Every December my mantel turns into a small Santa convention, and honestly, I would not have it any other way. There is something about a handmade crochet santa — the round belly, the swirly white beard, that hat tipped just so — that no shop-bought decoration can match, because every stitch carries a little of the maker along with it. Big Santas for hugging, tiny ones for the tree, flat ones for cards and coasters: I cheerfully make them all.
So I have gathered twenty of my favourite Santa patterns for you here, every single one genuinely free and every single one properly Santa — figures, faces and festive Santa decor, no plain lookalike hats allowed. You will find amigurumi Santas in several sizes, an appliqué, ornaments, coasters, pillows, two ways to dress a wine bottle, a potholder and two buntings. I have noted the sizes, the yarns and the honest little details, so pick your favourites, pour something warm, and let the Santa-making begin.
1. The Cuddle-Sized Santa You Can Actually Hug
We are starting with the Santa I would make first: Holly Lanier's Cuddle-Sized Santa Claus from Storyland Amis, a soft, squashy fellow who finishes about eight and a half inches tall with his hat on, in ordinary worsted weight yarn. His beard is the clever part — it is worked flat as a shaped rectangle, folded and sewn on, so it sits full and fluffy without a hundred fiddly strands. The belt buckle is simply embroidered on in gold yarn, the colour changes use her neat clean-edge technique, and big 15 mm safety eyes give him that sweet storybook expression. The pattern is free on her blog, with a printable ad-free PDF in her shop if you prefer paper; one honest note — it is for personal use, though finished Santas may be sold with credit to her as designer.
Pattern: Cuddle-Sized Santa Claus by Holly Lanier at Storyland Amis — Get the free pattern
2. The Big Plush Santa With the Fluffy Trim
If you want a Santa with real presence, The Caffeinated Snail's Santa Claus stands about fourteen inches tall before his hat even goes on. The legs, belly and head are worked in one continuous piece, which means far less sewing than most big amigurumi, and the parts that do attach — arms, beard, hat — are kept simple. My favourite detail is the trim: fluffy blanket yarn is slip-stitched into the front loops left behind at the colour changes, giving him soft, fur-like cuffs and coat edges without any special stitches. He is worked in yarn-under single crochet for that tight, neat amigurumi fabric, and chunky yarn will scale him up into a truly enormous Father Christmas. On a hearth or under the tree, this is the Santa every visiting child will make a beeline for.
Pattern: Crochet Santa Claus Pattern by The Caffeinated Snail — Get the free pattern
3. The Santa With the Suit Trim Worked Right In
Craft Passion's Amigurumi Santa Claus solves the fiddliest part of any Santa — that white centre trim — in the smartest way: the trim strip is crocheted first, then joined directly onto the body as you work the suit rounds, so it sits perfectly straight down his front with no wonky sewing afterwards. The body starts from an oval chain base, giving him a lovely rounded, traditional doll shape, and the whole pattern is written out in full on the page in US terms. He belongs to her family of Christmas dolls, so if you fall for her style there are matching festive characters to keep him company. In classic red with crisp white trim he looks like he stepped straight out of a vintage Christmas card. This is the Santa for makers who love tidy construction.
Pattern: Amigurumi Santa Claus by Craft Passion — Get the free pattern
4. The Gnome-Style Santa With His Toy Sack
Elisa Sartori's little Santa Claus leans into the gnome look — a tall pointed hat pulled down over a big round beard — and I find him completely irresistible. He stands about seven inches tall, is rated beginner level, and is worked in light DK yarn with a small 2.75 mm hook, so he is a gentle evening project rather than a marathon. What truly sells him, though, is the accessory: he carries his own little brown toy sack, worked separately at about three inches tall, as if he has been caught mid-delivery. Elisa includes the colours for the details too — a touch of yellow for the buckle, linen for the face. Tuck him on a bookshelf or beside the cookie jar and try not to smile every time you pass. Small Santa, enormous charm.
Pattern: Santa Claus by Elisa Sartori at Elisa’s Crochet — Get the free pattern
5. The Pocket-Sized Santa With Tiny Buttons
Amigurumi Today's Christmas Santa Claus is the dinkiest figure in this collection at about twelve centimetres tall, worked in fine cotton-blend yarn with a 2 mm hook — the kind of Santa who perches on a shelf edge, rides in a stocking toe, or dangles from a gift bag handle. He is rated easy, and the finishing touch that makes him look properly tailored is a pair of tiny six-millimetre buttons down his front. The complete pattern is published free on the Amigurumi Today site as the online version; I will be honest that you need a free account sign-in to read the full rounds, and a paid PDF is available in their shop if you prefer. Given how quick he is, most makers will forgive the extra click. Make a row of them along a windowsill and thank me later.
