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A Christmas junk journal is a handmade book for the season’s paper: cards, tags, ticket stubs, a recipe, the notes that pile up on the kitchen counter in December. Making one from scratch takes time most of us don’t have that month. A printable Christmas junk journal kit cuts that down to an evening, because the pages and ephemera are already designed. You download, print, cut and start gluing.
Choosing one takes longer than it should. Marketplace searches return hundreds of listings, and plenty of them are clipart sets or three sheets of patterned paper sold as a “kit.” I read through 30 Christmas listings on Creative Fabrica and kept 8 kits and page packs, from an antique brown-paper kit to a gothic set for anyone tired of red and green. Each pick below lists its contents, page size, file format and one drawback, and the guide ends with printing, assembly and license notes.
In this guide
Quick picks
Best overallAntique Christmas Junk Journal Kit
53 pages of backgrounds, journal pages and ephemera in one antique, brown-paper style.
Best for a folioChristmas Junk Journal Kit
Covers, cards, two tag sizes, mini envelopes and folio pieces for a pocket-filled project.
Easiest to printNutcracker Royal Christmas
36 watercolor sheets, each one supplied as both a JPG and a ready-to-print PDF.
Something differentGothic Christmas Pages
50 moody Victorian-style pages in black, deep red and bone white.
Christmas junk journal kits compared
| Kit | Type | What you get | Size and format | Best for | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antique Christmas Junk Journal Kit | Complete kit | 53 pages: 5 backgrounds, 35 journal pages, 13 ephemera pages | 8.5 × 11 in, JPG | A classic vintage journal | View |
| Christmas Junk Journal Kit | Complete kit | Pages, covers, cards, tags, mini envelopes, folio pieces | 8.5 × 11 in, JPG | Folios and tuck spots | View |
| Nutcracker Royal Christmas | Complete kit | 36 illustrated sheets | 8.5 × 11 in, JPG + PDF, 300 DPI | An elegant gift journal | View |
| Christmas Curiosities | Complete kit | 8 ephemera pages, 20 pattern papers | Square, JPG, 300 DPI | A Wonderland theme | View |
| Christmas Sheet Music Paper | Page pack | 20 double pages (40 pages) | 11 × 8.5 in, JPG, 300 DPI | Music-themed pages | View |
| Cozy Woodland Christmas | Page pack | 10 pages | 8.5 × 11 in, JPG, 300 DPI | A small first project | View |
| Gothic Christmas Paper | Page pack | 25 sheets, 50 pages when cut | 8.5 × 11 in, JPG, 300 DPI | An alternative Christmas | View |
| Floral Doily Lace Fussy Cuts | Embellishment | 12 doily designs | A4, JPG + PDF, 300 DPI | Layering on any kit | View |
How I chose these kits
I started with 30 Christmas junk journal listings on Creative Fabrica and judged them on these criteria, in this order:
- Whether it works as a junk journal kit. Pages plus ephemera ranked highest; page packs and fussy cuts had to do one job well.
- Whether it’s ready to print: a stated page size (US Letter or A4), resolution and file format. A PDF version counted in its favor.
- Whether the listing says what’s inside. If I couldn’t tell what you’d get, the kit was out.
- Whether it differs from the other picks. One seller had 13 page packs in the same layout, so only one of them made the list.
Everything here comes from the sellers’ product descriptions, file details and preview images. I haven’t printed or tested these kits, and I had no buyer reviews to summarize, so read each drawback as something to check before you buy.
Last updated: October 30, 2026.
Kit, page pack or fussy cut?
Listings use the word “kit” for almost anything, so it’s worth knowing the three types before you buy.
- A complete kit has journal pages and ephemera: tags, journaling cards, labels, sometimes envelopes or covers. Start here if you have nothing yet.
- A page pack (often called “junk journal paper”) gives you decorated pages only. It’s the right buy if you already have a stash of ephemera.
