My favorite December showers pick one Christmas look and carry it all the way through, from the invitation to the welcome sign to the tags on the favors.
There are four looks below, three for a baby shower and one for a winter birthday. Every one links to editable templates. You edit them in Corjl, right in the browser on your phone or computer: type your details, the layout stays put, and you have a print-ready file the same evening. Every listing has a free demo, so try it before you pay: type the longest name on your guest list and see how it sits.
Want snow instead of Santa? My winter baby shower themes post has the snowflake, teddy bear and après ski looks that carry from December to February.
Which Christmas party theme is right for you?
| Theme | Who it is for | The look |
|---|---|---|
| Santa Baby | A loud, joyful December baby shower | Santa in the sleigh, red and green stripes |
| Christmas Teddy Bear | A dressier shower, boy or girl | A tuxedo bear on warm red tartan |
| Gingerbread village | A cozy, storybook shower | Candy houses and snow, red and green |
| Winter birthday | A grown-up December or January birthday | Après ski cocktails, blue or black and white |
What is a Santa Baby Christmas baby shower?
Santa Baby is the loudest and most joyful of the Christmas baby shower looks: Santa in his sleigh, reindeer out front, and red and green stripes running down the sides. Guests know on sight it's a Christmas shower.
Santa Baby invitation
Santa in the sleigh with the reindeer out front, red and green stripes down the sides. Loud, happy and very Christmas.
Shop the invitation
Welcome sign
A red and green striped frame with a little line of baby clothes strung across it. Stands at the door and sets the room before anyone finds a seat.
Shop the welcome sign
The matching bundle
The whole set in one download: invitation, signs, games and tags in the same Santa artwork. It's the easy way to make the whole room match without buying each piece separately.
Shop the bundleHow do you do a Christmas teddy bear baby shower?
Keep the Christmas colors and swap the cartoon for a bear in black tie. The Christmas teddy bear look is red tartan and a little tuxedo teddy, which reads dressier than Santa and works for a boy or a girl.
Tuxedo bear invitation
A teddy in a black bow tie on warm red tartan. The dressy end of the Christmas shower range, and it reads for a boy or a girl.
Shop the invitation
Welcome sign
The same tartan and tuxedo bear, blown up to greet people at the door. Print it large and it does the decorating for you.
Shop the welcome sign
The matching bundle
Invitation, signs, games and tags in one download, all in the red plaid teddy artwork, so the whole table looks like one set.
Shop the bundleThe same tartan teddy also sits under a decorated Christmas tree, with "A merry little baby shower" across the top.
See the whole Christmas teddy bear setWhat does a gingerbread baby shower look like?
A gingerbread baby shower is the cozy, storybook end of the Christmas looks: a snowy village of candy houses in red and green, warm rather than glitzy. It suits a low-key afternoon shower, and the "it takes a village" wording gives it a sweet nod to everyone helping raise the baby.
It Takes a Village
A snowy village of candy houses in red and green, with "it takes a village" across the top.
Shop the invitation
The full gingerbread suite
The invitation with matching diaper raffle and books-for-baby cards, so your insert cards match the invite instead of clashing with it.
Shop the suite
A little cookie
"A little cookie is on the way" in a frame of gingerbread houses, candy canes and pink bows, with a teddy on the matching books-for-baby and diaper raffle cards.
Shop the suiteWhen should you send Christmas baby shower invitations?
Send Christmas baby shower invitations four to six weeks ahead, and add a save the date six to eight weeks ahead if the shower lands in the second or third weekend of December. Those weekends fill first with other parties, and a save the date holds your date before a guest books somebody else's.
| When | What goes out | Why then |
|---|---|---|
| 6 to 8 weeks out | Save the date | December weekends get claimed early. A save the date holds the day. |
| 4 to 6 weeks out | The invitation, printed or sent digitally | Early enough to beat the December calendar, late enough not to be forgotten. |
| 1 week out | A note to anyone who has not replied | You need a headcount to cater and to fill the games and favors. |
| 2 to 3 days out | Print the welcome sign, table pieces and tags | Order or print the signs early so the last days are food and flowers. |
What colors and decor make a Christmas baby shower?
