Are you ready to sleigh Christmas? It’s coming up to that time of year where every part of your existence is consumed by wrapping paper, baubles, or stocking stuffers (or all three!). To make your life a little easier we’ve put together a complete list of free Christmas images and Christmas backgrounds that you can use any way you like – DIY cards with your favorite Christmas photos, Christmas background images that you can download and use as wallpaper, or even Christmas pictures that you can send in a cheerful text to let your loved ones know you’re thinking of them while apart.
So grab a hot chocolate or mulled wine, turn up “All I Want for Christmas” (because we know that’s been on repeat), and settle into your coziest chair. We’re bringing you some warmth, cheer (and a few cheesy puns) with our favorite Christmas background images and photos that you can download now in PicsArt on desktop and in-app!
Santa Clause Is Coming To Town
Just in case you needed that little nudge, below is a collection of magical Christmas photos to help get you into the holiday spirit. Spread the festive cheer and send it to your friends or set up as your phone and desktop wallpaper background.
- Sleigh my name, sleigh my name. The perfect image to get you in the Christmas mood. Download now or create your own by adding our Sleigh stickers to any image.
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2. Because reindeers can be fancy too. Using our Brush tool, add a neon effect to your Christmas photos.
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- Upload this as your phone Christmas wallpaper so you can easily escape to a snowy Christmas forest at a moment’s notice.
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- Santa with a touch of humor – a winning combination for your desktop Christmas background image.
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- Christmas but make it a mood with this celestial edit.
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- All signs are pointing this way to a snowy Christmas in New York City.
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What’s Christmas Without a Tree?
In the rare chance that your tree isn’t up, here are some inspirational images that will make any Christmas tree Instagram worthy. Get inspired by these before decorating your own tree or take your tree with you everywhere by adding them as your phone’s Christmas background.
- It’s a very California Christmas. Make your tree stand out when placed next to warmer weather palm trees.
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- The perfect tree doesn’t exis…
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- For all of you celebrating Christmas in the sun, get inspired by this larger than life magical tree,
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10. No room for a big tree? No problem. Use this small, hand-y sized tree to add a little yuletide cheer to your desktop.
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ICYMI, It’s December.
If you’re counting down the sleeps until you wake up on Christmas morning, then these Christmas countdown images are for you! Make the calendars your Christmas background wallpaper, so you’ll be able to count down the days in festive style.
Not finding the right calendar for you? You can easily make your own custom Christmas calendar image in the PicsArt editor by picking your favorite background and adding a calendar sticker on it. Simply search for “December calendar” or “December 2020” in the Stickers tool (on the left panel in the desktop editor or in the bottom toolbar in-app). Top it off with snowflake brushes, COZY or ICY filters, snow masks, Christmas fonts, and holiday stickers to make it really shine!
- Send a little reminder to your forgetful friend that Christmas is around the corner
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12. Circle the most important dates in December. Upload this image to PicsArt and use our drawing tool to remind you of what’s coming up. You can also overlay circular stickers (we like to add more cheer with Christmas wreaths) or lights brushes to really draw attention to the big day.
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- Upload this Christmas calendar image to Instagram Stories and add their Countdown Sticker feature to share the joy with your friends.
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- This is giving us all the cozy feels! Add it to your desktop and curl up with a cup of cocoa while you count down the days and close out your work tasks for the year.
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Look Out for Santa Paws
Because nothing brings more joy than pets and Christmas combined. If you have a pooch, download these free Christmas photos as inspiration to create your own festive edit with your pet. It’s not too late to turn them into a virtual greeting card to spread joy by sending to your friends, coworkers, and customers!
- Does it get any cuter than this? Add some fake snow and Christmas presents with our holiday sticker packs to make it complete!
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- All this guy needs now is a little pair of reindeer antlers (which you can easily add in with these reindeer stickers)
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- Remix this image with your number one pooch! You can even turn yourself into a Christmas elf sticker and add yourself in.
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- Santa’s favorite little helper. Top off this free Christmas background when you remix it with our Merry Christmas Stickers.
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- A Christmas beard with all the trimmings. Take it up a notch before adding to your phone background with this easy snow globe Replay.
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Send a Merry Message
In the years that look a little different, we want to create and share as much joy as possible with our friends and family. Remix these Christmas images to personalize them for each recipient and send to your loved ones. Or better yet, save it as a background image on your phone as a cheerful reminder that Christmas and the new year is around the corner.
Add text overlay to free Christmas images with our festive Christmas fonts to further add a custom flair to your message. It’s way more personal than a boxed card and much faster since you can customize a template, download, and email your Christmas card all without having to get off of the sofa. Christmas image? Check. Convenience? Check.
- Make sure you use a calligraphy font to take this personalized “handwritten” edit to the next level.
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- Picture perfect. Add text to this free Christmas image and sent it on its merry way.
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Christmas Backgrounds
We’re rounding off our list with some festive fun that you can use on your Instagram Stories. Do you have a small business and want to use your Instagram to promote holiday sales or thank customers for their support this year? Or maybe you want to spread some Christmas cheer with friends who you can’t celebrate with in person this year. Whatever your need, simply download one of these Christmas background images, easily resize your image for Instagram Stories, and upload it to your Stories. You’ll be celebrating online in no-time with your friends and customers!
- Crop this free Christmas background image to Story size and use it as a free backdrop to create a festive message to your followers.
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23. Use this bright lights Christmas background as the backdrop for a series of Christmas Stories with a non-traditional but festive feel.
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24. Nothing screams Christmas like Candy Canes. Upload them to your Stories and use the Instagram Poll and Q&A stickers to ask your fans about everything from their favorite Christmas movies to their favorite holiday dessert.
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25. On TikTok? Use the Green Screen effect and use this old school sweater background as the backdrop for your next viral video.
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26. If the holiday season is your jam, upload this and use it as a Highlight cover for all of your Christmas Stories.
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27. Why not record a cheery message to your followers? Once you’re done, crop it using our video tool and use this cute little Christmas tree image as your background.
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Looking for more festive editing inspiration? Check out our Advent Calendar full of 9 days worth of Christmas and holiday editing activities. Try a new one every day or do them all at once!
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