23 Christmas Plate Painting Ideas to Make the Season a Little More Colorful

A plain white plate is a surprisingly fun little canvas. You can paint one for Santa’s cookies, make a keepsake with your child’s handprint, or create a whole mismatched set for a Christmas party. And if your painted tree comes out a little lopsided? Honestly, that might be the plate everyone loves most.

These Christmas plate painting ideas range from simple borders and lettering to more detailed holiday scenes. Use the photos for inspiration, then change the colors, wording, or little characters to make your plate your own.

If you plan to serve food on it, ask your pottery studio or check your paint and finishing instructions about which decorated surfaces are safe for food contact. Display plates give you more freedom to paint right across the middle.

1. A Mistletoe Footprint Plate

Turn two green footprints into hanging sprigs of mistletoe, then paint curling red ribbons above them. Add a name and year beneath the prints for a Christmas keepsake that will be especially sweet to pull out again when those feet aren’t so little.

Photo by megartpottery

2. A Plate with Spots for Santa’s Treats

Paint two empty circles in the center so kids know exactly where the cookie and milk should go. Carrot illustrations, cheerful stars, and a note for Santa turn the whole plate into part of the Christmas Eve ritual; you could even let each child choose the wording around the rim.

Photo by crockadoodlepyop

3. A Christmas Wreath for Santa

This plate builds a wreath from little leafy branches, bows, and candy-striped accents, with “for Santa” tucked in the middle. The repeating shapes make it easier to paint than it first appears: sketch a light circle, work your way around it, and leave the center for a message of your own.

Photo by cmmprovo

4. A Whole Herd of Tiny Reindeer

Instead of painting one large reindeer, scatter little ones across a square plate. This is super easy since you can use your finger prints to make the body! Their small antlers and playful expressions give each one a personality, and a loose arrangement means you don’t have to worry about making every reindeer identical. A set of these would be adorable on a dessert table.

Photo by slapndashceramics

5. Gnomes Beneath the Christmas Lights

Two gnomes in red hats stand under a string of oversized colored bulbs on this plate. You could simplify the idea to one gnome and a few lights, or use the broad hat shapes and round noses as a fun starting point for painting with kids.

Photo by lieblingsstuck_keramik

6. A Snowman in the Christmas Trees

A smiling snowman, red scarf, and snowy evergreens fill the center of this plate without needing a complicated background. Try dabbing the tree branches in loose layers of green; the snowman’s bold black hat and bright scarf will give the scene its focal point.

Photo by oylumseramik

7. Hanging Ornaments in Black and White

Fine black lines make a collection of dangling baubles, stars, and bells feel delicate and graphic. This would be a lovely direction if you like Christmas art without a lot of red and green: vary the length of each hanging string and add tiny patterns inside the ornaments.

Photo by decor.bytery

8. A Girl Decorating the Tree

The small figure, Christmas tree, red bows, and dotted border give this shaped plate a storybook feel. You could borrow just one part of the design—a child reaching toward a tree, perhaps—and make the clothing and decorations look like your own family’s Christmas.

Photo by corinnelent

9. A Simple Reindeer Pup with a Holly Border

One small dog dressed as a reindeer sits in the middle of a mostly white plate while tiny red and green details trace the rim. It is a good reminder that you don’t have to fill every inch: give your main character plenty of breathing room, then use a repeating border to finish the plate.

Photo by coral.ceramics

10. Personalized Christmas Plates for the Family

These plates pair a bold blue rim with a Christmas tree, a snowman, or Santa, plus names and holiday messages. Make each person’s plate a little different while keeping one color around every edge; the shared border will make the collection feel like a set.

Photo by hadleypottery

11. A Reindeer Made from a Handprint

A brown handprint becomes a reindeer’s face, complete with a red nose and a tangle of Christmas lights above it. Add your child’s name, age, and the year off to one side so the art stays the star and you still remember exactly when those tiny fingers made it.

Photo by lunasalt_

12. Santa, Reindeer, with Little Feet

A tiny reindeer and Christmas tree (made by children’s feet) sit between a message written around the plate’s edge. The lettering turns an otherwise simple design into a playful Santa plate, and you could swap in your own child’s note while keeping the middle open for cookies.

Photo by blackbearceramics

13. A Wreath of Little Footprints

Green and yellow footprints form a circle around this plate, with a big red bow at the bottom. Tuck painted berries or sprigs between the prints to pull the wreath together, then add a name and year for a gift that grandparents will probably keep forever.

Photo by daniella_popoloceramico

14. A Christmas Plaid Cookie Plate

Red and green plaid gives this Santa plate a cozy, wrapped-present look, while a cookie and glass of milk make the purpose clear. You can paint the plaid with imperfect crossing lines—there is no need to measure a grid—and leave a white circle in the middle for your message.

Photo by littlekeepsakesni

15. A Mix-and-Match Winter Animal Set

Little bears, birds, snowflakes, and snowy skies give these plates a gentle winter feel. Pick one simple animal shape, change its scarf or background color from plate to plate, and you’ll have a charming set without painting the same thing over and over.

Photo by selen.ceramic

16. A Reindeer Under the Night Sky

A purple-to-blue sky, falling snow, and a reindeer beside a Christmas tree make this plate feel like a tiny illustrated scene. The large bands of color do much of the work here; add the stars and character details after the background to make them stand out.

Photo by potter_around

17. Merry Christmas in Big, Curly Letters

Let festive lettering take center stage and wrap a string of colorful Christmas lights around the rim. If you’re nervous about painting the words freehand, lightly sketch them first and let the bulbs be different sizes and colors. Perfectly matched lights would be less fun anyway.

Photo by firedfrog

18. A Christmas Tree Made from Handprints

Stack green handprints into a tree shape, add a yellow star, and finish with a trunk and little painted presents. The prints give the tree its texture, so the extra details can stay simple; a name and date turn it into a keepsake you’ll want to display every December.

Photo by jess.playadventures

19. A Plate of Christmas Doodles

Santa, bows, gifts, ornaments, candy canes, and a gingerbread figure share the space on this playful plate. Try choosing five or six small motifs and scattering them at different angles, filling the gaps with stars and dots. It’s a forgiving design because the variety is the whole point.

Photo by potsypamsy_pottery

20. Blue Snowflakes for Santa’s Cookies

Blue snowflakes, candy canes, and a few tiny red and green accents frame the “Cookies for Santa” lettering. Keeping the motifs around the message makes the plate feel festive without crowding the center, and you could use the same pattern for a winter birthday or holiday cookie exchange by changing the words.

Photo by ceramifystudio

21. A Busy Little Christmas Village

Small figures, animals, trees, and houses spread across these platters like a child’s Christmas drawing brought to life. You don’t need to copy every detail: invite family members to paint one tiny scene or character each, then let the collection of drawings become the design.

Photo by traversa.design

22. A Christmas Tree with a Candy-Striped Rim

A loose green tree sits inside a bold border of red strokes, with a bow at the top and small red dots scattered around it. The rim is what makes this plate pop from across the table. Paint the red marks one at a time and let their slight differences give it that handmade charm.

Photo by gareinc

23. A Gnome Beside the Christmas Tree

A red-hatted gnome and decorated tree fill this small plate against a teal background. Try a single broad hat shape, a fluffy white beard, and just a few ornaments if you want an easier version; the contrasting background will make even simple shapes feel finished.

Photo by oylumseramik

Your plate doesn’t have to look exactly like anyone else’s. Choose one detail you love—a funny reindeer face, a bright striped rim, a child-size handprint—and build the rest around it. Those personal touches are what make a painted Christmas plate worth bringing out year after year.