Pattern: Christmas Santa Claus by Amigurumi Today — Get the free pattern
6. The Cuddle Me Santa With the Textured Stitches
Staying with Amigurumi Today, their Cuddle Me Santa Claus is the bigger, cosier cousin at about sixteen centimetres, and he is the one for stitch-lovers: the pattern uses front and back post half double crochets and bobble stitches, which give his beard and trims a lovely plump texture you just do not get from plain single crochet. He is rated intermediate, works in continuous rounds with a stitch marker, and uses the same fine cotton-blend yarn and slim 2 mm hook as their other Cuddle Me toys, so he matches that whole family beautifully. As with their other patterns, the online version is free with a free account sign-in, and the PDF is sold separately in their shop. If plain Santas feel a bit samey to you, this textured gentleman is your upgrade.
Pattern: Cuddle Me Santa Claus by Amigurumi Today — Get the free pattern
7. A Mr and Mrs Santa, Made as a Pair
Why should Santa do all the work alone? DROPS Extra 0-1411, The Santa Bunch, gives you both a male and a female Santa in one free pattern, each about fifteen centimetres tall in soft Baby Merino with a 3 mm hook. The two are built on the same friendly construction with their own styling, so they sit together like a proper little couple on the mantel — and yes, you can stuff them or leave them as hanging decorations. As always with DROPS, the full pattern with all measurements and material lists is free on the Garnstudio site. Worked in fine yarn they have an heirloom, almost porcelain-doll neatness that worsted-weight Santas cannot quite copy. Make the pair for a couple celebrating their first Christmas and watch them become a tradition.
Pattern: The Santa Bunch (DROPS Extra 0-1411) by DROPS Design — Get the free pattern
8. The Flat Santa Appliqué With the Wine-Red Hat
Now for the flat Santas, and this appliqué from Crochet Daily Ideas is designed the way I wish all appliqués were: every part — face, beard, hat, brim, moustache and pom — is crocheted separately and assembled, so nothing is fiddly and you can recolour any single piece. The designer swaps the usual bright red for a deep wine hat and uses a warm cream for the beard, which gives the finished Santa, about four inches tall in worsted cotton, a softer, grown-up look that sits beautifully on natural wrapping paper and linen gift bags. It is beginner-friendly, uses just a 3.5 mm hook and scraps of cotton, and the parts are finished with bead eyes or simple embroidery. Sew them onto stockings, cards, tote bags or the tree itself. A dozen in an afternoon is genuinely doable.
Pattern: Crochet Santa Applique by Crochet Daily Ideas — Get the free pattern
9. One Little Santa Face, Three Ways to Finish It
The Secret Yarnery's Easy Santa Ornament might be the hardest-working small pattern in this whole list, because one simple Santa face becomes three different makes depending on how you finish the top: leave a tail loop and it is a tree ornament, work a longer chain and it is a gift tag for bottles and bags, or secure it through a ring and it is a keychain or bag charm. The face itself is a neat colour-blocked circle with a loopy chain-fringe beard that takes minutes, all from worsted weight scraps and a 5 mm hook. The full written pattern is free on her page alongside her video walkthroughs, including a left-handed version, and a printable PDF is available too if you like paper in hand. These are my pick for teacher and neighbour gifts — fast, personal, and gone the moment you give them.
Pattern: Easy Crochet Santa Ornaments by Secret Yarnery — Get the free pattern
10. The Thermal-Stitch Santa Suit Coaster
Nicki's Homemade Crafts turned Santa's suit into a coaster, and the construction is genuinely clever: a red circle worked in thermal half double crochet — a dense, double-thick stitch that actually insulates your table — with a black belt band and a golden buckle worked over it, finishing about four and three-quarter inches across. It is rated intermediate to advanced, not because any single step is hard, but because thermal crochet in rounds is a technique worth learning properly; Nicki links video tutorials for the thermal stitch, the increases and the circles, so you are well taught as you go. The result is a proper, sturdy, mug-worthy coaster rather than a flimsy motif. A set of four tied with ribbon is a seriously impressive handmade gift.
