Christmas Window Painting: 14 Festive Designs That Make Your House Glow From the Street

Christmas Window Painting is the cheapest way to make your whole house look festive from the street, and it is suddenly everywhere. Short videos of people painting snowy scenes on their glass have pulled tens of millions of views, and once you see one glowing at dusk you understand why. All you need is washable paint, a few brushes and an afternoon. The paint wipes off in January, so there is no risk and no damage, and kids can join in. Below are 14 festive designs, from big snowflakes and stencil frost to a gingerbread house, a sleigh across the sky and a few charming vintage shop windows for inspiration. Each one comes with a simple supply list and easy steps, so you can start tonight..

A Snowy Village Christmas Window Painting

This is the showstopper that makes neighbors slow down on the sidewalk. Paint a row of little white houses, a church steeple and a few pine trees along the bottom of the glass, add falling snow dots everywhere and finish the top pane with a round red and green wreath. When the lamps come on inside, the painted scene glows like a snow globe. Plan it on paper first, then copy it with a white paint marker. Which window in your home faces the street? Start there..

You will need: Washable tempera or window paint in white, red and green, a white paint marker, a few round brushes, a dab of dish soap, paper towels.

How to make it: 1. Clean the glass well and let it dry. 2. Mix a drop of dish soap into the paint so it wipes off later. 3. Sketch the village with the paint marker, then fill in with a brush. 4. Dot snow all over and paint the wreath last.

Washable Christmas Window Painting Snowflakes

Big white snowflakes are the easiest design to start with, and this Christmas window painting looks great from inside and outside. Paint a straight line, cross it twice, then add little V shapes at the tips and you have a snowflake. The trend took off with a Christmas window decor video seen 64 million times, and most of those windows started with simple flakes like these. Mix sizes and scatter them like a real snowfall. How many can you fit on one pane?

You will need: White washable paint, a medium flat brush, a fine round brush, dish soap, a cup of water.

How to make it: 1. Paint three crossing lines for each flake. 2. Add small V shapes at the end of each arm. 3. Dot the center and a few tiny dots around it. 4. Vary the sizes from palm size to plate size.

Snow Spray Stencil Frost Corners

If freehand painting makes you nervous, stencils are your best friend. Tape a paper snowflake or star stencil into the corner of each pane, mist it lightly with window snow spray and peel it away to reveal a frosty shape. Add a soft frost edge by spraying lightly along the frame. This Christmas window painting looks like Jack Frost visited overnight, and it takes about ten minutes for a whole window. Open a window for fresh air while you spray. Will you cut your own stencils from printer paper?

You will need: Window snow spray, paper snowflake stencils, painter’s tape, newspaper to protect the sill.

How to make it: 1. Fold and cut paper snowflakes. 2. Tape a stencil flat in each corner. 3. Spray lightly from about a foot away. 4. Peel the stencil off slowly while the spray is still wet.

Gingerbread House Window Scene

A painted gingerbread cottage with icing lines, a candy cane fence and lollipop trees is pure joy, especially in a kitchen window. Paint the brown house shape first, let it dry, then add white icing swirls, colorful candy dots and a snowy ground. Kids love painting the candy, and adults can handle the outlines. It is the kind of Christmas window painting that makes everyone smile while they do the dishes. What candy would you put on your roof?

You will need: Washable paint in brown, white, red, green, pink and yellow, round brushes, a white paint marker, dish soap.

How to make it: 1. Paint a simple house shape in brown. 2. Let it dry for 20 minutes. 3. Add white icing lines with the paint marker. 4. Dot on candies and paint a candy cane fence and lollipop trees.

Brush Stroke Tree With Dot Ornaments

A tall glass patio door is the perfect canvas for a loose, painterly Christmas tree. Use a wide brush and quick downward strokes in two greens to build a tree shape, then press the round end of a brush handle into red, gold and blue paint to dot on ornaments. A yellow star on top finishes it. This Christmas window painting looks artistic but it is really just strokes and dots, so anyone can do it. Ready to try it on your back door?

You will need: Washable paint in two greens, red, gold, blue and yellow, a wide flat brush, the handle of a brush for dots, dish soap.

How to make it: 1. Mark the top point and the base width with tape. 2. Paint short downward strokes from top to bottom, widening as you go. 3. Dot ornaments with the brush handle. 4. Paint a five point star on top.

Sleigh and Reindeer Christmas Window Painting

A white sleigh flying across a starry sky is a classic design that reads beautifully from the street at night. Print a simple silhouette, tape it to the outside of the glass and trace it from inside with a white paint marker, then fill it in. Add a crescent moon, gold stars and a little trail of sparkle behind the sleigh. It looks like a shop window from an old movie. Will you send the sleigh left or right?

You will need: A printed sleigh and reindeer silhouette, tape, a white paint marker, washable white and gold paint, a fine brush.

How to make it: 1. Tape the printout to the outside of the window. 2. Trace the outline from inside with the paint marker. 3. Fill in the shapes with white paint. 4. Add the moon and stars in gold.

Poinsettia Border With a Peeking Snowman

A border of red poinsettias around the edges of a window frames the view instead of covering it, which is perfect if you love your winter scenery. Paint five pointed red petals, add a yellow dot center and a few green leaves, and repeat along the bottom and sides. Then paint a little snowman peeking in from one corner for a smile. This Christmas window painting is a cheerful mix of elegant and cute. Which corner will your snowman peek from?

