Christmas reindeer shadow box SVG
A reindeer standing in a snowy clearing under the Christmas star, with fir woods behind, a decorated tree and a pile of presents beside it, and boughs of fir with their baubles reaching in from the top corners. 5 sheets of card, cut and stacked with a gap between each, make the picture. The files are free, and every part of the scene can be moved, swapped or resized below before you download.
5 sheets at 8 × 8 in, zipped, with a note on putting them together.
Free for personal and commercial use, no sign-up. What you can do with it.
The 5 sheets
Sheet 1 is the back and sheet 5 is the front. Each one is a single piece with the same frame round its edge, so they line up when stacked. The colours shown are the “Forest green” set; cut them in any card you like. Cut sheet 2, “Far firs”, the slowest: at 0.8 mm it has the thinnest part in the scene, and sheet 5, “Fir boughs and drift”, fills the most of the view, 29% of it.
| Sheet | What is on it | Narrowest part | Seen from the front |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Star and snow | A whole sheet with holes for: North star and 9 × Plain disc | over 2 mm | 34% |
| 2. Far firs | Rolling ground, with: Pine forest on a hill, Three Christmas trees in a row and Simple pine tree | 0.8 mm | 8% |
| 3. Decorated tree | Rolling ground, with: Christmas tree with bauble cut-outs and Classic pine tree | over 2 mm | 15% |
| 4. Reindeer | Rolling ground, with: Reindeer silhouette standing and Stack of three presents | 1.3 mm | 13% |
| 5. Fir boughs and drift | A gentle slope, with: 2 × Fir branch with a hanging bauble, Short wide pine tree, Square present tied with ribbon and Bunch of grass | 1 mm | 29% |
Measured from the files at 8 × 8 in. The narrowest part is the thinnest neck of card that holds anything on; sharp tips are not counted. “Seen from the front” is the share of the picture that sheet fills once the sheets in front of it are in place.
Will it cut at your size?
The download is 8 × 8 in. The scene maker above makes the same scene at any of these sizes; the thinnest part scales with it.
| Frame opening | Each sheet | Narrowest part | Depth needed | Fits a 12 × 12 in mat | Rule of thumb |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 × 6 in | 152.4 × 152.4 mm | 0.6 mm | 17 mm | Yes | Fine detail: sharp blade, slow speed |
| 20 × 20 cm | 200 × 200 mm | 0.8 mm | 17 mm | Yes | Fine detail: sharp blade, slow speed |
| 8 × 8 in | 203.2 × 203.2 mm | 0.8 mm | 17 mm | Yes | Fine detail: sharp blade, slow speed |
| 23 × 23 cm | 230 × 230 mm | 0.9 mm | 17 mm | Yes | Fine detail: sharp blade, slow speed |
| 25 × 25 cm | 250 × 250 mm | 1 mm | 17 mm | Yes | Fine detail: sharp blade, slow speed |
Depth needed allows 3 mm of foam between sheets and 5 mm for the card itself and the backing.
Making this one
The fir boughs at the top are part of the front sheet and grow in from the frame, so nothing in this box hangs on a thread. The far firs on the second sheet are the thinnest card, about 0.8 mm at 8 inches; the antlers and legs of the reindeer are sturdier than they look, at 1.3 mm. In greens and cream it needs no light; in white card with a light behind, the star and the baubles shine.
- Cut all 5 sheets from 160 to 220 gsm card at the same size.
- Lay them out in order, sheet 1 at the back.
- Put strips of 3 mm foam tape round the border of sheet 1 and press sheet 2 onto it with the edges level. Carry on to sheet 5.
- Fit the stack into a deep frame with the front sheet against the glass. For a light box, run a strip of warm white LEDs round the inside of the frame behind the stack.
The zip includes these steps as a text file, each sheet as its own SVG and all 5 side by side in one SVG. More on paper, frames and lights is on the shadow box page.
The parts, on their own
Everything in the scene comes from the free SVG library, where each has its own page and file:
Questions
Can I add more reindeer?
Yes. Select the reindeer sheet in the maker and add another from Animals: a second standing deer, a leaping one or a pair. Flip one so that they face each other.
Where is the star?
It is a hole in the back sheet, above the clearing, with small holes round it for the falling snow. A light behind the box shines through all of them.
Can I sell boxes I make with it?
Yes. Finished pieces are yours to sell. The files themselves may not be sold or shared; send people to this page. See the licence.
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