Christmas Templates: Cards, Invites, Kris Kringle and Photo (2026)

[HERO: Overhead flatlay of an Australian Christmas stationery suite – flat foil Christmas cards in gold and cream, printed Kris Kringle gift tags, and a Christmas party invitation fanned out on a warm linen background with sprigs of eucalyptus]

Christmas in Australia means Kris Kringle draws, end-of-year parties in the summer heat, and photo cards on the fridge through January. This guide covers every template type on the December calendar – from anonymous Kris Kringle messages to personalised flat foil photo cards – with wording examples and style breakdowns you can use right now.

The Christmas templates we cover

Paperlust’s Christmas card and stationery collection covers every occasion on the December calendar. Here is a quick map of what this guide addresses:

Kris Kringle templates and messages

Kris Kringle – Australia’s Secret Santa – has its own etiquette, and the card or gift tag is where that anonymous charm lands. Whether you’re writing for an office draw with a $30 limit or a close-knit family exchange, these templates cover every scenario from short-and-sweet to heartfelt.

Short Kris Kringle messages

When you’re not sure what to say, a warm, brief note always works well. These short messages suit a flat card, a folded gift tag, or a printed sticker:

Funny Kris Kringle messages for the office

An office Kris Kringle is the perfect excuse for a bit of light-hearted workplace humour. These messages keep it professional while still raising a smile – safe for any team culture:

Sentimental Kris Kringle card messages

For a family exchange or a close-knit team where you’d like to say something more meaningful:

Anonymous Kris Kringle messages

Part of the fun is keeping the secret. These messages add to the mystery while staying warm and genuine:

Professional Kris Kringle messages for coworkers

If you’re in a large office draw and don’t know the recipient personally, these messages strike a warm yet professional note:

Kris Kringle gift tag wording

A printed gift tag is a quick, polished finishing touch that makes any wrapped present look intentional. Keep the wording short:

Kris Kringle invitation wording templates

If you’re organising the draw, your invitation needs to cover the essentials clearly: date, time, venue, spend limit, and how names are handled. Here are three templates to adapt:

Casual family or friends gather:

Office or team draw:

Kids’ Kris Kringle party:

For more on what to write across every type of Christmas card – not just Kris Kringle – see our complete Christmas greetings guide with over 100 wording examples.

[IMAGE: Styled vignette of a Kris Kringle gift exchange – several wrapped presents tied with ribbon, printed personalised gift tags in gold ink, and a small Christmas card propped against a gift on a warm timber surface]

Christmas card templates by style

Once you know the occasion, narrowing down by visual style is the next step. Paperlust’s designers cover the full range – from pared-back modern typography to richly illustrated native botanicals.

Modern minimalist

Clean type, generous white space, and a single considered graphic element. These designs suit people who want something tasteful and enduring rather than traditionally festive. Think a single-colour dark card with a restrained foil line, or a crisp matte finish with an elegant serif headline.

Photo-led Christmas cards

Families, couples, and pet owners reach for this style every year. Upload your photo and choose a layout – portrait, landscape, or multi-image collage. The standout option unique to Paperlust is adding custom flat foil text directly over your image: a gold “Merry Christmas from the [Family name]” in mirror-bright metallic, printed onto the photograph itself. See the full range in the photo Christmas cards collection.

Illustrative and botanical

Hand-drawn native Australian flowers, summer botanicals, and painterly wildlife illustrations make this a uniquely Australian take on Christmas stationery. Works beautifully on premium matte stock and pairs well with gold metallic print for a warm, earthy feel that references the actual season you’re in.

Traditional foil on dark stock

Deep green, navy, or black card with flat foil text in gold, silver, or rose gold. The classic Christmas colour palette with a premium, tactile finish. Flat foil is available in a wide range of metallic colours including pale gold, copper, holographic, and hot pink for something less conventional.

Vintage typography

Retro serif fonts, kraft paper, and a warm two-colour palette. These designs have the feel of artisan stationery without a premium price tag – printed on kraft or linen stock for natural texture and character.

Use the comparison table below to weigh up the key differences at a glance:

Christmas invitation and party templates

The invitation sets the tone before anyone arrives. These wording templates cover the most common Christmas party occasions in Australia – adapt them to any design you find in the collection.

