Fun Vintage Christmas Printable Models, Dolls and Cutouts
A collection of over 30 vintage Christmas paper crafts, including colourful paper dolls, miniature models, decorations and festive cutouts from old magazines and books. These charming old-fashioned Christmas printables are fun to collect, display or make.
There is something particularly lovely about finding old paper toys and decorations hidden away in vintage magazines and children's books, especially when they have a Christmas theme!
I've always been fascinated by the clever paper toys people made in the past. A simple printed sheet could become a little house, a dressed-up doll, a moving figure, or even an entire miniature scene.
Earlier this year, I put together collections of vintage paper dolls and fascinating old paper models. I had so much fun looking through those that I thought a Christmas version would be a lovely addition to Pictureboxblue.
This time, I've been hunting for festive paper novelties from old books and magazines. From Father Christmas figures and paper dolls to miniature Christmas villages and decorations, there's plenty of colourful Christmas nostalgia.
And even if you don't fancy getting out the scissors and glue, many of these old printed sheets are lovely illustrations in their own right.
A Little History of Christmas Paper Toys
Long before we could buy bags of ready-made Christmas decorations, cutting and making things from paper was a popular festive pastime.
During the Victorian era and into the early 20th century, publishers produced all sorts of paper entertainments for children. Children could cut, fold, and assemble colourful printed sheets into toys, decorations, games, and miniature scenes. Some appeared in children's magazines and annuals, while others were sold as individual sheets or included in books.
German and French publishers were particularly well known for their elaborate printed cutouts. Some were surprisingly complicated, with tiny folding tabs, moving parts, and carefully illustrated details. Others were wonderfully simple. A pair of scissors and a little imagination were often all that was needed.
How to Download the Vintage Christmas Cutouts
All the vintage Christmas printables featured here are available as free downloads. To download an image, click on the title above the print you want. This will take you to the larger version, which you can save to your computer.
If you want to assemble any of the paper models, I recommend printing them onto slightly thicker paper or lightweight cardstock.
1. Paper Dolls and Christmas Characters
Paper dolls were hugely popular in old children's magazines, and Christmas offered plenty of opportunities for festive costumes and characters. Father Christmas, angels, children in winter clothes and other seasonal figures all lend themselves beautifully to the paper doll format.
Some vintage cutouts have separate outfits and accessories, while others are designed to be folded or glued so that the figures can stand upright.
Cutout 2: Christmas Paper Doll
From Child Life's Dress and Dolly, designed by Chiquet.
Cutout 3: Angel Christmas Doll
Large yellow-robed Christmas angel with white wings, a crown, and a harp.
Gnome cutouts in red, grey, and white with garland pieces, from Illustreret Familie-Journal.
2. Miniature Christmas Models
I've always had a soft spot for miniature buildings, and the Christmas versions are especially appealing. Little cottages, cutout roofs, decorated shops, churches, and village scenes make wonderful additions to an old-fashioned Christmas display.
Cutout 5a: Model Toy Shop Part One
A multilingual Toy Shop cutout sheet with a doll's house, floral chairs, a doll, and a dog.
With a tea table, pram, stove, squirrel, Japanese doll and household accessories.
Cutout 6a: German Christmas Fair Part 1
German Christmas carousel cutout sheet with a red-and-yellow wheel, decorated trees, Cutout figures and Santa's festive workshop scenes.
Cutout 6b: German Christmas Fair Part 2
Cutout 7: Visiting Santa's Elf
Danish Christmas Tableau: Visiting Santa’s Elf
3. Vintage Christmas Tree Decorations
Not every old-fashioned Christmas decoration was made from glass, wood or metal. Paper was also used to create all sorts of festive ornaments. You could cut out printed figures, stars, angels, and decorative shapes and hang them from the tree. Some decorations were flat, while others folded into three-dimensional ornaments.
I've also designed some free printable Christmas Cutouts using vintage patterns and illustrations, including William Morris designs, Japanese prints and Scandinavian Christmas images.
Cutout 8: Scandinavian Christmas Decorations
Danish Christmas craft sheet with a woven heart, star, basket, decorated tree and paper chain.
Cutout 9: Scandinavian Christmas Decorations
Cutout 10: More Danish Christmas Decorations
Craft page with woven heart template. Cut out ornaments and a coloured paper garland.