- Fussy cuts are sheets of separate images, like flowers or lace, that you cut out and layer on top of a page.
Complete Christmas junk journal kits
Best overall
1. Antique Christmas Junk Journal Kit
If your idea of a junk journal is aged brown paper and old-fashioned Christmas imagery, start here. This download covers every layer of a journal: background pages to build on, a large stack of journal pages and 13 full pages of ephemera. You can finish a whole journal without buying a second kit.
- 53 pages in total
- 5 background pages
- 35 journal pages, two to a sheet
- 13 pages of ephemera
- 8.5 × 11 in (US Letter), JPEG
The journal pages come two to a sheet. Cut each sheet in half and you get pages of about 5.5 × 8.5 in, a good size for a first journal and easy to fold into signatures.
Drawback: the files are JPEG only, and the listing doesn’t state the resolution. Print one ephemera page first to check that small text looks sharp.
Best for a folio
2. Christmas Junk Journal Kit
Along with journal paper, this kit includes covers, journaling cards in portrait and landscape, tag sheets in two sizes, mini envelopes and a set of folio parts. That mix suits a folio (a folded paper wallet with pockets), where you need many small pieces to tuck in and fewer full pages.
- Journal paper, US Letter (8.5 × 11 in)
- Covers
- Journaling cards, portrait and landscape
- Tag sheets, 4-up and 8-up
- Mini envelopes
- Vintage Christmas ephemera
- Folio frame and folio extras
- JPG files
Print the covers, tags and envelopes on cardstock and the journal paper on lighter stock. Mini envelopes printed on copy paper tear easily once they’re glued and stuffed.
Drawback: the listing names the components but not how many pages each part has or the resolution. Look through the full preview before buying so you know how much ephemera you’re getting.
Easiest to print
3. Nutcracker Royal Christmas Junk Journal
This Nutcracker kit is painted in what the designer calls an opal watercolor style, with ballet, palace and gingerbread themes. It looks more like a storybook than a scrapbook, which makes it a good choice when the finished journal will be a gift.
Every one of the 36 sheets comes as a JPG and as a ready-to-print PDF. With the PDF you can print the whole set at the correct size in one job, instead of opening and scaling 36 images one by one.
- 36 sheets, 8.5 × 11 in
- 72 files: each sheet as JPG and PDF
- 300 DPI, RGB
Drawback: the text on the pages is decorative only and isn’t meant to be read, so you’ll add your own journaling. The soft watercolor look is also more fairy tale than antique; if you want aged paper, pick #1.
Most whimsical
4. Christmas Curiosities Junk Journal Kit
Alice in Wonderland meets Christmas, judging by the listing’s tags: the Cheshire Cat, the caterpillar and argyle patterns. It pairs 8 ephemera pages with 20 pattern papers, so you get pieces to cut out and plenty of backgrounds to mix them on.
- 8 ephemera pages, 2588 × 2588 px, 300 DPI
- 20 pattern papers, 3600 × 3600 px, 300 DPI
- JPG files
These are square files. At 300 DPI the pattern papers measure 12 × 12 in, the size of scrapbook paper, and the ephemera pages about 8.6 in square. On a standard sheet, choose “fit to page” and you’ll get squares of roughly 8 × 8 in. The designer also notes the pages can be printed smaller, at A5.
Drawback: square files waste part of every Letter or A4 sheet, and Windows users will see extra files starting with “._” in the download. Those are Mac system files, not missing pages, and you can ignore them.
Christmas junk journal page packs
These three give you pages only. They’re a good buy if you already have tags and ephemera, or you can pair one with a complete kit from above. Two of them use double pages: each landscape sheet holds two designs side by side.
Music theme
5. Christmas Sheet Music Junk Journal Paper
Old sheet music turns up in junk journals all the time, on covers, backgrounds and tucked between pages. This pack builds whole Christmas pages around it, pairing music notes with whimsical holiday illustrations, so you get a carol-book look without hunting down real antique music.
