What to write in a holiday card: 14 examples

What to include

A holiday card isn’t an invitation: no date, no address, no RSVP. Keep it to these.

• A greetingMerry Christmas, Happy Holidays or Happy New Year, in large type at the top. Pick the one that fits everyone on your list.
• A line or two of your ownA wish for the season, a thank-you for the year or one thing that happened. One real sentence is what people remember.
• Who it’s fromYour family name, or everyone’s first names, kids and pets included. Use the names people on your list know you by.
• The same words for everyoneA printed card carries the same text on every copy. Write it for your whole list, and add a personal line by hand where you want one.

Holiday card messages to copy

Change the names to your own. Each message is a greeting, a few words and the names it’s from, the way the card lays them out.

Holiday cards

Pick a design, add your photo if it has room for one, choose your greeting and type in a few words and your names.

Common mistakes

• Too much textA holiday card isn’t a holiday letter. Two or three lines can be read at a glance; a whole paragraph turns into small type.
• No namesSign the card even when your photo says it all. Your friends may know more than one family with two kids and a dog.
• One person’s name on every card“Dear Grandma” can’t go on a card the whole list gets. Write the message for everyone, and add a line by hand to the people you want to greet by name.
• The wrong greeting for the listIf your list includes people who don’t celebrate Christmas, “Happy Holidays” or “Peace & Joy” reaches everyone.
• A typo in a nameRead every name in the proof before you pay, and check that the year on the card is this year.

“Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays”?

Write what your family celebrates to friends and family who share it. For a mixed list, coworkers or clients, “Happy Holidays” or “Peace & Joy” wishes everyone well without guessing.

On our cards, the greeting is a choice: Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas & Happy New Year, Happy Holidays, Peace & Joy, Happy New Year, Best wishes for the New Year, or A happy and healthy New Year. Pick the one closest to what you celebrate, and put your own wishes in the few words below it.

Who signs a family holiday card?

Sign with the names people know you by. “The Miller Family” or “The Millers” is the classic. Listing everyone’s first names, “Sarah, Michael, Olivia & Jack,” is warmer, and the dog may go on the end.

For a last name ending in s, x, z, ch or sh, add es and no apostrophe: “The Joneses,” “The Lopezes.” Or skip the plural and write “The Jones Family.”

On our cards, the family name goes in the From field, and everyone’s first names in the optional Names field.

Holiday photo cards: let the photo lead

A good photo says most of it, so the words can be fewer: the greeting, a short line and your names. Save the family news for the people you write to by hand.

Many of our holiday designs have a frame for your photo. Most take one photo; a few have room for three or four. Choose a photo where faces are clear even at card size; the proof shows how it’s cropped before you pay.

Add a line by hand

A printed message works for the whole list. For the people closest to you, add a short note by hand before you mail the card: “We miss you. Come see us in the spring!” A few words in your own handwriting are what make a printed card feel personal.

Holiday cards for coworkers and clients

Keep a work card friendly, short and neutral: thank them for the year, wish them a good break, and sign with your name or your company’s. Leave out the family news.

A company card is signed with the company name, or with the team’s first names if the list is small.

When to mail holiday cards

Most people mail their cards in the first two weeks of December, so friends can enjoy them through the season. Order early enough to have them on hand by then: the order page shows when your cards are expected.

If December gets away from you, send a New Year’s card instead. “Happy New Year” is welcome well into January.

Making the card with us

Choose a holiday design, add your photo if it has a frame, pick your greeting, and type in your family name, everyone’s first names if you like, the year and a few words. Or ask our design assistant to fit your own message onto the card.

You see a proof before you pay. You’re welcome to copy the messages on this page, wherever you make your cards.

Questions and answers