Christmas Scrapbook Layout Ideas for Your December Album

December brings more photos than any other month, and a Christmas scrapbook is the place to keep them. This guide has eight Christmas scrapbook layout ideas, from a single-photo page to a full December Daily album, with notes on which printable papers to use for backgrounds, mats and journaling cards.

Plan the album first

Pick one pack as the base of the whole album so every page feels related, then add a second pack for contrast. A 20-paper pack gives you bold prints for backgrounds, quieter patterns for photo mats, and plaids or stripes for borders. Decide your size before you print:

• 12 x 12: the traditional scrapbook page. Print the 12 x 12 JPG at a print shop, or see how to print 12×12 scrapbook paper.
• 8.5 x 11 or A4: print at home from the Letter or A4 PDF and use a binder or post-bound album.
• 6 x 6: small and fast, ideal for December Daily. Use the 6 x 6 mini PDF. Our mini album guide walks through it.

Not sure which suits you? Scrapbook paper sizes explained compares all four.

1. One big photo, one bold paper

A single photo of the tree or the family on Christmas morning, matted on a plain color and set on a bold hero print. Add a title and the date. It is the fastest page in the album and often the most striking.

2. The grid page

Nine or twelve small photos in a neat grid, each matted on a different paper from the same pack. This works for cookie baking, wrapping gifts or a day out at a Christmas market. Keep gaps equal so the patterns read as a patchwork.

3. Christmas morning in sequence

Three or four photos in a row across the page, telling the morning in order: stockings, gifts, breakfast, the mess afterwards. A plaid or stripe running along the bottom ties the row together.

4. The card and letter page

Add pockets made from printed paper to hold the Christmas cards you received, a letter to Santa or a child’s wish list. Pocket and envelope folds are in our tags and envelopes guide.

5. Journaling-first page

Some years the story matters more than the photos. Cut a large journaling card from a quiet pattern, write about the year, and add one photo. Print on matte paper so pens do not smudge.

6. December Daily

One page for each day from December 1 to 25: a photo, a line of journaling and a pattern. A 6 x 6 album keeps it achievable. Many people prep all 25 backgrounds in November, then add photos each evening.

7. The recipe and kitchen page

A family recipe card next to photos of the baking, with flour on the counter and children in aprons. Kitchen and gingerbread patterns suit this page; see also our DIY recipe binder guide.

8. Winter after Christmas

Close the album with snow days, New Year’s Eve and January walks on winter patterns that are not specifically Christmas. Nordic and Fair Isle prints carry the album into the new year, see winter and Nordic paper craft ideas.

Packs for a Christmas album

• Vintage family album: Vintage Yuletide Cheer, Vintage Holiday Bell or Peaceful Noel Post.
• Warm and cozy: Merry Cocoa Manor, Frosted Candleglow or Velvet Carol Lane.
• Folk style: Yuletide Folk Village or Gingerbread Cottage.
• Winter close: Snowy Hygge Knits or Nordic Winter.

Layout basics that always help

Use one bold pattern per page and let the rest be quieter. Mat photos on solid or small-scale papers so faces stand out. Repeat one paper on facing pages to link a two-page spread. For more general layout rules, read scrapbook layout ideas for beginners.

Every Christmas pack is in the Christmas Digital Paper Collection with one license, or browse Christmas digital paper pack by pack. Projects for cards, tags and wrap are in Christmas digital paper ideas.

Newest Christmas packs