The first week of December is ideal: people still have time to order and shipping is normal
Turn the template into an online Christmas list
Paper has one weakness: two people read the same list and buy the same thing. An online list fixes that. Make a Christmas list on secret.gift: add the lines from your template (with links from any store), and send one link to the family chat. Each person reserves a gift with one tap; everyone else sees it is taken, and you do not see who took what, so the surprise stays intact.
It takes a few minutes, needs no account and works from a phone. Here is a Christmas list example as relatives see it.
Need ideas to fill in the lines?
For the list itself — what to put on it, by budget and by the kind of winter you want — see our Christmas list ideas. Filling one in for someone else? Start with Christmas gifts for mom or, for the hardest case, gifts for a dad who wants nothing. Small things for the stocking line are in stocking stuffer ideas.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free printable Christmas list template?
Yes. This page has three free PDFs: a Christmas list template for adults, a Dear Santa list for kids and a want-need-wear-read list. They open in the browser and print on US Letter or A4, with no email or sign-up.
What should be on a Christmas list template?
Your sizes, the one thing you would love most, a few ideas at different prices (for example under $25 and $25–75), one bigger gift people can share, an experience, stocking stuffers and a line for what you do not want more of.
What is the want, need, wear, read rule?
A four-gift rule: one thing you want, one you need, one to wear and one to read. Our template leaves room for a few ideas per line so the giver can still choose.
How do I make a Christmas wish list for my kids?
Print the Dear Santa page, let them write or draw up to six wishes, and ask which one is number one. If several relatives are buying, copy the wishes into an online list so nobody buys the same toy twice.
Can I make a Christmas list online instead of printing it?
Yes. On secret.gift you can make a Christmas list in a few minutes without an account, add items from any store and share one link. Relatives reserve gifts so nothing is bought twice, and you do not see who reserved what.
When should I send my Christmas list?
Around the first week of December. People still have time to order, shipping is normal, and nobody is shopping in a panic on December 22.
Wanda Wishlist. Believes every gifting disaster starts with 'oh, surprise me'. Teaches people to write wishlists that are specific enough to work and vague enough to keep the magic.
Keep reading
Turn your template into one link for the family, and nobody buys the same gift twice.
Make a Christmas listSee a live example list →