Caregiving
Free Large Print Christmas Word Search (Printable)
This free large print Christmas word search is a real page from our Christmas Puzzle Book, with letters big enough to read without hunting for the reading glasses. It is called Around the Christmas Tree: 15 words hidden on a 13 by 13 grid, from tinsel and garland to popcorn and cranberry. The answer page comes with it.
Print it for a parent or grandparent, bring it on a visit, or keep a copy by your own chair with a cup of coffee.
Download the free word search
The printable is two pages, US Letter, in color:
- Page 1: the puzzle, with a box to tick beside each word
- Page 2: the answer key, every word circled
Download the free large print Christmas word search (PDF, 2 pages)
On an iPhone or iPad, the PDF opens on screen. To keep it, tap the Share button, then Save to Files or Print.
Can you find all 15 words? They are Tinsel, Garland, Star, Angel, Lights, Icicles, Branches, Needles, Tree Skirt, Tree Stand, Topper, Beads, Popcorn, Cranberry and Fir. Words run across, down and on the diagonal. Two-word items like Tree Skirt are hidden as one word, TREESKIRT.
What makes it large print
The letters in this grid are about 22 point, set in a clear typeface with plenty of room around each one.
Size is only part of it. A few other things make a word search easier on the eyes:
- Fewer, bigger squares. A 13 by 13 grid leaves room for each letter, so the rows don't run together. Many newspaper puzzles pack far more letters into the same space.
- A clear typeface. The book is set in Atkinson Hyperlegible, a typeface designed by the Braille Institute for readers with low vision. Letters that are easy to confuse, like a capital I and a lowercase l, are drawn so they look different.
- Plain white behind the letters. The color is in the title band and the border only. The grid itself is black on white.
- A tick box for each word. Nobody has to remember which words are already found.
If small print has become a chore, a large print puzzle can make an old pastime pleasant again. It is also simply more comfortable for anyone reading in a dim living room or a hospital-bright one.
Tips for an easier word search
- Use a light highlighter. Yellow or light green lets you mark a word and still read the letters underneath. Dark markers hide the letters around a word.
- Or loop words in pencil. A soft pencil, like a No. 2, is easy to see and easy to erase. A thick pencil grip helps if fingers are stiff.
- Look for the rare letters first. This grid has only one F, so Fir is quick to find. There are just two Ks and two Ys, which gives you a head start on Tree Skirt and Cranberry.
- Slide an index card under a row. It keeps the eye on one line at a time.
- Work in good light. A lamp beside the chair, aimed at the page, makes more difference than most people expect.
- Use a clipboard. It gives a firm surface in an armchair, a recliner or a wheelchair.
- Do it together. One person reads a word aloud, both look. It turns a quiet puzzle into a visit.
A real page from the Christmas Puzzle Book
This is the Crossword: Trimming the Tree page from our Christmas Puzzle Book. Print it and do it with a pencil, as many copies as you like for your family.
Big squares to write in. The clues are on the next page, in 17 point type.
See all 170 pagesPrinting at full size
The page is made for US Letter paper, 8.5 by 11 inches. In the print window, choose Actual size or 100%. "Fit to page" or "Shrink to fit" can make the letters a little smaller than they were made.
To save color ink, choose Grayscale or Black and white. The grid is black on white already, so it prints just as clearly. Our puzzle book comes with a separate black-and-white ink-saver edition.
For even bigger letters, a copy shop can enlarge the page onto 11 by 17 inch paper. On a home printer that only takes letter paper, larger than 100% will cut off the edges.
You are welcome to print this free word search as often as you like, for your family, a church group or an activity room.
The answer page
Print the answer page separately if you'd rather keep it out of sight. Peeking is allowed. There are no prizes at this kitchen table. Our Christmas Puzzle Book keeps all its answer keys at the back, out of sight until you want them.
30 large print Christmas word searches in one book
The free puzzle is Word Search 1 of the 30 in our Christmas Puzzle Book. Each has 15 words on a 13 by 13 grid, in the same large print, with themes like The Christmas Cookie Tray, Santa and the North Pole, Holiday Baking Pantry, Snow Day Fun, Caroling Door to Door, The Nutcracker Ballet and By the Fireside. The answer keys are at the back.
The book also has 15 crosswords with clues in 17 point type, 15 trivia quizzes with 150 questions, 12 conversation pages and 10 finish-the-saying pages: 170 pages, a printable PDF for $7.99, with an ink-saver black-and-white edition in the same download.
If your family likes trivia, try our Christmas trivia questions and answers for seniors, with a free printable quiz from the same book. For more ideas for the season, see Christmas activities for seniors.
See all 30 word searches in the Christmas Puzzle Book
A printable puzzle for fun at home and on visits. It is not a medical or therapy product.