Christmas coloring blanket: 12 ways to color the holidays

Christmas coloring blanket order date: December 5

Our blanket is delivered in 7 to 17 days anywhere in the US, and shipping is free. An order placed on December 5 arrives between December 12 and December 22. After that, it can land close to Christmas or just after, so if it is a gift for the 25th, December 5 is your deadline.

Everything you need comes in the box: the blanket, about 59 x 50 inches of soft polyester printed with line art, and 24 color markers. Nobody has to run out for supplies on Christmas afternoon.

Coloring the blanket on Christmas Day

1. Open it first, color right away. Put the blanket in the first box opened that morning. While the rest of the presents come out, someone has already claimed a corner. It gives the kids something to do with their hands while the grown-ups are still on their first coffee.

2. Give grandparents and grandkids a shared corner. Pick one area of the blanket and assign it to a grandparent and a grandchild together. One chooses the colors, the other colors, then they switch. It is a slow, side-by-side activity that does not need anyone to be good at anything.

3. Color during the holiday movie. A throw this size covers two laps on the couch. Lay it across, keep the markers in a cup on the armrest, and color the shapes nearest to you during the slow parts of the movie.

Coloring during the Christmas break

4. One object a day until New Year's Eve. Each person picks one object per day: a pastry on the Bakery design, a mouse on Cat and Mouse, a cassette on Retro Tech. By December 31, the blanket shows a week of small choices, one per person per day.

5. Vote on a family palette. Before the first marker comes out, everyone picks three colors from the 24. The blanket is colored only with the winning palette. It is a five-minute vote that makes the finished blanket look planned.

6. Color in turns with a kitchen timer. Set a timer for ten minutes. When it rings, the markers move to the next person. Good for siblings who argue over the same corner, and for adults who want a turn too.

7. Play seek and color. On a busy design like Cat and Mouse or Country Market, one person names an object: "a rolling pin," "a violin." The first to find it gets to color it. Younger kids love being the one who calls out.

A coloring blanket when holiday guests come over

8. One object per guest. Ask every visitor to color one small shape before they leave. By the end of the holidays, the blanket holds a little of everyone who came through the door.

9. A project for the kids' table. While dinner is being finished, spread the blanket on the floor or a cleared table with an old sheet underneath. It keeps a group of kids busy in one place, and you can see from the kitchen how far they got.

10. A photo at the end of each day. Take one picture of the blanket every evening from the same spot. On New Year's Day, scroll through them and watch it fill up. It is also a nice record to keep once the holidays are over.

Coloring to close the year

11. Make it the New Year's Day throw. Once the coloring stops, fold it over the couch for the first lazy day of the year. The manufacturer presents the blanket as washable and reusable; our guide to washing a coloring blanket covers what is known and what is not.

12. Keep one version for good. If the family wants a keepsake, color a blanket with our permanent fabric markers instead, an option at $9.99 per blanket. They are a second set made for colors that stay, so that one stays as it is. Read more on our fabric markers page.

Which coloring blanket design for a family Christmas?

There is no holiday-themed pattern in our range right now, and we only list designs the manufacturer actually sells. For a family, pick a subject everyone can name:

• Fruit Market: pineapples, bananas, watermelon slices and grapes, shapes kids know on sight.
• Bakery: cupcakes, pretzels and croissants, for the family that bakes the holiday cookies.
• Cat and Mouse: cats and mice cooking in a busy kitchen, full of small stories for kids.
• Garden Blooms: dense flowers and leaves, for an adult who wants a long project.

All our designs are white line art on a black background, so the colors stand out even when only a few objects are done. You can see all of them on our designs page.

Who a Christmas coloring blanket suits, and who it does not

A coloring blanket suits a family that likes slow activities at home, kids who enjoy coloring, and grandparents looking for something to do with the grandchildren. It also works for an adult who already colors and wants a bigger page.

It is not the right gift for someone who wants a warm blanket for a full-size bed: at about 59 x 50 inches, it is a throw. It is also not for anyone who needs it in a few days, since delivery takes 7 to 17 days. And because the manufacturer gives no minimum age, young children should always color with an adult nearby.

A coloring blanket ready for the holidays

Our coloring blanket is $39.99 with 24 color markers included, free US shipping, and 30 days to return it after delivery. All the details for a holiday gift are on our Christmas coloring blanket page. Order by December 5 and it will be there for the 25th.