DaFont has the biggest free Christmas font collection, with 478 fonts in its Christmas category and 707 matching a search for christmas when I checked, but only 56 of the category pass its completely free or open licence filter. For anything you'll sell or post for a business, use open source festive fonts from Google Fonts such as Mountains of Christmas, Snowburst One, Festive and Berkshire Swash.
Every year the same thing happens. A small business wants a festive sale graphic, a shop wants new gift tags, a teacher wants a classroom sign, and somebody grabs the cutest Christmas font they can find. Then it turns out that font was free for personal use only. If you're making cards for your family, that's fine. If you're selling printables or promoting your shop, it isn't.
DaFont's Christmas category: big, but mostly personal use
DaFont files Christmas fonts under Holiday. The category held 478 fonts on 28 October, and filtering for completely free plus Public domain, GPL or OFL left 56. A wider search for christmas, which also catches fonts in other categories, returned 707.
The most popular fonts in the category are almost all personal use. Last Christmas, Merry Christmas, Amore Christmas, Christmas Bell, Home Christmas, Wonderful Christmas, Santa's Air Mail and Merry Xmas are each labelled free for personal use. One popular exception is PW Joyeux Noel by Peax Webdesign, which DaFont marks completely free.
DaFont's FAQ is clear that the licence line is only a guide. Its advice is to read the readme file inside the download or check the designer's site, and to contact the designer if you're unsure. Many festive fonts come from designers who sell a commercial licence, so the one you love may still be usable for your business if you buy it.
Open source festive fonts on Google Fonts
Google Fonts doesn't have a Christmas category, but a few families clearly lean festive, and every family in Google's own font list is flagged open source:
| Font | Look | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Mountains of Christmas | Playful serif with a storybook feel, two weights | Card headings, kids' events |
| Snowburst One | Snowflake-style decorative letters | One word, such as Noel or Joy |
| Festive | Hand-lettered script by Robert Leuschke | Gift tags and greetings |
| Berkshire Swash | Swashy, vintage-style script | Shop signs and menus |
| Henny Penny | Quirky, hand-cut letters | Fun party invitations |
| Emilys Candy | Sweet-shop decorative letters | Bake sale and treat labels |
For the classic script look on a Christmas card, Great Vibes, Dancing Script and Pacifico are also on Google Fonts and work well in red or gold on a dark background. Dancing Script is a variable font with four styles, so you can make the headline heavier without switching typeface.
Christmas font styles and what each says
Festive fonts fall into a few families, and the one you pick sets the mood before anyone reads a word. A flowing script says warm and traditional, which suits cards, restaurant menus and gift vouchers. A chunky, playful display font says fun and family, which suits school fairs, kids' parties and toy shops. A snowy or candy-cane style says novelty, so it works for one word on a social post but tires quickly on anything longer.
If your brand already has fonts, you don't need to swap them for December. Keep your usual headline and body fonts and add one festive font for a single word or phrase, such as the name of a sale or a seasonal greeting. Your posts will still look like you, just dressed for the season.
If you like a vintage feel on your cards, check out free retro fonts.
Which uses count as commercial at Christmas
- Printables you sell on Etsy or your own site: commercial. Use an open or completely free font.
- A Christmas sale graphic for your shop's Instagram: it promotes a business, so treat it as commercial.
- Gift tags and labels on products you sell: commercial.
- Cards for your family and friends, or a school play poster: personal use, so most DaFont fonts are fine.
The OFL FAQ is the simplest rule here. Under the Open Font License you can use a font for logos, posters, signage, T-shirts, cards and stationery without extra permission, and the artwork you make stays yours. You just can't sell the font file on its own.
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Making something for kids? Bubble fonts suit that mood.
Making a Christmas design in five steps
- Pick one festive font for the headline and one plain font for the details.
- Download both and keep the licence or readme file with them.
- Install the fonts, then restart your design app so they appear.
- Type the real words, including dates and prices. Free fonts don't always include every number or symbol, as DaFont's FAQ points out.
- Export a test at full size and check it on a phone before you post or print.
Need the words as well as the font? These Christmas captions for business accounts and Christmas messages for clients and customers are written for small businesses. If you're thinking of selling festive printables, read the honest maths on selling printables before you design a single one.
My advice for festive lettering
Start with Google Fonts if the design is for your business. Mountains of Christmas or Berkshire Swash for the headline and a clean sans serif for the details will look polished and keep you safe. Save the DaFont favourites for personal cards, unless the readme says commercial use is allowed. And keep the festive font for a word or two: one sparkly Merry Christmas looks lovely, a whole flyer of it doesn't.
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Frequently asked questions
Where can I download free Christmas fonts?
DaFont's Christmas category has the most, with 478 fonts when checked, and Google Fonts has open source festive families such as Mountains of Christmas, Snowburst One, Festive and Berkshire Swash.
Are DaFont Christmas fonts free for commercial use?
Most aren't. Only 56 of the 478 fonts in the category passed its completely free or open licence filter. PW Joyeux Noel is one popular font labelled completely free.
Can I use a Christmas font on printables I sell?
Only if the licence allows commercial use. Open source fonts under the OFL can be used in products you sell, as long as you don't sell the font file itself.
Is there a free Christmas font in Google Fonts?
Yes. Mountains of Christmas, Snowburst One and Festive are festive families on Google Fonts, and all are open source.
What font goes well with a Christmas script?
Pair a festive headline font with a plain sans serif such as Open Sans or Montserrat for dates, prices and details.
