Christmas card messages: what to write for family, friends and work
A simple formula for any Christmas card, then 80 messages to copy: family, friends, partners, colleagues, teachers, funny lines, verses, quotes and sign-offs.
Most Christmas card messages follow the same shape: a greeting, a wish for Christmas, one line that only fits the person reading it, a wish for the year ahead and your names. Below is that formula, then wording to copy for family, friends, partners, colleagues and teachers, short and funny lines, rhyming verses, Bible verses, quotes and sign-offs. Use a line as it is, or swap in a detail of your own.
How to write a Christmas card message
As a guide, 20 to 40 words fill the inside of a standard card without crowding it. The personal line is the one people remember, so spend your time there.
| Part | What to write | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Greeting | The name the person uses in your family or group | Dear Auntie Jo, |
| Christmas wish | One line for the season | Wishing you a happy and peaceful Christmas. |
| Personal line | A memory from the year, thanks for something specific, or a plan | Thank you for having the children every Wednesday since September. |
| New year wish | Something to look forward to | Here’s to more walks on the beach next year. |
| Sign-off and names | A closing, then everyone the card is from | Lots of love, Sam, Priya, Leo and Maya x |
- Colleagues, neighbours and the postie: one line and your name.
- Family and friends you see often: two or three lines.
- People you see once a year: three or four lines with some news. For more than that, tuck a short letter inside the card.
Blank cards give the most room for a long message. The Christmas cards collection has multipacks, charity packs and single cards for one special person, and the wider gift wrapping and cards range has paper sets with matching tags for the presents.
Peter Pauper Press
English robin Christmas cards, 20 with glitter and keepsake box
Just Cards Direct cards & gifts
Pack of 10 red candle Christmas cards with white envelopes, 14 cm
Absolutely Yours
Pack of 24 charity Christmas cards, 4 winter designs, 15 x 15 cm
Christmas card messages for family
For mum and dad
- Happy Christmas, Mum and Dad. Thank you for everything this year, from the lifts to the leftovers. Can’t wait to be home.
- Merry Christmas to the two people who still make it feel like Christmas. Love you both.
- Wishing you a restful Christmas after all the cooking. We’re doing the washing up this year, promise.
- To Mum: thank you for always answering the phone. Have the happiest Christmas.
For grandparents
- Dear Nan and Grandad, wishing you a warm and happy Christmas. Thank you for the stories and the endless biscuits.
- Happy Christmas, Grandma. We loved our visit in the summer and we’re counting the days until the next one.
- To the best grandparents we know: thinking of you this Christmas and sending all our love for the new year.
For children and grandchildren
- Merry Christmas, Ella. We are so proud of you this year, especially that first swimming badge. Love, Granny and Grandpa.
- To our grandchildren: have a Christmas full of games and late nights. Lots of love.
- Happy Christmas, sweetheart. A little bird told us you’ve been very good this year.
For brothers, sisters and in-laws
- Happy Christmas to my favourite sister (don’t tell the others). Thanks for being on the end of the phone all year.
- Merry Christmas. Here’s to another year of arguing over the rules of every board game we own.
- To Sarah and James: thank you for always making us so welcome. Wishing you a lovely Christmas and a happy new year.
Christmas card messages for friends
Close friends
- Merry Christmas to the friend who knows all my stories and still listens. Same table in January?
- Happy Christmas, lovely. This year was better with you in it. The first round in the new year is on me.
- Wishing you a Christmas with good food, no washing up and at least one long lie-in.
Friends you rarely see
- It’s been far too long. Wishing you all a very happy Christmas, and let’s make next year the one when we finally meet up.
- Thinking of you this Christmas and remembering that camping trip in the rain. Write back with all your news.
- Happy Christmas from all of us. Our big news this year: we finally moved. We hope the year has been kind to you.
Neighbours
- Happy Christmas from number 12, and thank you for taking in all our parcels.
- Wishing you a peaceful Christmas and a happy new year. It’s lovely having you next door.
Messages for a husband, wife or partner
- Happy Christmas to my favourite person. Every year with you beats the one before.
- Merry Christmas, love. Thank you for every cup of tea and every laugh this year. Here’s to us.
- Our first Christmas in the new flat, and I wouldn’t want to spend it with anyone else.
- You’re the only present I need. I would still like the one I hinted at, though.
