How to Make Christmas Stickers on iPhone (for WhatsApp and iMessage)
December is the busiest month of the year for group chats. There are gift lists to agree on, Secret Santa names to draw, office party plans, travel updates, and then a flood of "Merry Christmas" messages on the day. Generic holiday stickers all look the same by Christmas Eve. A small set of your own, with your dog in a Santa hat, the family's favorite cookies or an inside joke from last year, gets noticed. This guide shows what to put in a Christmas sticker pack, three ways to make the stickers on iPhone, and how to get them to everyone in time.
The short version
- Plan eight to twelve stickers for the messages people really send in December: Merry Christmas, Secret Santa, on my way, cookies, cozy, Happy New Year.
- From your photos: in Photos, touch and hold the tree, the dog or the cookie plate, then tap Add Sticker (iOS 17 and later).
- Illustrated stickers: in Pixmoji, Text to Emoji makes "a corgi in a Santa hat, cute style", and Image to Emoji turns a photo of a person into a festive cartoon.
- Keep one style word on every prompt so the pack looks like a set.
- Share early in December: tap Install Pack for WhatsApp, or send a few in iMessage so everyone has them before the holidays.
Plan the pack
A sticker gets used when it answers a message. These are the moments most December chats go through:
| Moment | Sticker idea |
|---|---|
| Early December | An elf with a checklist: "Gift ideas?" |
| Secret Santa | A wrapped present with a question mark, a Santa saying "shh" |
| Office party | A reindeer in a party hat, a mug of hot cocoa |
| Travel | Santa's sleigh with suitcases, a snowy car: "On my way" |
| Baking | A gingerbread person waving, a tray of cookies |
| Christmas Day | A glowing tree, "Merry Christmas" in warm colors |
| After | Food coma by the fire, "Happy New Year" fireworks |
Then add two or three that only your group will get: the pet who climbs the tree every year, the sweater nobody is allowed to throw away, the dish that always runs out first.
Method 1: Real-photo stickers with Photos
Last December's photos already contain half the pack. The iPhone's own cutout turns them into stickers in seconds.
- Pick a photo with one clear subject: the decorated tree, the dog in a Santa hat, a plate of cookies shot from above.
- Open it in Photos and touch and hold the subject until a glowing outline appears.
- Tap Add Sticker. It appears in the Messages sticker drawer and in the emoji keyboard.
- Tap the new sticker and choose Add Effect. The white outline reads well on dark chat backgrounds and festive wallpapers.
Lights and busy backgrounds can confuse the cutout. Pets and people against a plain wall, and food on a plain table, work best. How to turn a photo into a sticker has more tips.
Method 2: Illustrated Christmas stickers with Pixmoji
For stickers that match, and for scenes you do not have a photo of, Pixmoji draws them, on any iPhone with iOS 15 or later.
- Open Pixmoji and tap the plus button to open the Create Emoji sheet.
- Choose Text to Emoji and describe one sticker, with the style in the same sentence:
- "Corgi wearing a Santa hat, cute style"
- "Gingerbread man waving, cartoon style"
- "Snowman holding a mug of hot cocoa, cute style"
- "Wrapped present with a question mark, Secret Santa, cute style"
- "Reindeer in an ugly Christmas sweater, cute style"
- Generate. If it is close but not right, change one word and try again. There is no style menu, so the style lives in the prompt.
- For people, choose Image to Emoji with a clear photo of one person, and add the festive details in your description.
- Tap Add to Pack on each keeper and collect them in one pack called "Christmas".
Use the same style words, such as "cute style", on every sticker. That single habit is what makes a pack look like a set instead of a random mix. The group chat sticker pack guide covers planning a set people actually use.
Method 3: Mix both
The packs people keep combine the two: the real tree cutout next to an illustrated "Merry Christmas", the actual family dog next to a cartoon of the dog pulling Santa's sleigh. Real cutouts carry the memories, and illustrations cover the moments nobody photographed.
Get the pack to everyone in time
- WhatsApp: open the pack in Pixmoji and tap Install Pack. It appears in your WhatsApp sticker tab. Anyone who receives a sticker can tap it and add it to their favorites, so send a few in the family and friends groups in early December. Step by step: how to make WhatsApp stickers on iPhone.
- iMessage: in a chat, tap the plus button, then Stickers. Touch and hold a sticker to place it on a message, which is perfect for reacting to the tree photo. See adding custom stickers to iMessage.
- Instagram Stories: share a sticker straight to a story for a festive post.
- Friends on Android get WhatsApp stickers as normal stickers, and stickers sent in Messages arrive as small images, so nobody misses the joke.
One pack can carry you from Thanksgiving to New Year. Last month's set is in Thanksgiving stickers on iPhone, and if your group celebrates more than Christmas, the same steps work for any holiday you write into the prompt.
Quick answers
How do I make Christmas stickers on iPhone?
Cut subjects out of your photos with Add Sticker in Photos, or describe them in Pixmoji's Text to Emoji, such as "corgi wearing a Santa hat, cute style". Put the results in one pack and install it in WhatsApp or use it from the iMessage sticker drawer.
Can I make a Christmas sticker of my pet?
Yes. Touch and hold your pet in a photo and tap Add Sticker for a real cutout, or describe your pet in Pixmoji with festive details for an illustrated version.
How do I send Christmas stickers on WhatsApp?
Add the stickers to a pack in Pixmoji and tap Install Pack. The pack appears in the WhatsApp sticker tab, and anyone you send a sticker to can save it to their favorites.
When should I make a holiday sticker pack?
In early December. Sharing a few stickers a couple of weeks ahead gives everyone time to save them before the busiest days.
Do I need the newest iPhone?
No. Add Sticker in Photos needs iOS 17 or later, and Pixmoji works on any iPhone with iOS 15 or later.
A pack for the whole season
Plan the moments, make a few from photos and a few from words, and share them early. Download Pixmoji, free to download, and give your group chats Christmas stickers nobody else has.