Which Christmas Cross Stitch Kit Should You Choose?

Start with the motif, not the size. The Christmas cross stitch collection holds 52 designs, and the right one is simply the scene the recipient would happily hang up every December — so choose the picture first, then the size, then whether you want the pre-printed canvas or the counted pattern. Kits start at €32.95 and come in 15 sizes, from a 20×30 cm weekend piece up to an 80×100 cm centrepiece. If this is a first Christmas project, Robin on a Snowy Branch is the kindest place to begin.

In short

• Choose the motif first: one quiet subject is a different evening from a busy canal scene, even at the same size.
• Pre-printed canvas or counted pattern: the pre-printed 11CT canvas already carries the symbols, so there is no counting and no chart to keep your place in.
• 15 sizes from €32.95: 20×30 cm up to 80×100 cm, with the price rising as the canvas grows.
• Small, single-subject designs are the beginner-friendly ones — clear blocks of colour and a finish you can genuinely reach before the holidays.
• Free worldwide shipping with no minimum order; you will see the exact delivery time for your address at checkout.

Start with the motif, not the size

Most people open a Christmas collection and immediately look at the sizes. It is the wrong end to start from, because the motif decides how the stitching actually feels. A design built around one subject — a bird, a dog, a stocking on a mantelpiece — gives you large, confident areas of colour and a shape that appears early. You can see progress after one evening, which is exactly what keeps a December project moving.

A wider scene behaves differently. Amsterdam Canals with Christmas Lights has gables, water, reflections and strings of lights, so the picture stays abstract for longer and then suddenly clicks into place. That delayed reward is wonderful if you like a long, absorbing project, and faintly maddening if you want something finished by the twenty-fourth.

So ask two questions before anything else. Who is it for, and how much patience do they bring to the table? Everything else — size, canvas type, framing — follows from those answers rather than the other way round.

Which Christmas design suits which stitcher

Five designs from the collection, and the kind of stitcher each one really suits.

If you would rather give something personal than something seasonal, personalised Christmas cross stitch gifts takes the same idea in a more bespoke direction, and DIY Christmas cross stitch ornaments covers the small tree decorations.

Pre-printed canvas or counted pattern?

Every kit has a Type option, and it changes the hobby more than the design does.

The pre-printed canvas is the default for good reason. The symbols and colour numbers are printed straight onto the 11CT fabric, so you never count squares and you never lose your place on a chart. You look at the canvas, find the symbol, stitch. For a Christmas project squeezed into busy evenings, that matters: you can pick it up for twenty minutes and put it down again without re-orienting yourself.

The counted pattern is the chart on its own, for stitchers who already have their fabric, threads and hoops at home, or who want to work on a different count or swap the palette for their own. It is the cheaper, more flexible route, and it assumes you know what you are doing. If you are not sure which camp you are in, our cross stitch cheat sheet on Aida count, strands and needle sizes will settle it in a couple of minutes.

Choosing a size

There are 15 sizes, from 20×30 cm to 80×100 cm, and the price climbs from €32.95 as the canvas grows. The temptation is always to size up, because bigger looks more impressive in the photograph. Resist it for a first kit.

Size does two things at once. It changes how long the project takes, and it changes how much detail the design can hold — a face, a reflection or a knitted pattern needs physical room to exist. A small canvas of a busy scene will simplify that detail away, while a large canvas of a single bird gives you a lot of plain background to fill.

So match the size to the motif. Detailed scenes reward the bigger canvases; single subjects look best at the smaller and middle sizes. And be honest about December: a smaller kit that is finished and framed beats a large one still in the hoop in February.

What is in the box

A pre-printed kit arrives ready to start. You get the pre-printed 11CT embroidery canvas with the symbols and colour numbers already on it, a set of premium eco cotton threads in the colours that design needs, two gilded cross stitch needles in a protective case, step-by-step instructions written for beginners and a printed symbol chart to refer to while you stitch. The exact thread count varies by design and is listed on each product page.

What is not included is a frame, so factor that in if the kit is a gift and you want it on the wall rather than in a drawer.

Still deciding between crafts?

Cross stitch is not the only way to get a Christmas scene onto a wall. There are also 75 designs in the Christmas Paint by Numbers collection, which uses numbered markers on a pre-printed canvas and suits people who want a faster, cleaner project on the dining table. Our comparison of the two crafts lays out the honest differences. And if you want winter without the tinsel, the Dutch winter collection carries skaters, windmills and snow that stay on the wall until March.

Shipping is free worldwide with no minimum order, and you will see the exact delivery time for your address at checkout. December is the busiest postal month of the year, so order earlier than feels necessary and spend the saved time choosing the motif properly.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best Christmas cross stitch kit for a beginner?

A design built around one subject, at a smaller size, on the pre-printed canvas. Robin on a Snowy Branch is the clearest example: large areas of colour, a recognisable shape that appears within the first evening, and no counting because the symbols are printed on the fabric.

How much does a Christmas cross stitch kit cost?

Kits start at €32.95 and the price rises with the size of the canvas, across 15 sizes from 20×30 cm to 80×100 cm. You will see the price for each size on the product page, and shipping is free worldwide with no minimum order.

What is the difference between the pre-printed canvas and the counted pattern?

The pre-printed canvas has the symbols and colour numbers printed onto the 11CT fabric, so there is nothing to count and nothing to keep your place in. The counted pattern is the chart on its own, for stitchers who already have fabric and threads at home or who want to choose their own count and palette.

Which size should I choose for a Christmas cross stitch kit?

Match the size to the motif rather than to your ambition. Busy scenes with gables, faces or reflections need the larger canvases to hold their detail; a single bird or animal looks best at the smaller and middle sizes. For a kit you want finished before the holidays, go smaller than you think.

How many designs are in the Christmas collection?

There are 52 designs in the Christmas cross stitch collection, from robins and dachshunds to canal houses and lit-up villages, plus 26 more in the Dutch winter collection if you want snow without the Christmas decorations.

Will it arrive in time for Christmas?

You will see the exact delivery time for your address at checkout. December is the busiest postal month there is, so order well ahead rather than in the final week — and remember you also need evenings to stitch it in.