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What makes it a Christmas blanket
The pattern does. A blanket belongs on this page when the season is in the design itself: Christmas trees, snowflakes, gingerbread men, candy canes, reindeer, Fair Isle bands, or the red and green checks that come out every December. A plain red or green throw is a lovely thing, but it is not a Christmas blanket, and you will find those with the rest of our blankets and throws.
That difference matters when you are choosing. A busy Christmas pattern says one thing loudly for six weeks of the year. A check or a small repeat of trees reads as festive in December and still looks fine on a cold evening in February.
Knitted, printed or woven
How the pattern gets onto the blanket changes how it looks and feels.
Knitted in. On a jacquard knit, the trees or snowflakes are part of the yarn, so the design shows on both sides, usually in reverse on the back. It looks like a holiday sweater and drapes like one. Some have a plush back for extra warmth. These sit with our knit throw blankets as well.
Printed on. Flannel and plush blankets carry the pattern as a print on a short, soft-looking pile. The colors are bright and the lines are sharp, and the blanket is light for how warm it is.
Woven. A tapestry or woven throw has the picture built into the cloth, with a flat, textured surface and often a fringe. It feels the most traditional of the three and looks at home on a wooden bench or the back of an armchair.
Size: a throw, or bigger
Many Christmas blankets are throws, around 50 by 60 inches, made for one person on the sofa. Some designs also come in a larger size that covers more of a bed or two people side by side. The size is on the product page in inches and centimeters, with each size listed on its own, so check it against the sofa or the bed before you choose.
Where it goes in the room
The simplest place is folded over the arm of the sofa nearest the tree, where it gets used and seen. On a bed, fold it across the bottom third so the pattern shows above the duvet. Over the back of an armchair by the window, a woven or knitted design does the work of a decoration without taking up a shelf.
If the room already has a lot of red, pick a design with green or cream in it, so the blanket adds to the room rather than repeating it.
A Christmas blanket as a gift
A throw is one of the easier gifts to get right, because size hardly matters: it is meant for one person on a sofa, whatever the sofa. Choose by the person's room more than by the pattern. A check or a small tree print suits a calm, neutral room; a bold gingerbread or candy cane design suits someone who decorates every corner.
Washing and putting it away
The Care tab on the product page has the instructions for that blanket. Many go in the machine cold on a gentle cycle; knits and woven throws can be fussier, and some want a mesh bag or drying flat.
When the season ends, wash it before it goes into storage, let it dry completely, and fold it into a cotton bag or a box rather than plastic, so it comes out next December smelling of nothing at all.