Crochet Christmas Gift Pockets – Free Santa, Elf & Reindeer Pattern

These crochet Christmas gift pockets combine a small folded pouch with a round character head and two little hands resting on the front edge. Santa, an elf and a reindeer share the same basic pieces, so you can choose one character or make a coordinated trio.

The pocket stays open behind the hands. A note or a small wrapped surprise can slide inside, while the stuffed head is sewn to the back rim. Embroidered belts, stars and running stitches give the simple rectangles their present-like finish.

This version uses compact single-crochet shapes and separate accessories rather than full doll bodies. For another small seasonal gift decoration, the flat crochet gingerbread man can be sewn onto a fabric bag.

How these crochet Christmas gift pockets are built

This is an original interpretation inspired by the reference characters with presents, not the exact pattern behind that photograph. The written design makes soft, flat pockets from folded rectangles; it does not use rigid cube-shaped boxes. Each pal needs one pocket, one stuffed head and two hands, followed by the accessories for the chosen character.

The stitch arithmetic has been checked, but the design has not been physically tested. No measured gauge, finished dimensions or yarn consumption is supplied. Make one pocket and head first to assess their proportions in your yarn. The styling photographs show the intended look; follow the written counts and construction below.

Materials and colors

• Smooth yarn of the same weight in red, green, cream, tan, brown, white, yellow and a little black for embroidery. Choose only the colors needed for your character.
• A suitable hook that makes a firm single-crochet fabric. A 2.5–3 mm hook is a starting suggestion for light yarn, adjusted to the yarn label and your fabric.
• Fiberfill for the head and hands; do not fill the pocket.
• A blunt yarn needle, scissors and a removable marker for the first stitch of each round.

Use cream for Santa and the elf’s head and hands, and tan for the reindeer’s. Santa has a red pocket; the elf and reindeer have green pockets. The instructions use embroidered eyes. Keep the fabric close enough that stuffing does not show between the stitches, while allowing the pocket rectangle to fold.

US terms and counting conventions

ch = chain; sc = single crochet; dc = double crochet; inc = 2 sc in one stitch; dec = sc2tog, joining two stitches into one; sl st = slip stitch; MR = magic ring; st/sts = stitch/stitches. The Craft Yarn Council abbreviation guide is a useful reference for standard US terminology.

Work the head, hands, hat and muzzle in continuous rounds without turning. Move the marker to the first stitch of each new round; do not add joins or beginning chains between those rounds. When starting an MR, ch 1 before the first sc; that chain does not count. The pocket and beard are worked back and forth. Their turning chains never count as stitches.

For a dec, insert the hook in the next stitch and pull up a loop, insert in the following stitch and pull up another loop, then yarn over and draw through all three loops. You can use an invisible decrease through the two front loops instead; the count remains one stitch made from two.

Shared pocket: one rectangle, folded in half

Use red for Santa or green for the elf or reindeer. Ch 13.

Row 1: Sc in the second chain from the hook and in each remaining chain. 12 sc.

Rows 2–16: Ch 1, turn, sc in each of the 12 stitches. 12 sc per row. Fasten off with a sewing tail. There are 192 sc in the completed rectangle, excluding the foundation and turning chains.

Fold between Rows 8 and 9 so Row 1 and Row 16 become the two upper edges. Match the row ends at both sides. Whipstitch the two side seams, catching one corresponding row end from each layer at a time, for eight matched row-end pairs per side. The folded edge is the bottom; leave both top edges unjoined.

Do not add a crochet edging or stuff the pouch. The neat upper edges come from the existing first and last rows. Check that the opening accepts the note or wrapped item you intend to use before adding the character.

Shared head: make one per pal

Use cream for Santa or the elf, or tan for the reindeer. Start with an MR and ch 1.

Pause after Round 8, before stuffing, to embroider two black eyes across the front between Rounds 5 and 6, leaving roughly four stitch columns between them. Work a few short passes in the same place for each eye, securing the ends inside. Add an optional small stitched smile below. Mark the face center so you can keep the hat, beard or muzzle aligned.

Begin stuffing after Round 8. Add small amounts rather than forcing one large lump inside. Finish stuffing before Round 10, then fasten off with a sewing tail. Thread that tail through the front loops of the final six stitches and draw the opening closed. Keep the closure at the bottom, where it will meet the pocket’s back rim.

Shared hands: make two per pal

Use the head color. Round 1: MR, ch 1, 6 sc. Rounds 2 and 3: Sc in each of the 6 stitches. 6 sc each round; 18 sc per hand. Add only a tiny amount of stuffing, fasten off and pass the tail through the six front loops to close. Leave the tails for sewing. Make the second hand the same way.

The hands are small rounded tubes closed with a needle, not circles that need an increasing round. Extra stuffing will make their top edge look like a hard knot. Roll them gently between your fingers to distribute the filling.

Santa and elf: the shared cone hat

Use red for Santa’s hat or green for the elf’s. Start with an MR and ch 1. Keep working in a spiral.

Change color on the final yarn-over of the last stitch in Round 8, so Round 9 begins in the band color. Fasten off after Round 9 with a sewing tail. The hat stays unstuffed. Its 24-stitch opening matches the head’s widest count, but the actual fit depends on tension; check it before sewing.

For an optional yarn pom, wind a small bundle of white yarn for Santa or yellow yarn for the elf. Tie the center firmly with a separate strand, cut the loops and trim the ends into a small tuft. Sew through the center tie several times to secure it to the hat tip. This is a yarn-made finishing detail, not an extra crochet piece.

