16 Elf Coloring Pages

Christmas elves became part of the Santa story in the 1800s, when American writers and illustrators pictured a workshop full of helpers making toys at the North Pole. These pages show the elves hard at work and having fun. One carries a tall stack of cookies, another decorates a tree, one reads the nice list, and others hold a candy cane, a lantern, a candy jar, a toy sack or a nutcracker. An elf waves from a chimney, another glides by on ice skates, and a few classic elves pose in pointed hats. Two cuddly cartoon elves give younger kids simple shapes to fill. Elves are traditionally drawn in green and red, but there are no rules for elf fashion. Stripy stockings, polka dot hats and rainbow scarves all look fun. Many of the pages are tall, which leaves room for the hat, the props and the elf from top to toe. The cute versions are ideal for preschoolers, and the chimney and tree scenes reward older kids who enjoy details.