Christmas stencils make decorating for the holidays easy and inexpensive. Add Christmas stencils to cakes, cookies, windows, gift wrap, cards and a host of other Christmas crafts projects. Christmas stencils can be found online and, in some cases, they may be free - you may first have to download the stencil and then print it out from your home computer to use it.

Check out the links on this page for some great and festive Christmas stencils.

• Search online sites for your favorite stencil

• Print the stencil on card stock

• Carefully cut out the stencil with an Exacto knife

• Tape the stencil to paper, cloth or windows and fill in the cut-out image with glitter and paste, paint or ink (make sure it is washable, if using on windows)

• Hold the stencil in place for food items and fill in the cut-out area with colored icing or powdered sugar

• Early stencils were cut from leaves and colored by vegetable dyesFree Stencil Patterns: The History of Stenciling

• In the 1800s, stencils were used in England for book illustrationsSprayPaintStencils.com: Stencil Article...

• The French used a similar technique in the 1920s-30sSprayPaintStencils.com: Stencil Article...

• Laser-cut and spray paint stencils were available online for use by activists in the 2000sSprayPaintStencils.com: Stencil Article...