- 20 double pages, 40 pages once cut
- 11 × 8.5 in (landscape Letter), 300 DPI
- JPG files
Cut each sheet down the middle and you get two 5.5 × 8.5 in pages. Fold it instead and you have a spread that can go straight into a signature.
Drawback: the listing gives both Letter measurements and A4 millimeters, so check the actual file size after download before you print a batch. It’s also part of a large series from the same seller; if you like the format, the deer, gnome and snowman versions follow the same layout.
Best small project
6. Cozy Woodland Christmas Junk Journal
The newest listing here, from 2026. Its tags point to foxes, bunnies and forest scenes on aged-paper backgrounds, a warm cabin-in-the-woods look that works from Thanksgiving through the end of winter.
Ten pages suits a first junk journal. It’s enough for a slim journal or a handful of cards in a weekend, and if the hobby turns out not to be for you, you won’t have 40 unused sheets sitting in a drawer.
- 10 journal pages
- 8.5 × 11 in (US Letter), 300 DPI
- JPG files
Drawback: no ephemera is listed, and 10 pages won’t fill a thick journal. Pair it with tags from #1 or #2 if you want more to layer.
Alternative pick
7. Gothic Christmas Junk Journal Paper
This set takes Christmas in a Victorian gothic direction, for anyone who has had enough of snowmen and red bows. The designer lists baroque borders, lace and candlelight, skeleton Santas, crows and bats, faded sheet music and moonlit snow, in black, deep red, wine, bone white, silver and forest green.
- 25 sheets with two designs each, 50 pages once cut
- US Letter (8.5 × 11 in), 300 DPI
- JPG files
Some of the motifs, like crows, lace and moonlit snow, aren’t specific to Christmas, so a few pages could also carry a winter journal on into January.
Drawback: dark backgrounds use a lot of ink, and home inkjets can leave dark pages slightly damp and wavy. Print one sheet first, or take the set to a print shop.
Fussy cuts to layer on top
Embellishment
8. Fussy Cut: Christmas Floral Doily Lace
Paper doilies and lace are junk journal staples, and these red and green floral doilies add texture to any Christmas page. Slip one behind a journaling card, use it as a mat under a photo, or frame a tag with it.
- 12 doily and lace designs
- 8 JPG files, with and without a cutting outline
- 1 PDF file
- A4, 2480 × 3508 px, 300 DPI
Use the outlined versions if you cut by hand. Lacy edges are fiddly, and a printed outline gives your scissors a clean line to follow.
Drawback: the files are A4, so US Letter printers should use “fit to page.” They’re also saved in CMYK, and some home printers shift CMYK colors slightly, so expect small color differences from the preview.
How to print Christmas junk journal pages
The same kit can look flat on copy paper and much richer on heavier matte stock. CraftGossip’s paper guide calls standard 20 lb copy paper too thin for finished journals and suggests 28 lb for most printables, with heavier paper or cardstock for covers, pockets and tags. The table below follows those ranges; the gsm figures are my conversions.
| What you’re printing | Paper | Approx. weight |
|---|---|---|
| Journal pages and backgrounds | Matte paper, cream or ivory for a vintage look | 24 to 28 lb (about 90 to 105 gsm) |
| Tags and journaling cards | Heavier paper or light cardstock | 28 to 32 lb (about 105 to 120 gsm) |
| Covers and pockets | Cardstock or kraft paper | 32 lb paper or 65 lb cardstock (about 120 to 176 gsm) |
| Ephemera you want to stick down fast | Matte sticker paper | Check your printer’s limit |
- Print Letter files on Letter paper at 100% (“actual size”). Switch to “fit to page” only when the sizes don’t match, as with A4 files on Letter paper or square files.
- Pick the matte or high-quality paper setting in the print dialog to cut down on curling.
- Print one page before the whole kit, since colors on paper rarely match the screen exactly.