Cutout 11: Victorian Tree Decorations
Victorian Christmas tree ornament cutouts of a girl, cherub, bell wreath, owl, butterflies and greeting heart, from a supplement to The Boston Sunday Globe.
Six cherub ornaments resting on pale blue clouds for cutting out as a Christmas garland.
4. Paper Santas and Moving Christmas Figures
Some of the most entertaining vintage paper toys were figures with cutout arms and legs. These articulated figures, sometimes called jumping jacks, were cut out from separate paper pieces joined together so that they could move.
They make unusual Christmas decorations today, especially when hung on a wall or displayed among other vintage festive ephemera.
Cutout 13: Vintage Santa & Christmas Tree
Double-sided Santa Claus and Christmas Tree cutout with toy-decorated trees, dolls and balloons, 1907 by Frederick A. Stokes Co.
Danish hanging-angel Christmas model sheet with comet stars, a brick-patterned centre, white and red angels, candles and assembly parts.
Cutout 15a: French Paper Santa Part 1
First page of the French Un Père Noël paper model, with a box-shaped Santa, toy sack, two-wheeled dogs and child figures.
Cutout 15b: Paper Santa Part 2
Cutout 16a: Moving Santa Part 1
"Santa Claus is making his rounds"
Cutout 16b: Moving Santa Part 2
Cutout 17: Animated French Christmas Tale
A mechanical paper model shows a child in bed dreaming of Father Christmas beside a mantel, with numbered moving parts.
5. Vintage Paper Nativity Scenes
Another popular Christmas paper craft was a cutout miniature nativity scene. These printed sheets featured the traditional Christmas nativity scene, with figures, animals, buildings and scenery designed to be cut out and arranged together.
Some were simple flat figures, while others included folding stands or three-dimensional buildings.
Oskar Laske Weihnachts-Krippe Nativity model sheet with cutout angels, shepherds, kings and animals, printed by Christoph Reisser's Söhne in Vienna.
Danish paper Nativity model sheet with stone stable walls, palm trees, the Holy Family, animals and a star-shaped base.
Cutout 20: French Nativity Scene
Nativity sheet title: La sainte Crèche, Birth of Jesus with a Cutout stable, the Holy Family, shepherds, and livestock.
Cutout 21a: Danish Nativity Characters 1
Nativity cutout sheet with Mary, baby Jesus, an angel, a donkey, and a camel in patterned folk-art colours.
Cutout 21b: Danish Nativity Characters 2
Nativity cutout sheet with three richly patterned kings in pink, blue, red and gold robes.
Cutout 22a: French Nativity Scene Part 1
French Découpages et Constructions sheet with baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph and three king figures for a paper Nativity.
Cutout 22b: French Nativity Part 2
Kneeling king, camel, saddle and gift chest.
Cutout 22c: French Nativity Part 3
Nativity sheet with shepherds, attendants, sheep, and baskets
Cutout 22d: French Nativity Part 4
Nativity sheet with ox, donkey and accessory pieces to complete the Christmas crib.
6. Christmas Games and Novelty Cutouts
Not all Christmas paper crafts were intended to become decorations. Old children's magazines often included games, puzzles, novelty pictures and other things to keep young readers entertained during the holidays.
Some involved cutting out separate pieces and arranging them on a background. Others featured little figures, moving parts or interactive scenes.
Cutout 23: Pastime for Little Fingers: The Christmas Tree.
It shows a family gathered around a table, with a Christmas tree in the background. Along the edges of the picture are separate figures, toys and decorations ready to be cut out and added to the scene.
Cutout 24: Danish Christmas Scene
The title translates as "New Mechanical Model Kit: The Rotating Christmas Tree".
Cutout 25: Christmas Trinkets
German paper construction sheet with colourful geometric parts for a clock, fan, spinning ornament, crosses, boxes and other Christmas trinkets.
More Vintage Christmas Images and Ephemera
If you enjoy these old Christmas paper crafts, Pictureboxblue has plenty of other festive collections worth looking through. My vintage Christmas images collection includes beautiful old illustrations, postcards and Christmas scenes that are perfect for handmade cards, gift tags and seasonal displays.
For something a little different, take a look at the Art Nouveau Christmas illustrations. These come from a time when illustrated magazines and decorative graphic art were especially popular.
I also have a lovely collection of antique Scandinavian Christmas cards, with their charming old-fashioned festive imagery. And if you like seeing how Christmas was illustrated for younger readers, don't miss the vintage Christmas illustrations from children's books.
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