Pattern: Crochet Santa Coaster by Nicki’s Homemade Crafts — Get the free pattern
11. The Corner-to-Corner Santa Coaster
If you love corner-to-corner crochet, EyeLoveKnots' C2C Santa Coaster works Santa's portrait up in little half double crochet boxes, graphghan-style, so the picture builds diagonally, one tidy tile at a time. It is a wonderful scrap project and wonderfully forgiving: the finished square does double duty as a coaster, a mini washcloth or a large facial scrubbie depending on your yarn, and the designer notes you can recolour the same chart as an elf in green. The full pattern with the chart is free on her blog, with an optional ad-free PDF on Ravelry if you prefer to work from paper. Because C2C grows so predictably, confident beginners who have never tried it can absolutely use this as their first graph project. Hot cocoa, a Christmas film, and one small Santa square — a perfect evening.
Pattern: C2C Santa Coaster by EyeLoveKnots — Get the free pattern
12. The Double-Thick Santa Suit Coasters
Underground Crafter's Santa Suit Coasters take yet another approach: simple five-inch squares worked in single crochet with two strands of fine cotton held together, which makes them genuinely double-thick and ready for the hottest mug of cider you own. The design is pure suit — red coat, black belt, a pop of gold-yellow for the buckle — so a whole set reads instantly as Santa without a single face to embroider. Marie rates the pattern easy, exact gauge does not matter, and the full instructions are free on her site, with an optional ad-free PDF on Ravelry as usual. Because they are squares, they stack, store and post beautifully, which makes them my recommendation for craft-fair sellers and long-distance gifters. Sometimes the simplest Santa is the one people reach for every single day.
Pattern: Santa Suit Coasters by Marie Segares at Underground Crafter — Get the free pattern
13. The Santa Wine Bottle Cover With a Carrying Strap
Dressing the bottle you are gifting is a whole personality trait, and Lovable Loops' Santa Wine Bottle Cover commits fully: a half double crochet cover worked in rounds with red bands, a black belt section and white trim rounds, a sewn-on gold buckle — and a proper crocheted strap across the top so the bottle can be carried like a little Santa handbag. The colour sequence is spelled out round by round, so the stripes land exactly where they should. The full pattern is free on her site; a printable PDF is sold in her Etsy shop if you want it. On the table it doubles as decor long after the bottle is empty, and it fits the season's other bottles too — fizz, cordial, fancy lemonade. Hostess gifts: officially upgraded.
Pattern: Santa Wine Bottle Cover by Lovable Loops — Get the free pattern
14. The Thirty-Minute Santa Apron for a Bottle
For the quickest bottle dressing in this collection, Nicki's Wine Bottle Santa Apron is a tiny single-crochet apron — red body, black belt rows, a white-trimmed neckline, tie straps and a neck loop — that finishes about six and a half by nine and a half inches in cotton yarn and genuinely takes around half an hour. The buckle is the cheekiest shortcut in the whole article: a square of yellow felt with the centre snipped out, glued on, no crochet required. The full pattern is free on her blog, with an optional ad-free PDF on Ravelry, Etsy and LoveCrafts. She points out the apron also fits large dolls and doubles as a soap-bottle apron by the sink, which is either genius or madness and I choose genius. Beginner-friendly, scrap-friendly, panic-gift approved.
Pattern: Wine Bottle Santa Apron by Nicki’s Homemade Crafts — Get the free pattern
15. The Santa Suit Pillow With Almost No Sewing
Maria's Blue Crayon designed her Santa Pillow the way I wish all pillows were designed: two simple panels crocheted together around a fourteen-inch pillow form, a suit front with a black belt band, and exactly one thing to sew on at the end — the gold belt buckle. Everything else is calm rows of basic stitches — single, half double and double crochet — so it is a relaxing weekend make with a big festive payoff. The full pattern is free on her blog, and an ad-free printable PDF is available on Etsy and Ravelry if you prefer. She has a matching snowman pillow too, so the pair of them on a sofa is a whole Christmas scene. Firm pillow form, she advises, for the smartest finish — noted.
