25 Christmas Writing Prompts

The holiday season means different things to different people, but for many of us Christmas is a time to celebrate with family.

We’ve got many different Christmas traditions, and of course there is the giving of gifts that is always a highlight.

Unsurprisingly, Christmas is especially exciting for children, and it can be a great topic to get even reluctant writers to start expressing themselves.

Today we’ve got 25 Christmas themed writing prompts to help them explore what this holiday means to them, what is most important, and think about the various traditions involved in this time of year. And if that isn’t enough, try our writing prompts about winter and see how those go!

How to use these writing prompts:

As with any prompts, there are no rules set in stone here – and in fact you can use these with your students in many ways.

Try selecting one prompt that you’d like to explore as a class, and use it as a discussion point to get everyone engaged and thinking about all the possible view points being put forward.

Then have them go away and write up their version of what it means to them.

Alternatively, give each child their own prompt, and have them write up their own thoughts on the topic.

You might like to have them rejoin as a group (either a full class, or smaller groups) to share their prompt and written answer with the group.

This can also be a great way to get the class discussing a lot of different viewpoints, and help them build understanding that people have different believes and traditions around the holiday season.

The Prompts:

  1. When was the most excited you’ve been for Christmas morning? Why was that?
  2. How do you feel when someone clearly loves what you gave them as a present?
  3. What is something which families can do to make Christmas extra special?
  4. Is the most expensive Christmas present always the best? Why is that?
  5. What is your favorite Christmas movie, and why?
  6. Do you think you should spend Christmas time with your family or your friends? Why is that?
  7. Why does it feel so special when someone gives you a gift that they somehow knew you’d love?
  8. Is Christmas a happy time for everybody? How can we help make sure that it is?
  9. Does getting a wonderful present make you feel grateful? Or do you just expect it? Why is that?
  10. It is common around the World for families to leave food and drink out for Santa Claus. Why is this?
  11. Some countries have a snowy winter Christmas, and others have a summer holiday Christmas. Which would you prefer?
  12. What was your favorite Christmas surprise you ever had? Why was that?
  13. If you ever have your own kids, what sort of presents would you want to give them? Why?
  14. Do any astronauts living on the space station celebrate Christmas? What would that look like?
  15. Do you ever do something special for your pets on Christmas? What do you do, and why?
  16. If you were Santa, how would you make Christmas extra special for kids around the World?
  17. What would you like most for Christmas? A new bike or a new video game? Why?
  18. What feeling do you associate with Christmas time? Why is that?
  19. When was your best Christmas from when you were younger? Why was that?
  20. What was a gift that you got for someone in your family that they absolutely loved?
  21. How do you countdown to Christmas? Does it make it feel extra exciting? How?
  22. If you had to pick out a Christmas tree, would you choose a freshly cut real tree or an ornate plastic tree? Why?
  23. What is your favorite food or drink that you have around Christmas time? Why?
  24. Why are most Christmas movies comedies?
  25. How can you help make Christmas extra special for those around you?

Have a very merry writing session!

We really hope you and your students enjoy our resources, and that we’ve helped inspire many a productive writing day as a result.

Please do keep letting us know how you’re making use of our writing prompts and other teaching resources – we love to hear from our community 🙂

Stay tuned for more prompts and other free printables (and as usual, if you have a particular type of tool or resource that you’d like us to make available here for you, just let us know!)

Thanks
– Matt & Hayley