[IMAGE: Flat-lay of three different Christmas party invitation styles – a formal gold flat foil work Christmas party invite on dark navy card, a bright illustrative kids Christmas party card, and a casual neighbourhood gathering invite in red and white on matte stock]

Family Christmas lunch

Work Christmas party

Kids’ Christmas party

Neighbourhood Christmas gathering

For guidance on when to send invitations and general Christmas card etiquette, see our Christmas card etiquette guide.

Holiday stationery beyond Christmas cards

Cards are the centrepiece, but a complete festive stationery suite makes every part of December more considered – from the gift under the tree to the table setting on Christmas Day.

Gift tags

Printed gift tags in flat foil or digital print add a layer of polish that bought-in tags simply can’t match. Customise with the recipient’s name, a short message, or your family name across a matching set. They pair naturally with any Paperlust Christmas card design.

Place cards

Printed place cards give a formal Christmas table an instant upgrade. Choose from clean flat designs on premium matte stock or foil-accented cards in gold or copper. Available in the same design families as the card range so everything coordinates.

Table numbers and menu cards

If you’re hosting a Christmas dinner with multiple tables, custom table numbers and printed menus show a level of care your guests will notice and remember. Match them to your invitation design for a fully coordinated suite. Paperlust’s Christmas collection includes designs that span cards, menus, and place cards in the same visual family.

Christmas hang tags and gift enclosure cards

Printed hang tags and small enclosure cards make thoughtful finishing touches for business gifts, hamper packaging, or boutique retail. Fully customisable with your business name, logo, or a seasonal greeting – and available in the same print options as the full card range.

How to customise our Christmas templates

[IMAGE: Over-shoulder view of someone customising a photo Christmas card on a laptop, showing an online design tool with a flat foil gold text overlay option selected over a family photograph]

Customising a Paperlust template is designed to be fast and flexible. Here is how the process works from start to finish.

1. Choose your design. Browse by style, format (card, invitation, tag), or print method. Filter by occasion or scroll the curated collections for seasonal picks.
2. Upload your photo. For photo cards, upload a high-resolution image directly in the design tool. Paperlust’s designers can adjust brightness, contrast, and cropping during the proof stage if needed.
3. Personalise the text. Change the headline, body copy, names, date, and any other editable field. All edits are made in the live preview tool – what you see is very close to what prints.
4. Add custom flat foil text over your photo. This is the feature that sets Paperlust photo Christmas cards apart. Select a flat foil print method and choose your metallic colour – gold, rose gold, silver, copper, and more. A text element (your family name, a seasonal greeting, or a short message) is then printed in mirror-bright foil directly over your photograph. Your designer confirms placement and legibility at the proof stage.
5. Choose your paper stock. Digital print: matte, linen, metallic, or kraft. Flat foil: matte, premium, or colour stock. Metallic: matte, linen, or premium. If you are unsure, the $5 sample pack includes seven designs across different print methods so you can feel the stocks before committing.
6. Receive your designer proof. A dedicated designer reviews your order and sends a print-ready proof within 1-2 business days. Two rounds of revisions are included at no extra cost.
7. Confirm and dispatch. Approve your proof and your cards print and dispatch. All Australian orders include free overnight Startrack delivery.

For corporate Christmas orders – bulk quantities, logo placement, or branded gift tags – see the business Christmas cards collection for B2B options and volume guidance.

How to choose a Christmas template

With hundreds of designs available, a few quick criteria narrow the field. Work through these three in order and you will have a short list in minutes.

1. Match the occasion

Different moments call for different templates. A photo card is personal and warm – right for family and close friends who look forward to the annual update. A flat foil card on dark stock reads as premium and suits anyone you want to impress – clients, mentors, key suppliers. A simple digital card in seasonal colours is the smart choice for large-volume sends (school groups, broad acquaintance lists) where the message matters more than the finish. Kris Kringle cards and gift tags sit in their own category – keep them brief, cheerful, and aligned to the spend level of the exchange.