Christmas card messages for colleagues and clients
Colleagues and your team
- Happy Christmas and thanks for all your help this year. Enjoy the break.
- Wishing you a relaxing Christmas and a good start to the new year. It’s been a pleasure working with you.
- Merry Christmas. Thanks for the coffee runs and for laughing at my jokes.
A manager
- Thank you for your support this year. Wishing you and your family a very happy Christmas.
- Season’s greetings, and thank you for a year of good advice. Have a proper rest.
Clients and customers
- Thank you for working with us this year. Wishing you a peaceful festive season and a successful new year.
- With best wishes for Christmas and the new year from everyone at the shop.
For clients and mixed teams, “Season’s greetings” or “Wishing you a peaceful festive season” suits people who do not celebrate Christmas. Keep personal details out, and sign with your full name if the client deals with several people at your company.
Teachers, carers and people who help all year
- From a parent: Thank you for a fantastic autumn term. Jack talks about your science lessons every evening. Have a restful Christmas.
- From a child: Dear Mrs Patel, thank you for helping me with my reading. Happy Christmas. Love from Amira.
- For a teaching assistant: Thank you for all the patience and encouragement this term. Have a lovely, lazy Christmas.
- For a carer or childminder: Thank you for looking after Mum with such kindness this year. Wishing you a happy Christmas with your own family.
- For the postie or the bin crew: Happy Christmas, and thank you for coming in all weathers.
Give school cards before the last day of term. If the card comes with something small, our list of Christmas gifts for teachers stays under £10.
Short Christmas card messages
- Wishing you a peaceful Christmas.
- Love and warm wishes this Christmas.
- Happy Christmas and a healthy new year.
- Thinking of you this Christmas.
- Merry Christmas from our house to yours.
- Have a cosy Christmas.
- Peace and goodwill to you all.
- Here’s to a happy Christmas and a kind new year.
- Season’s greetings and best wishes for the year ahead.
- With love at Christmas.
Funny Christmas card messages
- Eat, drink and be merry, then have a nap. Happy Christmas.
- Happy Christmas. Calories don’t count until January.
- Merry Christmas. I’ve hidden the last mince pie and you will never find it.
- This card is your official reminder that sprouts are optional.
- Happy Christmas to someone who is almost as good at Christmas as I am.
- Merry Christmas. This card is basically a present if you squint.
- Wishing you a Christmas so relaxing you forget what day it is. Between Christmas and New Year, you will anyway.
Christmas puns for cards
- Have a cracking Christmas.
- Season’s eatings.
- Yule love what Santa brings.
- Have an ice Christmas.
- Sleigh the season.
Rhyming Christmas card verses
Four lines are enough for a verse. These are ours, free to copy.
For family
Another year, another tree,
another plate of mince pies too.
Of all the gifts that Christmas brings,
the best one is a day with you.
For friends far away
Though many miles may lie between
and months go by without a call,
this card arrives with love inside
and happy Christmas to you all.
For a religious card
A star, a stable and a child,
the news the shepherds heard that night:
may Christmas peace be in your home
and all your new year days be bright.
Religious Christmas card messages and Bible verses
For a religious card, pair a verse with a short blessing. These verses are from the King James Version.
| Verse | Reference |
|---|---|
| “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given” | Isaiah 9:6 |
| “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.” | Luke 2:10 |
| “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” | Luke 2:11 |
| “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” | Luke 2:14 |
| “They shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” | Matthew 1:23 |
- Wishing you the peace and joy of Christmas, and God’s blessing in the new year.
- May the hope of Christmas stay with you all year.
- Thinking of you as we celebrate the birth of Jesus. Happy Christmas.
Christmas quotes for cards
Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, published in 1843, is out of copyright and supplies some of the best-known Christmas lines.
- Scrooge’s promise: “I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.”
- Tiny Tim at the Cratchits’ dinner: “God bless us every one”
- Scrooge’s nephew Fred, on Christmas: “a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time”
- Adapted from the last page: May it be said of us, as Dickens wrote of Scrooge, that we know how to keep Christmas well.
Christmas greetings in the languages of the UK and Ireland
| Language | Greeting |
|---|---|
| Welsh | Nadolig Llawen |
| Scottish Gaelic | Nollaig Chridheil |
| Irish | Nollaig Shona duit (to one person), Nollaig Shona daoibh (to more than one) |
| Cornish | Nadelik Lowen |
Christmas cards for a difficult year
- After a loss: Thinking of you this Christmas and remembering Dave with love.
