Make your Christmas wish list

A Christmas wish list is the list of gifts you hope to get, written so the people shopping for you can find the right thing. Make yours below. Add each wish with a link and a price, star the ones you really want, then print it on one page or send it as a link.

Updated by the Frugal Santa elves

Christmas list maker

Type a wish, or tap an idea. Your list saves on this device as you go.

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Christmas wish list 2026
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    Your list stays in this browser. It isn't sent anywhere, not even to the North Pole. A copied link carries the list inside it, so anyone you send it to can read it.

    Things to put on your Christmas list

    Put down the things you would be glad to open on Christmas morning, plus a few things you need. A good list mixes one or two big wishes with smaller ones, so every relative can find something that fits their budget. Add experiences too: a class, tickets or a day out take up no room under the tree.

    For each wish, write the detail a shopper would ask about: the size, the color, the edition or the age on the box. Then star the wishes you want most, so the people who love you know where to start. The 64 ideas below are sorted for kids, teens, grown-ups and the whole family. They are gift types, not brands, so they work at any store and any price. Make each one yours: "a scooter" becomes "a purple scooter and a size small helmet."

    A bearded dad, a girl in braids and her little brother write Christmas wish lists at a wooden table with toy catalogs, a candle, gingerbread stars and mugs of cocoa
    Wish list night: catalogs open, pencils out, cocoa on the table.

    Christmas list ideas for kids

    Little kids love things they can build and things they can pretend with. Older kids often go for kits and gear for a hobby: a science set, a camera of their own, walkie-talkies for the backyard.

    • Building bricks set
    • Wooden train set
    • Play kitchen and pretend food
    • Dress-up costume trunk
    • Art easel with a paper roll
    • Kid-size camera
    • Scooter and a helmet
    • Walkie-talkies
    • Marble run
    • Crystal-growing science kit
    • Bug-catching kit with a magnifier
    • Giant floor puzzle
    • Chapter-book box set
    • Kids' cookbook and an apron
    • Remote-control car
    • Star projector night light
    • Magic trick set
    • Binoculars for bird-watching
    Shopping for a little one? The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission bans small parts in toys made for children under 3. Its holiday tips also say to read the age on the box, get helmets for scooters and other riding toys, keep button batteries and strong magnets away from young kids, and keep balloons away from children under 8.

    Christmas list ideas for teens

    Teens tend to want gear for the thing they already love, plus things for their own room. A gift card is a fine wish, too. Name the store, so the person buying it knows where to go.

    • Wireless earbuds
    • Instant camera and film
    • Hoodie in a favorite color
    • Skateboard
    • Mini projector for movie nights
    • Phone tripod with a ring light
    • Sketchbook and alcohol markers
    • Portable speaker
    • Concert or game tickets
    • LED strip lights for their room
    • Gaming headset
    • Climbing gym day passes
    • Journal and nice pens
    • Gift card to a favorite store
    • Portable phone charger
    • Record player and a first record

    Christmas list ideas for grown-ups

    Grown-ups get lists too. In the National Retail Federation's October 2025 survey of 8,247 adults, gift cards topped the gifts people wanted (50%), then clothing or accessories (46%), books and other media (27%), beauty and personal care (23%) and electronics (22%). Write your sizes down. Nobody can guess them.

    • Cozy robe and slippers
    • Heated throw blanket
    • Burr coffee grinder
    • Cast-iron skillet
    • Chef's knife
    • E-reader
    • Noise-canceling headphones
    • 1,000-piece puzzle
    • Houseplant in a nice pot
    • Pottery or cooking class
    • Restaurant gift card
    • Wool hiking socks
    • Weighted blanket
    • Framed family photo
    • Stand mixer
    • A night out while someone babysits

    Christmas list ideas for the whole family

    Some gifts belong to everyone: a game for Friday nights, a sled for the first snow, a membership that gets you out of the house in February. Put these on a shared family list so grandparents can go in on one together.

