Seasonal printables

Christmas Word Searches for Adults

Ready whenever you are — these print the same in September as they do in December.

🖨️ Print or save as PDF

  1. 1 A Visit from St. Nicholas 8 words · 12×12 grid
  2. 2 In Memoriam A.H.H. 8 words · 12×12 grid
  3. 3 A Christmas Carol 8 words · 12×12 grid

Free to print, as many copies as you like, for a class, a party, a care home or a kitchen table. In the print dialogue choose Save as PDF if you want to keep the file. The answer key always prints with the sheets.

🎄 CHRISTMAS WORD SEARCHPuzzle 1

🎯 Find every hidden word, then fill the blanks in the quote.

8 words · 12×12 grid · across, down, diagonal — and some run backwards

The quote

'Twas the _____ before Christmas, when all through the _____ Not a ________ was ________, not even a _____: The _________ were hung by the _______ with care, In _____ that St. Nicholas soon would be there.

— Clement C. Moore, A Visit from St. Nicholas (1823)

Words to find

  • NIGHT
  • HOUSE
  • CREATURE
  • STIRRING
  • MOUSE
  • STOCKINGS
  • CHIMNEY
  • HOPES
bossfeed.fun/seasonal/christmas-word-search-for-adultsChristmas
🎄 CHRISTMAS WORD SEARCHPuzzle 2

🎯 Find every hidden word, then fill the blanks in the quote.

8 words · 12×12 grid · across, down, diagonal — and some run backwards

The quote

The time _____ near the _____ of Christ: The ____ is hid; the _____ is _____; The Christmas _____ from hill to hill ______ each other in the ____.

— Alfred Tennyson, In Memoriam A.H.H. (1849)

Words to find

  • DRAWS
  • BIRTH
  • MOON
  • NIGHT
  • STILL
  • BELLS
  • ANSWER
  • MIST
bossfeed.fun/seasonal/christmas-word-search-for-adultsChristmas
🎄 CHRISTMAS WORD SEARCHPuzzle 3

🎯 Find every hidden word, then fill the blanks in the quote.

8 words · 12×12 grid · across, down, diagonal — and some run backwards

The quote

I will ______ Christmas in my _____, and try to keep it all the ____. I will live in the ____, the _______, and the ______. The _______ of all Three shall ______ within me.

— Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol (1843)

Words to find

  • HONOUR
  • HEART
  • YEAR
  • PAST
  • PRESENT
  • FUTURE
  • SPIRITS
  • STRIVE
bossfeed.fun/seasonal/christmas-word-search-for-adultsChristmas
🔑 ANSWERS — CHRISTMASAnswer key

Hidden so you cannot spoil it by scrolling. Printing always includes the answers.

Puzzle 1 — A Visit from St. Nicholas

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse: The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.

— Clement C. Moore, A Visit from St. Nicholas (1823)

Puzzle 2 — In Memoriam A.H.H.

The time draws near the birth of Christ: The moon is hid; the night is still; The Christmas bells from hill to hill Answer each other in the mist.

— Alfred Tennyson, In Memoriam A.H.H. (1849)

Puzzle 3 — A Christmas Carol

I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me.

— Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol (1843)

bossfeed.fun/seasonal/christmas-word-search-for-adultsAnswer key

▶ Or play them here, no printer needed

The same 3 puzzles, playable in your browser. Drag across a word to mark it.

🎄 Christmas word search · 1

Find the 8 missing words

A Visit from St. Nicholas Find 8 words · 12×12
🎄 Christmas word search · 2

Find the 8 missing words

In Memoriam A.H.H. Find 8 words · 12×12
🎄 Christmas word search · 3

Find the 8 missing words

A Christmas Carol Find 8 words · 12×12

Most Christmas word searches are made for children: eight short words in a ten-by-ten grid, all of them left to right. These are not those. Every grid here is twelve by twelve, the words run backwards and diagonally as well as across and down, and the words you find are the missing lines of a real Christmas poem — Clement Moore, Tennyson, Dickens — so finishing one leaves you with something worth having read.

How it works

  1. Pick a puzzle below. Print it, or press Play to solve it on screen.
  2. Find every hidden word: across, down, diagonal, and some written backwards.
  3. Each word you find is a blank in the quote underneath.
  4. Fill the last blank and the whole passage reads back to you.

Common questions

What makes a word search 'for adults' rather than for children?

Three things, and grid size is only the first. The grids here are twelve by twelve rather than the usual ten, which leaves far more filler between the answers. The words run in all eight directions including backwards, where a children's puzzle usually runs left to right and down only. And the word list is not a list of decorations — the words are the missing words of a Christmas poem, so you can work backwards from the passage as well as forwards from the grid.

Are these really free, and is there a catch?

Free, and no. There is no account, no email wall, no download manager and no watermark. You can print any sheet on this page or solve it in the browser on a phone, tablet or desktop. Signing in to the wider site is optional and has nothing to do with these puzzles.

Where do the quotes come from — are they safe to reprint?

They are all public domain, and we record exactly why for each one rather than just asserting it. The Christmas passages here come from Clement Moore's 'A Visit from St. Nicholas' (1823), Tennyson's 'In Memoriam A.H.H.' (1849) and Dickens's 'A Christmas Carol' (1843), by way of a 1922 quotation compilation. Author, work, year and source page are recorded for every line in the puzzle data.

Can I print these for a class, a care home or a party?

Yes. Print as many copies as you like for a group of any size — a classroom, a care home activity hour, an office party, a family table. The answer key prints with the sheet, so whoever is running the room has it to hand.

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