You will need: Washable paint in red, green, yellow, white and black, a flat brush, a round brush, dish soap.

How to make it: 1. Paint clusters of red petals in a star shape. 2. Add green leaves between them. 3. Dot yellow centers. 4. Paint a round snowman face and body in a lower corner with a scarf and coal eyes.

Candy Cane Frame Christmas Window Painting

Sometimes the simplest idea is the one people remember. Paint a red and white striped candy cane border around the inside edge of a window and add tiny holly sprigs in the corners. Painter’s tape makes the stripes neat: tape off diagonal lines, paint red, peel and repeat. The view stays open and the window still looks festive from both sides. It suits kitchens and small windows especially well. Do you have a window that needs a quick touch of cheer?

You will need: Washable red, white and green paint, painter’s tape, a small flat brush, dish soap.

How to make it: 1. Paint a white band about two inches wide around the glass edge. 2. Let it dry and tape diagonal stripes. 3. Paint red between the tape and peel while wet. 4. Add holly leaves and berries in each corner.

Bay Window Reindeer Forest

Have a bay window? Treat each pane like one panel of a bigger story. Paint a white pine forest across all of them and add reindeer standing between the trees, with a few twinkling stars above. When the lights are on inside, the whole bay turns into a glowing winter woodland. Work pane by pane so each one looks good on its own. It is a bigger Christmas window painting project, so put on music and enjoy it. Which room in your house has the best window for this?

You will need: White and gold washable paint, paint markers, a printed reindeer outline, tape, brushes, dish soap.

How to make it: 1. Paint a row of simple pine trees across the bottom of each pane. 2. Trace or freehand reindeer between the trees. 3. Fill them in white and add gold antlers. 4. Dot stars across the top.

Kids Handprint Window Art

Little handprints turn a glass door into the sweetest family keepsake. Stack green handprints into a Christmas tree, press a brown handprint with fingers spread for a reindeer and add antlers with a brush. Fingerprints make perfect snowflakes all around. Take a photo before you clean it off in January, because those tiny hands grow fast. For more cute winter ideas, see our snowman crafts for kids. Who has the smallest hands in your house?

You will need: Washable kids paint in green, brown, white and red, paper plates, wipes, a small brush.

How to make it: 1. Pour paint onto paper plates. 2. Press painted hands onto the glass in tree rows, from wide at the bottom to narrow at the top. 3. Add a reindeer handprint and paint antlers. 4. Dot snowflakes with fingertips.

Vintage Santa Train Shop Window

Long before short videos, local shops hired sign painters to fill their windows with cheerful holiday scenes like this Santa train. These vintage windows are full of ideas you can borrow: bold outlines, flat bright colors and a snowy band along the bottom. Pick one element, like a train car full of presents, and paint it on your own glass in the same simple style. Your Christmas window painting will bring back the feel of Main Street at Christmas. Do you remember painted shop windows from your childhood?

You will need: Washable paint in red, green, yellow, white and black, a black paint marker for outlines, flat and round brushes.

How to make it: 1. Sketch the train cars as simple rectangles and circles. 2. Fill in flat colors. 3. Outline everything in black once dry. 4. Paint a white snowy band along the bottom.

Woodland Deer in a Scarf

This sweet painted deer from a vintage shop window shows how far a little personality can go. A deer with a blue scarf standing in the snow is easy to draw with ovals for the body and head and thin lines for the legs. Add white spots on its back and a soft green background behind it if you want a full scene. It is a gentle design that works well in a child’s bedroom window. Would you give your deer a scarf or a tiny hat?

You will need: Washable paint in brown, white, blue, green and black, round brushes, a fine paint marker.

How to make it: 1. Paint an oval body and a smaller oval head. 2. Add thin legs, ears and a short tail. 3. Paint a scarf and white spots. 4. Outline lightly with the paint marker.

Vintage Carolers Window Scene

Two carolers in red robes and white collars are another classic from mid century shop windows, and they are easier than they look. Each figure is basically a triangle robe, a round head and a little songbook. Paint them on a dark green background for that cozy, old fashioned feel, or straight on clear glass. Pair them with painted snow in your Christmas window painting along the bottom and you have a Christmas card on your window. Which old fashioned design do you love most?

You will need: Washable paint in red, white, yellow and green, round and flat brushes, a black paint marker.

How to make it: 1. Paint two triangle shaped robes in red. 2. Add white collars and round heads. 3. Paint small books in their hands. 4. Add hair and simple faces with the marker.

Easy Christmas Window Painting Cleanup

The best part of washable window paint is how easily it comes off. Spray the glass with warm soapy water, wait a few minutes, then slide a plastic scraper at a low angle to lift the paint in sheets. A microfiber cloth finishes the job without streaks. Lay an old towel on the sill first to catch drips, and skip harsh chemicals since soap and water do the work. Paint added with a little dish soap from the start comes off fastest of all. Which design will you paint first this year?

You will need: A spray bottle with warm water and dish soap, a plastic scraper, microfiber cloths, an old towel.

How to make it: 1. Spray the paint generously and wait three minutes. 2. Scrape gently at a low angle. 3. Spray again and wipe with a microfiber cloth. 4. Dry the glass and the frame with a clean towel.