    • Board game for game night
    • Movie-night kit with a popcorn maker
    • Zoo or museum membership
    • Sled for snow days
    • Camping tent
    • Matching pajamas
    • Family jigsaw puzzle
    • Bird feeder and a field guide
    • Ice skating day out
    • Gingerbread house kit
    • Telescope for stargazing
    • Picnic basket set
    • Waffle maker for weekend breakfasts
    • Card games for travel

    What should I ask for Christmas?

    Ask for something you will still use or love long after Christmas morning. Start with what you already do: a hobby you want to get better at, a game you play every week, a room you want to make your own. Then add one thing you need, like new boots, and one thing to do, like tickets or a class.

    Stuck? Ask yourself a few questions. What do you love doing on a free Saturday? What did you wear out, outgrow or break this year? What do you keep borrowing from a friend? Which book, game or show do you want more of? What would make your room cozier? Each answer is a wish. Write it down with one detail, like a size or a color, so the person shopping can find it. Not sure about a big wish? Put it on the list with a star and let your family decide.

    An elf in a red pointed hat sits on a wooden desk writing on a notepad, with a board of pinned paper notes behind him, a mug of cocoa, gift tags and a lantern by a snowy window
    An elf at his desk, writing down the answers.

    What do you love doing?

    • Gear for my hobby
    • Lessons or a class
    • A how-to book for my hobby

    What did you wear out or outgrow?

    • New snow boots
    • A bigger bike
    • Pajamas in the next size up

    What do you keep borrowing?

    • My own headphones
    • My own board game
    • My own sleeping bag

    What would you do on a free day?

    • Tickets to a show or game
    • A day at the zoo or museum
    • A trip to the ice rink

    What do you want more of?

    • The next book in my series
    • More art supplies
    • Another big puzzle

    What would make your room cozier?

    • A fuzzy blanket
    • A reading lamp
    • String lights

    Gift ideas for everyone on your list

    Shopping for someone who never writes a list? Start with who they are. Each guide below is for one person on your list, from the mom who says she wants nothing to the teen who rolls their eyes at socks.

    How do you write a good Christmas wish list?

    Write it for the shopper, not for yourself. "A sweater" can go wrong a hundred ways. "A green crewneck sweater, size medium, no wool" can't. Give every wish one useful detail, add a link when you have one, and note a price so people can match it to their budget.

    Mix the price points: a few small things, a few in the middle and one or two big ones. Star your top three, so shoppers know where to start. Keep it short enough to read in a minute; 10 to 15 wishes gives people a choice without burying them. Add one thing you need, like new boots or a lunchbox. In early December, check it again and cross off anything you bought yourself. If a wish changes, send a fresh link, because a link you sent before still shows the old list. The table shows the details shoppers need.

    Kind of wishWhat to writeExample
    ClothesSize, fit, color, fabrics to skipHoodie, youth large, forest green
    Shoes and bootsSize and widthSnow boots, size 4, wide
    BooksTitle, author, which ones you already haveBook 3 of the series (I have 1 and 2)
    Video gamesWhich console or deviceA racing game for our console
    Toys and kitsThe age on the box, the set name or numberMarble run, ages 8 and up
    Gift cardsThe store or restaurantThe pizza place on Main Street
    ExperiencesWho goes along, and whenIce skating with Grandpa in January

    The want, need, wear, read rule

    Some families keep lists short with a four-gift rule: something you want, something you need, something to wear and something to read. Some add a fifth: something to do, like a class or tickets. It makes a handy template, too. Write one wish under each heading and your list is done.

    • Wanta wish
    • Needboots, a lunchbox
    • Weara hoodie, PJs
    • Readbook 3 of a series
    • Dotickets, a class

    How do families share Christmas lists?

    A mix works well. One copy goes on the fridge, where everyone sees it. Another goes by text to the grandparents, aunts and uncles who live farther away. The maker above does both: print it on one page, or copy a link that opens the same list on their phones.

    Pick one grown-up to keep track of who is buying what, and tell them in private. The person on the list still gets a surprise, and nobody buys the same scooter twice. For Secret Santa or a gift swap, everyone shares a short list under the price limit. Keep last names, addresses and phone numbers off any list you share; a first name is plenty.

