The yearly holiday card is a nearly universal tradition in some areas. Maybe you have one relative that puts an enormous effort into theirs when the holiday season rolls around, or a neighbor who sends them to hundreds of acquaintances each and every December.

A great Christmas card, holiday party invitation, or holiday recipe needs a certain festive flair, though. Something as simple as a picture frame styled for the season can make your holiday designs a gift to anyone who sees them. In this article, I'm going to give you four free holiday-themed photo frames and show you how to customize them with pictures, Christmas-style text fonts, and wintery filters.

Christmas Frame #1: Snowflakes & Bows

This first picture frame combines two of the very best things about Christmastime: the snow and, of course, the presents. For very bright pictures, this template won't work the best – try to use it with darker pictures so the white snowflakes stand out from the rest of the image.

Christmas Frame #2: Holly Branches

For an extra homey, cozy picture, this holly, jolly canvas in the way to go. There's a whole lot of interior space in this template, so the frame won't obstruct anything in your picture or note. The holly leaves and berries are the perfect green & red combo for Christmas celebrations, but this template is also appropriate to use for any other wintertime holiday.

Christmas Frame #3: Gift Wrapping

If you want someone to feel appreciated on Christmas, there's nothing better than giving them a present. While nothing you put inside this frame can feel quite the same as a box under the Christmas tree, you can use this template to make each Christmas card, photo, or recipe feel like a gift from Santa.

Christmas Frame #4: Lights & Ornaments

Even in the isolation of winter 2020, you might see people's Christmas trees and outdoor lighting while driving around the neighborhood. They're staples of the holiday landscape: colorful string lights, trees dripping with ornaments, elaborate front lawn displays. This template brings the same seasonal spirit to any digital project you're working on.

Making Your Christmas Design: Fonts, Filters, and More

Choosing the right template is only the first step to creating a great design using a Christmas picture frame. In the Kapwing Studio, you can add especially festive text, wintery filters, and even celebratory animations to your holiday projects.

Once you've opened one of the Christmas picture frame templates, upload a background photo using the Upload button or start creating your design with a plain background color, then move your image layer behind the frame layer.

If you want to add some text to your project, choose the Text button from the top toolbar and enter the text you want. Using the editing tools on the right side of the Studio, you can customize your font's font, color, outline, drop shadow, and animation style. For Christmas fonts, I recommend Almendra Display, Satisfy, Calligraffitti, or Playfair Display, and the Wipe animation is perfect for the text on digital Christmas cards.

I hope this article helps you put your Christmas content together this year! If you're interested in other holiday, design, and digital video content, check out our YouTube channel Kapwing App. And while you're here. read through some related articles on the winter holidays and the content you can make to savor the season:

• Christmas Crafts to Make Online
• How to Make the Trending "My Elf Challenge"
• How to Create a Christmas List Online
• Make Your Own Digital Advent Calendar