Pick one base and repeat it everywhere. Red and green for a classic Christmas shower, or silver and one soft color for a winter wonderland one, then keep to that on the balloons, the napkins and the printed signs. Four things repeated look planned.
Print two signs, not eight. A welcome sign at the door and one custom sign over the food or the cocoa bar carry most of the wording, and the rest of the table can stay quiet. A little garland and some candles finish it.
What is a good winter birthday party theme?
For a grown-up winter birthday, après ski is the easy theme: a ski-lodge party with cocktails that carries a December or January birthday without tipping into Christmas. It works for any milestone, from a 21st to a 50th.
Snow Excited
A snowflake martini in soft blue and white, made for a December or January birthday drinks night.
Shop the invitation
Après ski doodle party
Black-and-white doodles of a skier lounging in a giant martini glass, with a disco ball, a bobble hat and snowflakes around her. Fun and a little cheeky.
Shop the invitation
Mountains & Martinis
Powder-blue stripes, an arch and a martini in front of the mountains. You can print it or send it as a phone version by text.
Shop the invitationWhat supplies do you need for a Christmas party?
Some links in this section are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.
The printed pieces do the decorating, so the shopping list is short. A tree, a table you have dressed, and a little light are most of it. Here is what I reach for, in the order it matters.
The room
- A faux Christmas tree: a small tabletop one is enough for a shower, and it is the one prop that says Christmas from the doorway.
- A natural linen tablecloth: the fastest way to make a bare table look set on purpose, and it works under red, green or silver.
- Battery tea lights: for the table and anywhere a sleeve might reach a real flame.
- Fairy lights: run them along the food table or the mantel for the soft glow the photos need.
The favors and the printed pieces
- Red and green plaid kraft wrapping paper: for the favors and the gift table, and for tying on the printed tags.
- Chiffon ribbon: ties the favor tags on and finishes a jar or a little box.
- Garden twine: the plainer tie, for a gingerbread or cozy look rather than a dressy one.
- Kraft favor boxes: fill them with cookies or cocoa and add a printed tag.
For printing at home
- 5x7 cardstock comes ready-sized for invitations and menu cards, with nothing to cut. 8.5x11 sheets are there if you want to cut your own tags.
- A wooden easel stand to stand the welcome sign up by the door.
Where to print
The easiest route is Corjl Prints, which sits inside the same editor, so you order your signs without leaving the design and they turn up ready to stand up. For a premium finish on the invitations, Prints of Love (affiliate link) is a specialist stationery printer with lovely quality and free envelopes, and code marryful10 takes 10% off. I earn a commission if you order through it, at no extra cost to you.
Order the prints a few days out, pick up the tree and the candles whenever you are passing, and the last evening is about the food.
Christmas party themes FAQ
How far in advance do you send Christmas baby shower invitations?
Four to six weeks ahead. If the shower falls in the second or third weekend of December, add a save the date six to eight weeks ahead, because those weekends get claimed first by other parties. A week before, follow up with anyone who has not replied so you can cater for a real number.
Should I print Christmas invitations at home or send them to a shop?
Both work, and it comes down to finish and time. Printing at home on 5x7 cardstock is instant and costs the least, which suits the signs, tags and last-minute cards. A shop gives a heavier, premium card for the invitation itself. You can order through Corjl Prints inside the editor, or send the file to Prints of Love for thicker stock and free envelopes. Either way the file is the same one you edited.
Do these Christmas templates work for a boy or a girl?
Yes. The Santa Baby, teddy bear and gingerbread looks are all gender neutral in red and green, and the wording on every design is yours to change. For pink or blue snowflake designs, see the winter baby shower themes.
Can I edit the invitation on my phone?
Yes. You edit in Corjl in your browser, on a phone or a computer, using your order number. Your details go in and the layout stays put, so you can't knock the design out of place, and it resets to the original any time you want to start over.
How many baby shower invitations do I need?
Most hosts send 15 to 20 invitations for a 25-guest shower, since one card usually covers a couple or a household. The file is yours to print as often as you like, so the number only matters for paper, envelopes or a print order.
Pick your look and start tonight
Every theme here is an editable template you fill in this evening and print at home or send to a shop. Start with the Christmas baby shower designs and build the rest of the table to match.
Shop the Christmas baby shower templates