    The link from this page carries the list inside it, after the # sign. Browsers don't send that part to a website's server, so we never see your list. Writing to the North Pole instead? Turn your wishes into a letter to Santa.

    Collecting the grown-ups’ lists? Try Santa’s interview. You send a link to the grown-ups in your family, and each one has a short video call with Santa about their year, what they like, what they’d rather not get and what they wish for. Santa tells them at the start that he shares their wishes with you, and they tick a box to agree. You get a summary with their wishes and store prices. It runs on your minutes, only for the time they talk.

    Elves in red suits sort stacks of letters into tall wooden cubbies at the North Pole post office, with sacks of mail on the floor and snow outside the windows
    The story goes that the elves sort every letter to Santa here.

    Free printable Christmas list templates

    Pick a Christmas list template, press Print and pass a copy to everyone at the table. Each one fits on a single sheet of US Letter or A4 paper, with a candy-cane border and plenty of room to write by hand. The preview shows the one you picked.

    Pick a template

    Made your list in the maker at the top? Press Print there and your own list comes out on one page, with a gold star beside each top wish and the price next to any wish that has one. On a list of up to 20 wishes, each store link prints in small type under its wish, so a grandparent can type it in. When there’s room, blank lines wait at the bottom for a wish in pencil.

    From the Wish Book to the fridge door

    Kids have circled catalogs for generations. In 1933 Sears mailed out its first Christmas catalog, full of toys and gifts, and families came to call it the Wish Book. Sears made the name official in 1968. Today the catalog is a link on a phone, but the job is the same: show the people who love you what you're hoping for. Counting the days? Here's how many sleeps until Christmas.

    Tell Santa your list out loud

    Typing a list is one way to do it. Telling Santa is more fun. On a live video call with Santa, you say your wishes out loud and he listens and answers you, live. Kids call with a grown-up, and grown-ups can call for themselves.

    After the call, the wishes come back as a Santa wish list with real store prices and links. Santa here is an AI video character. The call works in the browser on a phone, tablet or computer, with no app, and it needs a microphone, not a camera. A grown-up runs the account: $1 a minute, for as many minutes as you like.

    That list is separate from the one on this page. What you type here stays on your device. Before you dial, read how calling Santa works, and check in with the elves at the Nice List.

    A grandmother, a small boy, his mom and his dad smile at a laptop on the sofa by a crackling fireplace and a decorated Christmas tree
    One laptop, four wish lists, one call.

    Christmas wish list questions

    What should I put on my Christmas list?

    Things you'd be glad to open, a few things you need and one or two experiences. Give each wish a detail like a size, color or edition, add a link if you have one, and star your top three.

    How do I make a Christmas list online?

    Type each wish into the list maker at the top of this page. It saves as you go. When you're done, print it, copy it as text or copy a link to send to family.

    How many things should be on a Christmas list?

    There's no rule. Ten to fifteen wishes gives people a choice without overwhelming them, and a star on your top three shows where to start. The want, need, wear, read rule keeps a list to four.

    Is my list private?

    It's saved in this browser on this device, and nothing is sent to us. When you copy a link, the list rides inside the link, so anyone you send it to can read it.

    Can I print a blank Christmas wish list?

    Yes. Pick one of four free Christmas list templates above: a classic list with stars, want, need, wear and read boxes, frames for drawing wishes, or a family gift list. Press Print and each one comes out on a single page.

    Is there a Christmas list template for kids who can't write yet?

    Yes. The Draw your wishes template has six picture frames. Kids draw one wish in each, and a grown-up writes its name on the line underneath.

    Does Santa get this list?

    This list stays on your device and isn't sent anywhere. To tell Santa your wishes, call him on a live video call, or write him a letter.

    Can grown-ups make a Christmas wish list?

    Of course. Add your sizes, your favorite stores and a link for anything specific, then send the link to whoever asked what you want.

    See list
    Santa in his red suit on a gold throne, holding a wrapped giftLive video

    Read your list to Santa.

    Say each wish out loud on a live video call. Afterward the wishes come back as a list with real store prices. $1 a minute.

    Call Santa

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