Santa: semicircle beard and belt

With white, make an MR. Row 1: Ch 2, work 7 dc into the ring. Do not join; tighten the ring to form a half-circle and turn. Row 2: Ch 1, work 2 sc in each of the 7 dc. 14 sc. Fasten off with a sewing tail. The beginning ch 2 is not an eighth dc.

Place the straight edge below the eyes, with the curved sc edge facing down. Sew the straight edge and both upper corners to the head, leaving the lower curve free. Add a few cream embroidery passes at the middle of the straight edge for an optional nose. Set the hat above the eyes and sew its band around the upper head without catching the beard.

Embroider a brown belt across the front of the red pocket with several parallel straight stitches. Keep it on the front layer only. Outline a small yellow square over the center of the belt for a buckle. These stitched details do not change the pocket’s crochet count.

Elf: ears and embroidered fringe

For each ear, use cream: MR, ch 1, 4 sc, then join with a sl st to the first sc and fasten off. Make two. Pinch the base slightly and sew one ear to each side of the head near Rounds 5–6. Leave the outer edge free.

Embroider several short brown straight stitches across the upper forehead for a fringe, keeping them above the eyes. Sew on the green hat with its red band covering the fringe’s upper ends. Add a loose white running-stitch band across the pocket front; keep the needle out of the back layer so the pouch still opens.

Reindeer: muzzle, ears and forked cord antlers

Flat cream muzzle

Round 1: MR, ch 1, 6 sc. Round 2: Inc in each st, making 12 sc. Join with a sl st to the first sc of Round 2 and fasten off with a sewing tail. Leave the muzzle unstuffed. Embroider a red nose on its upper half and, if desired, a short brown line below.

Center the muzzle below the eyes and sew its outside edge to the tan head. Use small stitches spread around the circle so the disk lies smoothly. Make two tan ears using the same four-sc ear instructions as the elf, and sew them to the sides of the head.

Two simple antlers

For each main stem with brown, ch 7, then sl st in the second chain from the hook and in the next five chains. 6 sl sts. Fasten off. For its branch, ch 4, then sl st in the second chain from the hook and in the next two chains. 3 sl sts. Fasten off.

Sew the base of the branch to the main stem near its third slip stitch, forming a small fork. Make a second stem and branch. Sew the two forked cords to the top of the head, with their branches pointing outward. They are soft, narrow cords; no wire or rigid support is included.

Decorate the green pocket with a red running-stitch band and white embroidered stars. For each star, cross three short straight stitches at one center point. An optional botanical sprig can be made with a white stem stitch line and pairs of small looped lazy-daisy leaves. Keep the embroidery loose enough that the front remains flat.

Assemble the crochet Christmas gift pockets

1. Finish the character’s face and accessories while you can hold the head comfortably. Keep the lower head closure accessible.
2. Place the head behind the pocket’s back rim, facing forward. Sew the lower back portion of the head to several central stitches of that back rim. Add a second small line of anchoring stitches slightly lower on the back panel. Do not sew through the front panel.
3. Position the two hands on the front rim, one toward each side of the face. Sew each closed end firmly to the front panel, spreading the attachment across neighboring stitches. Keep the central opening free.
4. Check that the head stays upright when the empty pocket is held vertically. If it tilts, adjust the back attachment rather than tightening one stitch until the panel puckers.
5. Weave in tails on the inside of the pocket or back of the head, changing direction before trimming. Slide in your note only after all sewing is finished.

The head is decorative and attached to the back; it is not a removable lid. These crochet Christmas gift pockets are intended for light contents. Their capacity depends on your yarn and the item you want to insert, so check the opening before adding a gift.

Counts and pieces to prepare

Troubleshooting the shape and opening

The pocket narrows at the top: mark the first and last sc of each row. Every row must have twelve actual stitches, with the turning ch 1 excluded. Missed end stitches make the two halves different widths.

The head has a ridge at the round marker: check that you did not add joining slip stitches or extra starting chains. The shared stuffed pieces are spirals. The chart expands those rounds into rows for reading; that does not mean you turn the fabric.

The filling shows: remove some stuffing first, then assess the fabric. For the next piece, a smaller hook or firmer tension may help. Do not stretch the final six stitches to force more filling into the head or hands.

The hat covers the eyes: place the band higher before sewing and check that its color-change step is at the back. The hat has no extra cuff round to fold upward. Do not pull the sewing tail tightly enough to compress the forehead.

The pocket will not open: inspect the hand attachments, embroidery and head seams. A sewing pass that catches both panels can close the opening or create a hidden divider. Undo that pass and sew into the intended layer only.

Chart and finishing gallery

The complete symbol chart shows the shared pocket, head and both hands once, plus every crochet accessory option. Repeat the shared pieces for each additional character. Chart colors distinguish rows for reading; use the yarn colors specified in the instructions. Every working stitch and foundation or turning chain is drawn; the round rows are expanded for readability and are not turned crochet rows.

The next two guides explain the head’s shaping and the assembly layers. Sewing, facial embroidery and yarn poms are finishing steps rather than crochet stitches. The charts follow the written counts and are not a claim of physical testing.

For more seasonal projects, try the crochet snowman applique or the crochet poinsettia ornament. Both offer a different kind of decoration beside these crochet Christmas gift pockets.