The Christmas decoration that gets the longest look may be a piece of paper with a child's handprint on it. Somebody remembers the color they chose, somebody finds the name, and somebody turns it over to see the year. The little page has become part of the unpacking.
These Christmas handprint poems are written for that kind of family keepsake. The free printable has three separate pages: a handprint tree, a wreath greeting, and a mitten picture. Each combines a short original poem with open space for the child's work and a place to record a name and year.
I like keeping the craft simple enough that the child can recognize their own decisions in it. A green print can become a tree, but it can also remain a very good green hand. Drawing, tracing, or coloring are equally welcome ways to join in.
The first five poems are brief choices for crafts and notes. Two longer poems follow for an adult reading or an enclosure in a family gift. For children who would like a poem to perform rather than a keepsake to make, the separate Christmas poems for kids include spoken readings and simple participation ideas.
Free Christmas Handprint Keepsake Pages
Download the three page Christmas handprint keepsake PDF.
The US Letter pages have no printed sample handprint. Print just the page you need at actual size, or check your printer's fit preview for another paper size. There is a large open making area above the poem on each sheet.
- Tree: Turn a green handprint so the fingers point down. Add a drawn trunk and star after it dries. “My Handprint Tree” goes with this page.
- Wreath: Make a loose ring with small traced hand shapes or finger marks, or draw a wreath around one central handprint. Use “A Wreath of Welcome.”
- Mitten: Trace around a hand and draw a mitten outline around it, leaving the thumb separate from the fingers. Add patterns, then pair it with “The Mitten on the Page.”
Use materials labeled for the child's age and intended use, follow their instructions, and have an adult help. A child who prefers pencils can make the whole gift without paint. Let the work dry flat before folding or hanging it.
The download is free for personal, family, and classroom gifts. Please retain the author credit. Each child can have their own sheet, which also avoids needing to fit several handprints into one space.
Short Poems for Christmas Crafts
| Poem | Best beside | Length |
|---|---|---|
| My Handprint Tree | A handprint Christmas tree | 3 lines |
| A Wreath of Welcome | A wreath picture | 4 lines |
| The Mitten on the Page | A traced mitten | 8 lines |
| The Tinsel Inspector | A cheerful handmade card | 5 lines |
| The Year Beneath the Print | A dated keepsake | 4 lines |
My Handprint Tree
The fingers pointing down give this tree a shape no shop could repeat. I like the small star waiting above it, ready for whatever the child decides to make. The three lines are short enough to leave plenty of room for the actual print.
Green fingers reach down.
A small star waits at the top.
My tree holds this year.
A Wreath of Welcome
The open middle is what interests me in a wreath. It can suggest room for someone rather than a circle closed against them. This little greeting belongs beside a child's green marks, whether they form a tidy ring or something more adventurous.
Around this open middle,
I made a ring of green.
There is room for you at Christmas
In every space between.
The Mitten on the Page
A paper mitten has a different job from the one worn outdoors. I enjoy letting the child notice that difference and then give the picture a purpose of its own. This verse can accompany a traced hand with a mitten outline drawn around it.
I traced a mitten round my hand
And drew a cuff below.
I filled it up with Christmas dots
And little flakes of snow.It cannot keep a finger warm
Or catch a falling flake.
It holds instead a Christmas wish
I took the time to make.
The Tinsel Inspector
The inspector in this poem has very firm standards until the crooked sparkle becomes his own idea. That small change of mind makes me smile. It is a playful card verse for a child who enjoys giving the decorations their final approval.
Our tinsel inspector said, Wait!
These sparkles are crooked, not straight.
He tipped them askew,
Said, This look will do,
And approved his own work as first rate.
The Year Beneath the Print
The date is easy to forget while everybody is looking for a place to dry the page. I like giving that little pencil note some attention of its own. An adult can write these lines on the back as a quiet companion to the child's work.
Write down the year beneath the painted shape,
Then let the page lie flat beside the door.
A little green has brightened up the sheet
And made a place for someone to feel loved.
Two Longer Poems for the Keepsake Box
The next two poems are fourteen line sonnets for adults to read or place in a separate note. They are not intended as short child recitations.
When We Unpack December
The soft edge of an old decoration can tell its own story. I like the contrast between the plain pencil date and the whole day it brings back to mind. This poem suits the person who keeps the family's paper treasures and knows why they belong in the box.
We lift the paper from the Christmas box.
Its folded edge has softened into white.
Outside, the frost has silvered all the rocks,
While one small handprint opens in the light.The paint has kept a little of its green.
We read the name, and then we read the year.
I cannot save each thing my eyes have seen,
But this small page can bring a moment near.We hang it by a branch upon the tree
And let the winter evening drift away.
It calls no perfect Christmas back to me,
Just time we took to make a gift that day.The things that keep a season may be small,
A painted hand can hold a place for all.
The Marks We Make Together
There is room in this imagined afternoon for spills and decisions that change. I wanted the grown person's help to feel patient rather than corrective. The poem celebrates the making itself, even if the finished page never becomes an ornament.
You chose the green; I moved the cup of red.
The paper waited flat upon the floor.
We tried a different way from what I said,
And found a shape we had not seen before.Your thumb left one small island on the sheet.
A drop of paint went sailing past the tray.
We took the time to move our stockinged feet
And let the little accident give way.No judge came in to measure every line,
No prize was hung above the kitchen chair.
The part that mattered was not yours or mine,
But having found a little time to share.If Christmas leaves one thing for us to keep,
Let kindness be the color running deep.
Keep the Making in the Memory
A small note on the back can save something the picture cannot show. Write down the color the child asked for or the name they gave their tree. Their own words may become the detail everybody enjoys reading later.
There is no need to complete all three pages in one afternoon. One print, one poem, and a name can be a finished gift. If the child wants to stop after tracing a mitten, let that be enough.
For a greeting to go with a present, the short Christmas poems offer more card choices. I hope these pages leave you with a keepsake that looks like the person who made it, along with a little time together worth remembering.
Send a little poetry to someone you love.