- For someone who is grieving: I know this Christmas will be hard. I’m here, and I’ll ring next week.
- During an illness: Sending love and warm wishes this Christmas, and hoping the new year brings better health.
- After a separation: Thinking of you this Christmas. Here’s to a fresh start in the new year.
In these cards, “Thinking of you this Christmas” or “With love at Christmas” sits better than “Merry Christmas”. If you knew the person who died, write their name: it shows you remember them too.
Messages for a first Christmas
- New baby: Happy first Christmas, little one. Wishing you all a very special Christmas together.
- Newly-weds: Merry first Christmas as a married couple. Here’s to many more.
- New home: Happy Christmas in your new home. May it be the first of many good ones there.
- New couple: Happy first Christmas together. You two make a lovely pair.
How to sign off a Christmas card
| Recipient | Sign-offs that fit |
|---|---|
| Partner, children | All my love, Love you always |
| Family and close friends | Lots of love, Love from all of us, Big hugs |
| Friends and neighbours | Warmest wishes, With love, Best wishes |
| Colleagues | Best wishes, Warm wishes |
| Clients | Kind regards, With best wishes for the festive season |
- List everyone the card is from: adults, then children, then pets if you like.
- Add a surname for people who know several families with the same first names.
- Kisses (x) are for family and friends. Leave them off work cards.
- When you are not sure of the children’s names, “To Mark, Jen and family” covers the household.
Sending your Christmas cards
Once the messages are written, check the last posting dates for Christmas cards. Royal Mail sets new dates each year, and the 2026 dates had not been published when this article was written in early October 2026. As a guide, the last recommended 2nd Class date in 2025 was Wednesday 17 December, eight days before Christmas Day. Making your own? Our guide to handmade Christmas cards gives card sizes that fit standard envelopes.
A card that arrives after Christmas can still carry a new year message: “Sorry this is late. Wishing you a very happy new year” is better than no card. Wrapping paper and gift bags for the presents are in the Christmas gift wrap range.
Frequently asked questions
What should I write in a Christmas card?
Start with the person’s name and a one-line Christmas wish, then add a line that only fits them: a memory, a thank-you or a plan. Finish with a wish for the new year and the names of everyone the card is from. Twenty to forty words is enough for most cards.
What are some short Christmas messages?
“Wishing you a peaceful Christmas”, “Thinking of you this Christmas” and “Merry Christmas from our house to yours” all work on their own. For a work card, “Happy Christmas and thanks for all your help this year” adds a personal note in one line.
What is a good closing for a Christmas card?
Use “Lots of love” or “Love from all of us” for family and close friends, “Warmest wishes” or “Best wishes” for friends and neighbours, and “Kind regards” for clients. Keep kisses for family and friends.
What can I write instead of Merry Christmas?
“Happy Christmas” means the same and is common in Britain. “Season’s greetings” or “Wishing you a peaceful festive season” suits people who do not celebrate Christmas, and “Thinking of you this Christmas” suits someone who is grieving.
What is a classic Christmas quote for a card?
The best-known lines come from Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol: Tiny Tim’s “God bless us every one” and Scrooge’s “I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.” The book dates from 1843 and is out of copyright, so the lines are free to use.
How can I wish someone Merry Christmas in a different way?
Write it in one of the languages of the UK and Ireland: Nadolig Llawen in Welsh, Nollaig Chridheil in Scottish Gaelic, Nollaig Shona duit in Irish or Nadelik Lowen in Cornish. A pun such as “Have a cracking Christmas” works for friends.
What do you write in a Christmas card to a colleague?
One or two lines: a thank-you for something specific and a wish for the break, such as “Merry Christmas, and thanks for covering my shifts in the summer.” Sign with your first name, add a surname in a big office, and leave off the kisses.
When should you send Christmas cards?
Post cards to UK addresses in the first half of December to stay clear of the deadlines. Royal Mail had not published its 2026 Christmas dates when this was written in early October 2026; in 2025 the last recommended dates were Wednesday 17 December for 2nd Class and Saturday 20 December for 1st Class. Dates for cards going abroad depend on the destination, so check the Royal Mail or Post Office website for the country you are posting to.
