The Christmas season has arrived, and the signs of it are everywhere. Outside, it’s getting colder, stores are filling with people shopping for gifts, and pretty lights strung around trees and rooftops make the whole world seem magical. The holiday cheer might even spread to your phone. Thanks to emoji, there’s a way to send your nearest and dearest a little bit of the holiday spirit with every text. Here are 15 essential holiday emojis you can use to keep all of your posts and messages merry and bright.
1. Christmas tree emoji 🎄
Not to be confused with the Evergreen tree emoji 🌲, this conifer is decorated with colorful ornaments and even a star. The Christmas Tree emoji 🎄 was added to the Emoji 1.0 catalog in 2015. This emoji is used throughout the holiday season from late November to early January, but it’s also not uncommon to see it used during other seasons to discuss and promote Christmas-related things.
2. Cookie emoji 🍪
What do kids leave out for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve? Cookies and milk, of course. For that reason, the Cookie emoji 🍪 is often used—along with the Glass of Milk emoji 🥛—to refer to the holiday season, Christmas Eve, Christmas cookies, and even Santa Claus himself. On December 4, the Cookie emoji 🍪 is also used with the hashtag #NationalCookieDay to commemorate National Cookie Day. ’Tis the season for this emoji to take center stage.
3. Snowman emoji ☃️
If you need a snowperson emoji, you have two options: the Snowman emoji ☃️ and the Snowman Without Snow emoji ⛄. Both are festive symbols that call to mind the holiday season and cold, snowy days. You might notice the body has two mounds instead of three. The Japanese word for snowman is yukidaruma, or “snow daruma.” A daruma is a doll resembling a seated, round-bellied Buddhist monk. Early woodblock paintings depict two-mounded snow sculptures that resemble daruma and may suggest a link between two-mounded snowmen and these dolls.
4. Glowing Star emoji 🌟
The five-pointed Glowing Star emoji 🌟 takes on a special meaning during the Christmas season. Year-round, this emoji usually indicates praise, positivity, and even literal stars. Since 2015, the Glowing Star emoji 🌟 has also been used on Snapchat to designate favorite content. But, during Christmastime, the star becomes something more. It can be used as a symbol for the star at the top of a tree, to signify religious worship, and even as a symbol for the Star of Bethlehem.
5. Latin Cross emoji ✝️
The Latin Cross emoji ✝️ depicts one of the most well-known symbols of Christianity, and that gives it added significance throughout the month of December. Added to the Emoji 1.0 catalog in 2015, the cross is used whenever someone wants to reference the Christian religion, church, or Jesus. It can also be used to indicate prayer, and it’s an emoji you’ll likely see if you’re discussing plans to attend a Christmas Eve mass.
6. Wrapped Present emoji 🎁
The holidays are the season of giving, so using the Wrapped Present emoji 🎁 just makes sense. It was added to the emoji catalog along with other celebratory symbols, like the Party Popper emoji 🎉, and it’s sometimes referred to as the Wrapped Gift emoji, Birthday Present emoji, and, of course, the Christmas Present emoji. The holiday association is helped further by the bright red bow on the package. No wonder this is a top emoji search every holiday season.
7. Santa Claus emoji 🎅
Guess who’s coming to town? It’s the Santa Claus emoji 🎅. Commonly referred to as the Santa emoji or even the Father Christmas emoji, this emoji was approved under Unicode 6.0 in 2010 and is hugely popular during the Christmas season. The Apple version of the emoji depicts Santa as being yellow, like all of Apple’s other people emojis, but other platforms and Apple’s own customization options feature different skin tones and the traditional white beard.
8. Mrs. Claus emoji 🤶
You can’t have Santa without Mrs. Claus. The Mrs. Claus emoji 🤶 was added to the emoji catalog later than her husband. She arrived in 2016, following pressure by users to increase gender parity in emoji. Like Santa, Mrs. Claus is available in a variety of skin tones. In 2020, a Mx Claus emoji 🧑🎄 was also added to increase gender diversity.
9. Chestnut emoji 🌰
You probably know the classic Christmas song that mentions chestnuts roasting on an open fire, but did you know there’s a Chestnut emoji 🌰 ? The acorn-like nut is an old-fashioned staple during the fall and winter, when people text about their chestnut lattes and roasting hot chestnuts to eat. This emoji is also sometimes substituted for pecans and walnuts because, fun fact: it is the only tree nut emoji available. Be cautious with this one, though. It can also be used as a symbol for nuts as a slang term.
10. Deer emoji 🦌
Deer are a common winter symbol, and during the holiday season, the Deer emoji 🦌 has another job: representing reindeer. We’re talking about eight reindeer, in particular, led by a certain red-nosed fellow named Rudolph. The Google version of this emoji actually had a bright, red nose, though it’s since been updated to depict a typical deer. With the addition of the Sled emoji 🛷 , added in 2017, you could type out Santa’s whole team.
11. Elf emoji 🧝
Not everyone is aware the Elf emoji 🧝 is an option now. Added in 2017, this emoji features a human-like face and pointed ears. It could be used to represent fantasy elves, like in Lord of the Rings, but during Christmas, it’s more commonly used for the elves you might spot at the North Pole. The standard elf emoji is gender neutral, but you can also use a Woman Elf emoji 🧝♀️ , Man Elf emoji 🧝♂️ , and choose from a variety of skin tones.
12. Place of Worship emoji 🛐
The winter holidays are important religious celebrations for many people, and that makes the Place of Worship emoji 🛐 a holiday essential. This emoji was added to the catalog in 2015 and is intended to be multi-faith. Worship can be something that happens in an official place, like a church or temple, or it can be acts of reverence carried out at home. This emoji is used to make plans, as well as remind people of the “reason for the season,” as some say.
13. Baby Angel emoji 👼
The Baby Angel emoji looks similar to a standard Baby emoji 👶 except it has a halo and wings. Angels are a popular Christmas symbol, but the celestial beings haven’t been granted their own emoji yet, so people substitute by using the Baby Angel emoji 👼 instead. This emoji can also be used to talk about Christmas music (like, “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”) or as a general symbol of Christian faith.
14. Socks emoji 🧦
What do socks have to do with Christmas? Think: stockings hung by the chimney with care. There isn’t yet a Christmas stocking emoji, and humans are creative, so people started using the Socks emoji 🧦 instead. Of course, actual Christmas socks exist too, so this emoji can be used to refer to real socks as well. For now, this emoji is pulling double duty until the Christmas stocking emoji can be crossed off of everyone’s wish list.
15. Bell emoji 🔔
Sleigh bells, jingle bells, church bells—there are just so many uses for the Bell emoji 🔔 during this time of year. Added in 2015, this emoji depicts a shiny, gold bell that resembles the bells many associate with Christmas time and winter. It can be used on its own or in combination with other Christmas and winter-themed emoji to add a little jingle-jangle to any message or greeting.
Take the quiz
O’er the hills we go, texting all the way! Bring more joy to your world by taking our fun and festive Christmas emoji quiz.
