Free Christmas Book Page Printables
Get in the holiday spirit with 7 Free Christmas Book Page Printables sure to bring a smile to your lips and fill your heart with joy!
Yeesh, just when you thought you’d found a nice, comfortable, drama-free subject like Christmas, along comes Old Coal-Fingers Navage to stir the pot.
But look, in my defense, it’s not like I’m trying to cast doubt upon all of your childhood (or adult) beliefs!
Seriously!
I’m just researching the topics I’m blogging about, and my research invariably unearths….controversy!
Earlier this week, I told you about the international brouhaha over the bones of Jolly Saint Nick. There’s no love lost between Turkey and Italy over that particular skeletal spat!
And now, as we share these charming and comforting Christmas book page printables, I find myself in the invidious position of casting doubt on the authorship of perhaps the best-known poetic verses ever written by an American.
Before we throw ourselves into this new controversy, let me drive home that point about “best-known poetic verses.”
Quick! Recite a line from a poem written by an American poet!
Tick Tock, madam. I’m waiting…
Well, what did you come up with? Anything?
Now, does this ring a bell? (and this goes for all you living outside of America as well): “‘Twas the night before Christmas…”
Yep, see what I mean? Poetry doesn’t fly high on most Americans’ radar, but everyone knows that little Christmas gem.
Anyway, you probably have no idea who wrote it (and you probably don’t know the real title), even if you know the poem like the back of your hand.
I know I didn’t until yesterday!
And that’s what made it so interesting to me.
Clement Clarke Moore…
Never heard of him!
Who was he? What else did he do?
A quick dive revealed that he was a scholar, a writer and yes, a poet.
But here’s the thing – when he wrote “A Visit From Saint Nicholas,” he didn’t publish it. A friend did it for him (and did so anonymously) in 1823.
It took fourteen years for Moore to claim the work as his own in 1837.
So why the delay? What was the deal?
Well, the story goes that Moore fancied himself a serious and learned man. The poem in question was merely a bit of Christmas fluff written by Moore for his children, and he thought that having it associated with his name would damage his standing among the bearded, grumpy and intolerant scholars with whom he rubbed elbows.
But by 1837, word had begun to circulate the Moore had written it, and some publishers were already including his name as author, so he owned up to it.
It became his most well-know and certainly most well-loved work, and it had a profound effect on how people at the time viewed Santa Claus and Christmas in general – an effect that resonated through the generations and is largely responsible for the Christmas iconography we know and love today.
Now that’s one powerful poem!
Crap.
But wait.
The story doesn’t end there.
*Sigh*
It just wouldn’t be a properly American story without a heaping dose of controversy, would it?
In the year 1900, nearly 40 years after Moore’s death, the family of one Henry Livingston Jr. claimed authorship of “A Visit From Saint Nicholas.” They’d long suspected it was Livingston Junior’s work, but they only went public with their claim in 1900.
Muddying the waters of this Christmas conundrum is the unfortunate fact that Livingston Junior died in 1828, barely a year after the poem was first published.
And he never claimed it as his own work at the time either!
Scholars and historians with nothing better to do have been battling and butting heads for over a century on who should get the credit for the best-known and best-loved poem in American history.
I’ve read the claims. I’ve studied the evidence. There are two camps, and they’re as far apart as our two political parties.
It seems this case will remain unsolved, as the only ones who know the truth have long since joined Saint Nicholas in the Great Beyond.
But does it matter?
I don’t think it does. Not one little bit.
“A Visit From Saint Nicholas” is a rite of passage for every rosy-cheeked little scamp with wide and wondrous eyes who climbs into bed full of hope and excitement on Christmas Eve, and that is the only thing that matters.
So enjoy these free Christmas book page printables. May they bring a bit of joy and wonder into your home this holiday season. These are just a few of the Christmas gifts that Handan and I have for you this year.
Whether penned by Clement Clarke Moore or Henry Livingston Jr., just remember, “Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”
FREE CHRISTMAS BOOK PAGE PrintableS
As usual, here is some information on the printables: we designed these free Christmas book page printables in three colors and to fit into a 16×20 inch frame or a 24×36 poster frame, though you may scale them up or down as necessary. 24×36 inch scales down easily to 20×30 / 16×24 / 12×18 / 8×12 / 4×6 inches, and 16×20 inch scales down to 12×15 / 8×10 / 4×5 inches with no problems. If you need help with scaling down these printables so you can print them using your home printer, then check out our “How To Easily Resize Pictures” post.
Note: If you don’t have a large format printer like the Canon i8720 Printer (prints up to 13×19 inches) and are wondering the best place to get these large printables printed bigger than 8×12, we recommend trying Staples in your area or Amazon print shop. Both stores offer custom-sized prints on matte or glossy paper, and they both cost about the same. Staples also offers Engineering Prints, which are really affordable for large-format prints, but in some areas (like ours), they must be ordered from their online print shop.
Now it’s time to click on the button below to download today’s free Christmas book page printables – they are all in the Book Page Art section of The VIP Patch.
If you’re not a Navage Patch VIP, you won’t be able to access our Freebies Library. But that can be easily fixed! Subscribe for free on the form below and become a Navage Patch VIP. Once you subscribe, a password will be sent to you in our Welcome email, and that will give you access to The VIP Patch [Freebies Library].
These Christmas book printables are fabulous! Thank you so much – and please offer them again next year!
Thank you, Penny! We’ll do our best! 🙂
Thank you; they’re beautiful! Can I beg you to please make an 11 x 14 size available?
Hi Elizabeth, Handan will work on this and have it ready by next weekend. 🙂
These Christmas printables are perfect and yet such a classic & so different! Thank you for sharing. I love them!
Thank you so much, Debbie! We’re so happy you like them!
Thank you both for your generosity, your kindness, your humor, and your Christmas cheer and love. I’m always happy to see posts from the Patch pop up. ?
You are so very welcome, Cheryl! 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing these. I always enjoy your posts and just actually might try the Staples thing. I’ll definitely post when I do it! do I need to take anything else with me besides my phone to have them print it?
Hi Jean, you’ll need to bring them the files on a thumb drive. Good luck! 🙂
You sir, may be a gentleman, but you’re not a scholar when it comes to poetry! “Quick! Recite a line from a poem written by an American poet!” How about, “I think that I shall never see, a poem as lovely as a tree…” Joyce Kilmer, New Jersey.
I did know that Moore wrote, “The Night Before Christmas,” but I confess I didn’t know that he was an American.
Greg: 1, Stephanie: 1
Here’s more trivia for you. Did you know that Thomas Nast drew his famous image of “Jolly Old Santa Claus” from Moore’s description of him, in that famous poem?
If I knew how to Zoom, I’d challenge you to a game of trivia! 😉
The images you shared are lovely; thank you. I guess I will need to splurge on a laser printer.
Stephanie
LOLOLOL! You got that right, Steph! My poetry knowledge falters after “Roses are red…”
Before you buy that laser printer, consider an inkjet – they are far superior for photos and images!
Thank you once again for your generosity! You make my journal pages SO unique with these creation! Blessings for a safe season!
You’re so welcome, Monica! 🙂
God I love these. Where do you get the frames? If they’re from Amazon, would you link them in your shop so I can buy them thru you? Xo