2. Choose your print method

The three print methods available for Christmas stationery at Paperlust are:

• Digital print – Full colour, most affordable, fastest turnaround. Works on matte, linen, metallic, and kraft stock. Right when you want maximum design flexibility across a larger quantity.
• Flat foil – Mirror-bright metallic foil in a wide range of colours applied without a custom die – faster and more accessible than traditional foil methods. No minimum order on most stocks. Use this when you want genuine metallic impact – or when you want custom foil text laid directly over a family photo.
• Metallic – A warm gold pigment delivered via a fifth imaging station, giving a subtle sheen without the full mirror-brightness of foil. The most affordable way to get a premium-looking finish. Works on matte, linen, and premium stocks.

3. Add personalisation

Every Paperlust template is fully editable. Beyond swapping text and colours, the options worth knowing about are: custom flat foil text over a family photo (on flat foil photo card designs); recipient name printing across a whole batch; and the Address Manager tool for bulk-addressing envelopes from an imported spreadsheet – handy for large Christmas card lists. For truly one-of-a-kind work, Paperlust’s design service can build something from scratch via a custom quote.

Frequently asked questions

What should I write in a Kris Kringle card?

Keep it short and warm – one or two sentences is plenty for any Kris Kringle card. A line acknowledging the anonymous nature of the exchange adds a nice touch: “From your mystery Kris Kringle – hope you love it!” For coworkers you don’t know well, add a professional note like “It’s been a great year working alongside you.” If you know the person well, make it personal. If you don’t, keep it universally warm and cheerful. The full set of wording templates in the Kris Kringle section above covers every scenario from funny to sentimental.

How do you write a funny Kris Kringle message for a coworker?

Stick to gentle, self-deprecating humour rather than anything topical or personal. Lines about the difficulty of gift selection – “I agonised over this for weeks, the receipt is inside just in case” – or the secrecy of the draw work well across most office cultures. Avoid anything too personal or that references workplace dynamics. The safest funny Kris Kringle message is one that almost anyone on the team could receive and enjoy.

What is the etiquette for an anonymous Kris Kringle gift?

Follow the agreed spend limit exactly – going significantly over can create awkwardness for others in the group. Wrap the gift thoughtfully and include a card or tag with “From your Kris Kringle” rather than your name. If the exchange involves a group reveal, hold the secret until the designated moment. For office draws, check with the organiser whether everyone reveals at once or whether some participants prefer to stay anonymous.

Are Paperlust Christmas templates fully customisable?

Yes. Every design is editable via the online design tool – you can change wording, fonts, colours, and layout within each template’s parameters. Photo card designs accept your own high-resolution image upload. Flat foil designs let you choose from a wide range of metallic colours. If you need options beyond the standard tool (brand colour matching, bespoke formats, bulk personalisation across a large order), the Paperlust design team can assist via a custom request.

Can I use a Christmas card template for a corporate Christmas party invitation?

Yes – many designs in the collection are formatted as invitations or can be adapted with invitation wording covering date, venue, dress code, and RSVP details. For corporate events, flat foil on a dark stock is a strong choice: it reads as premium and business-appropriate without being stuffy. Logo placement is available on most designs. See the business Christmas cards collection for options specifically tailored to workplace occasions.

What is the cheapest way to print Christmas cards using a template?

Digital print on matte stock is the most affordable option and still delivers a high-quality result. Ordering in larger quantities reduces the per-card cost significantly. If you want a premium finish on a tighter budget, metallic print costs only a little more than straight digital and delivers a warm gold sheen that reads as intentional and considered without the full price of flat foil.

How do I add my own foil text over a photo on a Christmas card template?

Select a photo Christmas card design in the flat foil category. Upload your photo using the design tool, then add a text element – your family name, a greeting, or a short message. Choose flat foil as your print method and pick your preferred metallic colour (gold, rose gold, silver, copper, and more are available). In the proof stage, your designer will confirm that the foil text is reading clearly against your image and will advise on any adjustments before the card goes to print.

When should I order Christmas templates to arrive before Christmas in Australia?

Allow 1-2 business days for your designer proof plus production and dispatch time. All Australian orders ship with free overnight Startrack once dispatched. For safe delivery, aim to approve your proof by the first week of December for metropolitan addresses, and by late November if you are sending to rural or remote locations. Factor in time to address, sign, and post once your cards arrive – Australia Post recommends having Christmas mail in the post by mid-December for standard domestic delivery.