- Without a printer at home, put the files on a USB stick or upload them to a local print shop and ask for matte paper at actual size.
How to turn printed sheets into a journal
A first Christmas journal needs no special tools. You fold sheets in half, nest them into groups called signatures and bind the signatures into a cover.
- Fold or cut the sheets. A US Letter sheet folded in half gives four 5.5 × 8.5 in pages, and double-page sheets from a page pack can be cut into two pages or folded into a spread.
- Nest three to five folded sheets inside each other to make a signature. Four folded sheets give 16 pages, and ten sheets in total give about 40, as The Graphics Fairy’s junk journal tutorial shows.
- Glue tags, pockets and envelopes onto the pages, or tuck them between the folds before binding.
- Make a cover from cardstock, kraft board or an old book cover, with a spine wide enough for your signatures.
- Stitch each signature through the fold, or skip the sewing and hold the signatures in place with elastic bands or ribbon around the spine.
Tip: vary the page sizes. Trimming a few pages slightly smaller than the rest lets the edges peek out in layers, which is a big part of the junk journal look.
Ways to use a Christmas junk journal
- Keep a page for each December day with a photo, a ticket or a few lines. Ali Edwards’ December Daily® project is a structured version of this idea: a 25-day album with one story per day.
- Stitch in envelopes and pockets to save the Christmas cards you receive each year.
- Make a slim journal from a 10-page pack as a gift for a friend who loves paper.
- Use journaling cards for gift lists, menus and recipes, and tuck them into pockets.
What the Creative Fabrica license lets you do
All eight picks are sold on Creative Fabrica, and the license depends on how you get them. This summary reflects the Single Sales License and Subscription License pages as of October 2026. It isn’t legal advice, so read the current terms before selling anything.
- Bought individually (Single Sales License): you can use the files for personal and commercial projects, and there’s no limit on how many physical items you make and sell, such as finished journals. You can’t share, resell or give away the files themselves, and you can’t include a digital copy with a physical item.
- Downloaded with a subscription (Subscription License): the same unlimited physical products are allowed while the subscription is active. If you cancel, you can keep selling items you already made, but you can’t use the assets to create new products.
Individual designers can add their own conditions, so check the listing too.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Christmas junk journal kit?
It’s a downloadable set of printable pages and, in a complete kit, ephemera such as tags, journaling cards and labels, all designed around a Christmas theme. You print it at home or at a print shop, cut out the pieces and bind them into a journal.
Are these Christmas junk journal kits free?
No, they’re paid products on Creative Fabrica. You can buy each one individually, and many of them are also available through Creative Fabrica’s subscription, which has a trial offer at times. Check the product page for current pricing.
What paper should I print junk journal pages on?
Matte paper in the 24 to 28 lb range works well for pages, and light cardstock is better for tags, covers and envelopes. Regular 20 lb copy paper works for practice but wrinkles under glue.
Can I print US Letter kits on A4 paper?
Yes. Choose “fit to page” in your print settings. You’ll get a thin white margin, which you can trim off or keep as part of the vintage look.
What does “double pages” mean?
Each sheet holds two page designs side by side. Cut it in half for two separate pages, or fold it in the middle to make a spread for a signature.
Can I sell journals made with these kits?
Creative Fabrica’s licenses allow selling physical products made with the files, with conditions. A subscription license stops covering new products after you cancel, and you can never share or resell the digital files. Read the license and the individual listing before you sell.
Final thoughts
If you only buy one kit, make it the Antique Christmas Junk Journal Kit, which has pages, backgrounds and ephemera in a classic vintage style. For a folio full of pockets and tags, pick the Christmas Junk Journal Kit. The Nutcracker set is the easiest to print thanks to its PDFs, and the Gothic Christmas pages suit anyone who finds red and green too sweet.
If you’re new to junk journaling, the Cozy Woodland pack plus a sheet of tags from either complete kit is enough for a first weekend project.