Pattern: Santa Pillow by Maria’s Blue Crayon — Get the free pattern
16. The Chunky Santa Pillow Sham You Can Slip Off
Salty Pearl Crochet's Santa Pillow Sham is the practical cousin of the pillow above: an envelope-style sham in soft chunky yarn that slips over an eighteen-inch pillow you already own and slips off again in January for washing and storage. The front is bold Santa-suit stripes — red double crochet, a black belt band worked in half double, white at the top — finished with an appliquéd gold buckle, all at a nice big gauge that grows fast on 8 and 9 mm hooks. The full pattern is free on her blog; a printable PDF is just a dollar on Ravelry if you want it. She mentions her kids kept stealing hers for the couch, and honestly, a squishy Santa sham was never going to stay decorative-only. Make two and save the argument.
Pattern: Santa Pillow Sham by Katie Clary at Salty Pearl Crochet — Get the free pattern
17. The Tapestry Santa Face Pillow Cover
For makers who enjoy colourwork, the Dear Santa Pillow Cover from My Hobby Is Crochet is a tapestry crochet portrait — Santa's smiling face worked stitch by stitch from a pixel graph across a sixteen-inch cover. It is an envelope design with a buttoned flap at the back using three big wooden buttons, a neat surface-crochet edging to frame the picture, and the written instructions plus the Santa graph download are both free on her page. The sample is worked mostly in a soft light blue with the face colours popped against it, which gives it that modern, slightly Scandi feel among all the classic red. This one asks for intermediate skills and a little patience with carrying colours, but the result looks like it came from a boutique. Cushion as artwork: achieved.
Pattern: Dear Santa Crochet Pillow Cover by My Hobby Is Crochet — Get the free pattern
18. The Santa Face Potholder for Christmas Cooking
The Mr. Claus Potholder is a vintage Red Heart design by Joan Barnett that deserves its comeback: a round Santa face potholder in worsted cotton — Rally Red, white, black, a golden yellow and a soft tea-rose pink for those famous rosy cheeks — worked with a 5 mm hook at intermediate level. Because it is cotton and properly shaped, it can genuinely stand between you and the Christmas baking trays, then hang on its loop looking jolly the rest of the day. The original pattern is an older one, and the complete pattern text is available free on the archive page linked below. A pair of these wrapped around a jar of homemade chutney is exactly the hostess gift I intend to give this year. Nostalgia you can bake with.
Pattern: Mr. Claus Potholder by Joan Barnett for Red Heart — Get the free pattern
19. The Granny-Square Santa Bunting
Hook Stitch Sew's Christmas Bunting builds its characters inside granny-style squares, and the Santa square is a little masterpiece of economy — a pink face, a red hat corner, and a beard worked with bobble stitches in two strands of white so it puffs right off the square. The pattern includes his reindeer and elf friends too, all strung into one bunting, but nothing stops you stringing a proud all-Santa garland if he is your favourite (he is mine). Instructions are given in both UK and US terms with the stitch conversions spelled out, and a 4.5 mm hook keeps the squares quick. Across a mantel, a hallway or a child's bedroom door, this is instant Christmas. Make the squares in odd quiet evenings through November and string them on the first of December.
Pattern: Christmas Bunting with Santa, Reindeer and Elf by Hook Stitch Sew — Get the free pattern
20. The Tiny Santa Boots Bunting
We are finishing with the smallest Santas of all — or rather, the smallest pieces of him: Crochet 'n' Create's Santa Boot Bunting strings a row of miniature Santa boots, each only about two inches tall in DK yarn, along a simple crocheted chain. Each little boot is worked in rows of single crochet with a contrasting cuff, finished with a tiny hanging loop, and the pattern is given in both US and UK instructions. Make six for a neat little garland, or keep going until it swags across the whole tree — the designer notes the boots hang happily on branches as individual decorations too. They use mere scraps of yarn, which makes them the perfect use for the last metres of Christmas red. Twenty Santas, and we end at his boots: full circle, very Santa, entirely appropriate.
Pattern: Santa Boot Bunting by Crochet ‘n’ Create — Get the free pattern
Conclusion
And that is twenty Santas, my friend — huggable and pocket-sized, flat for cards and round for coasters, dressed onto bottles, pillows and potholders, strung along buntings and shrunk down to his very boots. If you are new to festive crochet, start with the little appliqué, the bottle apron or the three-way ornaments; if you want a keepsake, the cuddle-sized Santas are calling your name. My own rule every year is one Santa for the house, one for the tree and one to give away — somehow I always end up keeping all three, and I suspect you will too.
Now tell me — are you team big cuddly Santa or team tiny tree Santa, and which of these twenty is going on your hook first? I read every comment, and I cannot wait to see your Santas!
