Dear Santa, I Can Explain SVG

About this design

Every December someone has some explaining to do. This saying starts like a letter, “Dear Santa,” in lively brush script, then delivers the punchline in bold rounded capitals: I CAN EXPLAIN. A small gold star at the top right gives it a festive finish.

The brush letters are mostly separate, and the capitals are individual letters, so the design has twenty-two pieces and eight small holes. That sounds like a lot, but the shapes are bold and well spaced, and they stay together on one sheet of transfer tape.

Color layers

• Lettering in red as the base, including the star outline
• Star in gold on top

Who it is for

• Kids who have had a busy year.
• Dogs and cats famous for knocking ornaments off the tree.
• Siblings in matching shirts for the Christmas photo.
• Coworkers, on a mug for the office gift exchange.
• Teenagers, on a hoodie, with a sense of humor.
• The whole family, on a sign beside the cookies for Santa.

Size and cutting tips

It passes our cut checks from about 5.5 inches wide. Because the second line is long, the design is wider than it is tall. For children’s shirts, 7 to 8 inches wide works well; for adults, 10 inches. Weed the small holes in the a, n and the capitals A, P and N before the large background.

Step by step: Santa’s cookie sign

1. Cut a small wood plaque or use a chalkboard sign about 8 by 6 inches.
2. Set the design to 7 inches wide and download the solid style.
3. Cut it from white permanent vinyl.
4. Apply it to the sign and add a gold star sticker or vinyl star.
5. Stand the sign next to the plate of cookies on Christmas Eve.

Font note

The brush script and the rounded capitals are both open-licensed fonts converted to shapes, so you need no fonts and the two lines keep their layout.

Color ideas

• White lettering with a gold star on a green shirt
• Black lettering with a red star on a white mug
• Red lettering on a kraft gift bag

Variations to try

• Swap the star for a small heart in your software.
• Rotate the design a few degrees in the editor for a casual feel.

Good to know

The comma after Santa is a tiny separate piece. Keep it in place with the transfer tape, or leave it off if the design is very small; the joke still reads perfectly.

Pairs well with

Pair it with Nice-ish and On the Nice List (Mostly) for a set of naughty-list shirts.