Merry Christmas Old English SVG

About this design

Old English lettering, more properly called blackletter, has been tied to Christmas for centuries, from illuminated manuscripts to Victorian greeting cards. Here Merry Christmas is set in a classic blackletter with broad pen strokes, diamond-shaped details and the distinctive capital M and C that mark the style. A gold rule with a star in the middle and dots at the ends sits above, and a small holly sprig with three spiky leaves and red berries finishes it below.

Many people search for “Merry Christmas in Old English font” because the style is hard to recreate well by hand. This file gives you the finished lettering as clean shapes.

Color layers

• Lettering in red, the base layer with the words and the holly berries
• Accents in gold for the star rule
• Details in green for the holly leaves

Pieces and weeding

The solid file has 22 pieces and 8 cut-outs, more than most, because blackletter has many small enclosed shapes. It passes our cut checks from about 4 inches wide; weed it slowly with a hook tool and keep the backing flat. A fresh, sharp blade and a slower cutting speed help with the narrow joins between the broad pen strokes.

Projects

• Traditional Christmas cards and church bulletins.
• Shirts and hoodies in a single color.
• Leather or faux-leather gift tags and ornaments.
• Stained-glass style window decals in red and green.
• Framed signs for a classic living room.

Step by step: a hoodie

1. Set the design to 10 inches wide for an adult hoodie.
2. Download the solid style for a single color, or the color file for three.
3. Mirror it, cut it from iron-on vinyl and weed carefully around the small openings.
4. Press it centered about 3 inches below the neckline.
5. Wait a day before washing, then wash inside out on cold.

Size guide

Color ideas

• Red, gold and green, as shown
• Black on white for a crisp, classic look
• Gold on burgundy for an elegant card

About the lettering

The blackletter is a free, open-licensed font, converted to shapes so the file works anywhere. The star rule and holly were added to frame it.

Pairs well with

The Holly Crown adds more holly to the same card, and Silent Night shares the gothic style in a more modern cut.