Start with the lightest color in an area—like pale yellow on a star or pale pink on a cheek—then build up to darker shades. This works for holiday pages because most have large, bold areas like Santa’s coat or a tree’s skirt, and light-to-dark layering keeps those areas smooth instead of streaky. If you go straight to a dark red or green, you’ll fight the paper’s tooth and end up with white specks. So, grab your lightest pencil or marker, and lay down that base first.

Pick colors that feel festive, not just any brights

Holiday pages live on a specific palette. Red, green, gold, silver, white, and deep blue are the anchors. Use a true red (like crimson or cherry) for Santa’s suit, holly berries, and Rudolph’s nose. For the tree, go with a rich evergreen (like pine or forest green) rather than a neon green—it reads more celebratory. Gold works for bells, stars, and ornaments, while silver suits icicles and tinsel. White is your friend for snow, fur trim, and highlights.

Avoid muddying the palette with too many browns or grays unless the page is a character like a reindeer or a gingerbread man. For those, a warm brown (like cocoa) is fine. If a page has a blue background, like a night sky, use a soft navy or periwinkle instead of black—black can flatten the scene. For a lively twist, add a pop of unexpected color, like a teal ornament among red ones, but keep the core festive.

Choose the right tools for the job

Your tool changes the outcome. Crayons are great for young kids because they’re forgiving and cover large areas quickly, but they can leave waxy streaks. Colored pencils give you precision and control, perfect for small details like Santa’s beard or a stocking’s pattern. Markers—especially fine-tip ones—make colors pop and are ideal for bold, flat areas, but they can bleed if the paper is thin. For holiday pages, a combination works best: use markers for big shapes, then layer colored pencils over them for shading and texture. If you’re using crayons, press lightly and go over twice for even coverage. For pencils, keep them sharp—dull tips ruin fine lines like the stripes on a candy cane. If you’re unsure which medium to pick, read up on how to choose between colored pencils, markers, or crayons before you start.

Get the small details right

Details make a holiday page feel finished. Pay attention to these:

  • Santa’s beard and fur trim: Don’t color the whole beard white. Leave a few areas uncolored (or use a light gray pencil) to show shadow. Add tiny strokes for individual hair strands.
  • Ornaments and lights: Leave a small white dot on each ornament or light bulb to suggest a shine. It’s a tiny touch that makes them look glossy.
  • Candy canes: Alternate red and white stripes. Keep the white stripe uncolored or use a very light gray for shadow. Don’t outline the stripes with black—use a thin red line instead.
  • Snow and snowmen: Use a light blue or lavender on the bottom edge of snow mounds and on the snowman’s shadowed side. Pure white alone looks flat.
  • Trees: Add a few darker green patches on the underside of each branch. This creates depth without needing full shading.
  • Garlands and wreaths: Use two or three greens (light, mid, dark) to give the leaves a layered look. Add red berries as dots between the greens.

For more depth, check out how to shade coloring pages for more depth and how to blend colored pencils.

Step-by-step: Color a Santa page

Take a Santa coloring page and follow these steps. This works for any Santa scene, from a portrait to a full-body shot.

Step 1: Base coat the big shapes

Start with the largest areas: Santa’s coat, hat, and pants. Use a red marker or a heavy red pencil. Color in one direction—left to right or up and down—to avoid streaks. Leave the white fur trim, the belt, and the boots uncolored for now. Press lightly if using pencils; you’ll layer later.

Step 2: Add the fur and beard

For the fur trim and beard, use a white pencil or crayon. Don’t press hard. Instead, use a light touch and go over the area twice. Then, take a light gray pencil and shade the bottom edge of the beard and the underside of the fur trim. This gives them roundness. If you want, add a few tiny gray or blue strokes for hair texture.

Step 3: Shade the red

With a darker red pencil (like crimson), shade the sides of Santa’s coat, under the arms, and where the hat meets the head. Blend with a light red or your finger (if using pencil). For markers, use a slightly darker red to add shadows on the same spots, then blend with the base color while still wet.

Step 4: Details on the face and belt

Color Santa’s face a light peach or flesh tone. Leave a tiny white dot for the eye shine. For the cheeks and nose, add a soft pink circle. Color the belt black or dark brown, and the buckle gold or yellow. Use a fine-tip black marker for the buckle’s outline if the page has one.

Step 5: Finish with boots and background

Color the boots black or dark brown, leaving a small white highlight on the toe. Then, add a background—a soft blue sky, snow on the ground, or a few stars. Use a light blue for the sky, and leave the stars white with a yellow center. If the page has a border, color it a complementary color like a deep red or green.

Which pages to start with

Begin with simpler pages to build confidence, then move to more complex ones. For a quick win, try a Christmas Wreath Coloring Page—it’s mostly leaves and berries, so you can practice layering greens without worrying about anatomy. A Christmas Light Bulb Coloring Page is also easy: just alternate colors and add a white shine. For characters, start with Hello Kitty Christmas Coloring Pages or Peppa Pig Christmas Coloring Pages because they have large, simple shapes. If you want a challenge, Mario Christmas Coloring Pages or Sonic Christmas Coloring Pages have more details like gloves and shoes, so save those for later. For a playful option, Bobbie Goods Christmas Coloring Pages feature cute, simple designs that are forgiving. And if you’re feeling festive, Ugly Christmas Sweater Coloring Pages let you go wild with patterns—no wrong answers there.

The most common mistake: Coloring over the lines

You might think the biggest mistake is using the wrong color, but it’s actually coloring outside the lines. On a holiday page, lines define shapes—Santa’s beard, the tree’s branches, the stocking’s heel. When you color over them, the page looks messy, and the magic fades. The fix is simple: slow down near edges. Use a sharp pencil or a fine-tip marker to outline the shape first, then fill in. If you do slip, don’t panic. Use a white gel pen or a thin white marker to clean up the edge. Or, if you’re using markers, let the ink dry and then carefully scrape off the excess with a craft knife (adults only). But the best cure is prevention: keep your hand steady and your strokes short. Once you master that, your holiday pages will look so polished, people will think they’re printed.

For more seasonal inspiration, explore the full Christmas coloring pages collection, or branch out to other holidays with how to color Easter pages well and how to color Halloween pages well.