Free Christmas lights SVG files

Christmas lights SVG files for borders, signs, shirts and cards

Strings of colored bulbs are one of the happiest images of the season. They say “Christmas” instantly, they work as a border or a frame around almost anything, and their bright alternating colors suit layered vinyl and cardstock perfectly. A string of lights along the bottom of a wood sign, across the top of a card, or swinging across a shirt pocket turns a plain project into a festive one.

This collection draws the classic C9-style bulb, with its rounded point and ribbed socket, plus round globe bulbs for a modern patio-light look. Every design is an original cut file in three styles: a solid silhouette for single-color cuts, an outline version, and a layered color file with the wire and sockets as the base and a separate layer for each bulb color.

Styles in this collection

Swags and strings

Light strings that dip between hanging points, like lights draped along a porch or a mantel. Some have one deep swag with a few large bulbs, others three shallow swags with many smaller bulbs. They are wide and short, made for borders, headers and the bottom edge of signs.

Straight borders and dividers

A gently waving wire with bulbs alternating above and below, for a section divider in a planner, a border along a banner, or a band around a tumbler.

Shapes made of lights

A heart, a star and a round wreath, each traced by one wire with the bulbs pointing outward. They make striking window decals, ornaments and shirt designs, and the open middle leaves room for a name or a date.

Trees and frames

A Christmas tree drawn by a zigzag string of lights with a star on top, a rectangular frame of lights, and a name frame with strings above and below an empty space.

Single bulbs and fun pieces

A large bulb with a snowflake cut out of the glass, three bulbs hanging from short cords, a string that ends in a plug, and a tangled string for anyone who has untangled a box of lights in December.

Project ideas

• Wood and pallet signs: a swag across the top of a sign that says “Merry Christmas” or your family name.
• Window decals: a lights wreath or heart in removable vinyl, inside or outside the glass.
• Shirts and sweatshirts: a string of lights across the chest or around a pocket, in multi-color iron-on vinyl.
• Cards and tags: a border along the bottom of a card, or a single bulb on a gift tag.
• Mugs and tumblers: a straight border wrapped around a mug in permanent vinyl.
• Classroom and office doors: a large lights frame around a class photo or a name.
• Ornaments: the heart, star or wreath shape on a clear or white ornament.

Choosing materials

Sizes that work

Each design page lists the smallest size at which every part, including the wire, stays wide enough to cut and weed.

Layering colored bulbs

The color files are built the way layered vinyl is usually stacked. The base layer is the whole design: wire, sockets and bulbs together in one piece. On top go the bulb colors, one layer each, so every bulb is a separate small piece that sits exactly on its spot in the base. Cut the base in dark green or black, cut each bulb color, and apply the bulbs onto the base with transfer tape, one color at a time.

For a simpler two-color look, cut the base in one color and only one bulb layer in another, or turn up the offset border in the editor to add a backing layer around the whole string.

Colors to try

• Retro multi-color: red, gold, blue and green bulbs on a dark green wire, the classic look.
• Warm white: gold or cream bulbs on a black wire, for a cozy farmhouse sign.
• Candy cane: red and white bulbs on a red or silver wire.
• Frosty: ice blue and white bulbs on a silver wire.
• One color: the solid style in white on a black shirt or chalkboard sign.

Using lights with other designs

Lights pair naturally with lettering. Put a swag above a saying such as “Merry and Bright”, run a border under a family name, or frame a monogram with a lights wreath. They also sit well next to trees, ornaments and stars from the other categories on this site.

Window decal, step by step

1. Measure the window and choose the lights wreath, heart or a border sized a little smaller than the glass.
2. Download the color file and cut the wire layer from black or green removable vinyl and each bulb color on its own sheet.
3. Clean the glass and let it dry.
4. Apply the wire layer first with transfer tape, then add the bulbs one color at a time.
5. For a decal that is seen from outside, mirror every layer before cutting and apply it to the inside of the glass.

Free to use

Every Christmas lights design here is original and free for personal projects and for up to 500 finished items per design that you sell. There is no sign-up and no email gate. Please share a link to the design page rather than the file itself.