In a world of texts, emails, and social media, there’s something special about receiving real mail, especially during the holidays! Decorating Christmas card envelopes is a fun, easy way to get kids involved in sending holiday greetings and add a little extra magic to the mailbox.

With a few simple supplies and some creativity, your kids can turn ordinary envelopes into festive little works of art. Here’s how to get started!

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Supplies You’ll Need

• Blank envelopes sized to fit 5 x 7-inch Christmas cards
• Markers, crayons, or colored pencils
• A ruler and pencil for outlining the address areas
• Christmas cards to mail

How to Decorate Christmas Card Envelopes With Kids

Step 1: Prepare the Envelopes

Before handing the envelopes over to your little artists, use a ruler and pencil to draw a rectangle where the recipient’s name and mailing address will go. Draw another smaller rectangle in the upper-left corner for your return address.

These outlines create simple borders so kids know which areas to leave clear. They can decorate around the rectangles to create a fun, festive frame!

One important tip: Decorate the envelopes before putting the Christmas cards inside. If your kids use markers that bleed through the paper, you don’t want the ink ruining the cards. Wait until the artwork is completely dry before stuffing the envelopes.

Step 2: Let the Kids Get Creative!

Now it’s time for the fun part! Have your kids draw Christmas trees, snowflakes, candy canes, reindeer, or any other holiday designs they can imagine. They can add colorful borders, festive doodles, and little details to make every envelope unique.

Encourage them to decorate around the outlined address areas while leaving enough room for the mailing information and postage. There’s no right or wrong way to do it—let their creativity shine!

Step 3: Address, Stuff, and Mail

Once the decorations are completely dry, fill the envelopes with your Christmas cards and write in the recipient’s address and your return address. Add the appropriate postage, make sure everything is easy to read, and your festive mail is ready to go!

Tips for Decorating Christmas Card Envelopes With Kids

Keep the Address Areas Clear

Drawing rectangles around the recipient’s address and return address gives kids a visual boundary to work around. I also love how they can decorate around these spaces, turning them into little frames that make the addresses stand out.

Remember to leave the postage area in the upper-right corner clear, too, so your envelopes are ready for mailing.

Don’t Feel Like You Have to Decorate Every Envelope in One Sitting

If your kids are anything like mine, they might only want to decorate four or five envelopes at a time. And that’s totally okay! We actually turn this into a Christmas craft activity that we work on over several days or even weeks.

I’ll let the kids decorate as many envelopes as they feel like doing that day, whether that’s three, four, or five, and then we’ll put everything away and pick it back up another day.

I’ve found that breaking it up this way keeps the activity fun instead of making it feel like work. The kids stay interested and often come up with even more creative designs when we return to the project with fresh eyes. There’s no need to rush—enjoy the process and let your little artists work at their own pace!

Making Christmas Mail Extra Special

One of my favorite things about this tradition is watching the kids get excited about who will receive each envelope. They’ll know a card is going to Grandma or another special loved one, and it makes decorating feel even more meaningful when they realize they’re creating something just for that person.

Every year, our family members share how much they love seeing the kids’ drawings on their Christmas cards. It’s such a simple, personal touch that makes our holiday greetings feel even more special. And when we drop our decorated envelopes off at the post office, the postal workers often smile and comment on the kids’ artwork, too!

There’s something so sweet about sending a little piece of childhood creativity through the mail. In the middle of the busy holiday season, this simple activity reminds us to slow down, make memories together, and share a little childlike Christmas wonder with the people we love.

It’s become one of those small traditions that makes the holidays feel extra magical, and I love knowing that our kids’ artwork brings a little extra joy to everyone who receives it.

Want More Holiday Magic?

Looking for more ways to make the Christmas season special with your family? Check out these festive ideas to create memories and start new traditions together!