Christmas is a ‘claus’ for celebration: a time to relax with your loved ones. Did you know spreading holiday cheer by sending out Christmas cards goes all the way back to 1843? It’s a holiday tradition that millions of people all over the world participate in!
Christmas cards are the perfect way to stay connected with friends, family, and the people you might not see on a daily basis. Sending a Christmas card with quick life updates can bring a much-needed smile to your loved ones’ faces during this special time.
Every Christmas card is unique in its own way. With a custom card, you can add anything from your favorite photos to your own holiday greeting. We’ve compiled a list of tips, sayings, messages, sign offs and FAQs for what to write in your Christmas card for the most wonderful time of the year!
Jump to a section:
- Classic Christmas Card Messages
- Sentimental Christmas Card Sayings
- Funny Christmas Card Messages
- Religious Christmas Card Sayings
- Photo Christmas Card Wording
Christmas Card Closings & Sign Offs
- Warm Closings for Family
- Sentimental Sign-Offs for Friends
- Professional Closings for Co-Workers & Employees
How to Write a Christmas Card
Don’t let Christmas card writing get the best of you! Season well wishes don’t need to be super long, but they don’t have to be short either. Sometimes a simple message is the way to go!
Here are our recommended steps for writing a Christmas card:
- Choose your Season’s Greetings. Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, etc.
- Add your name and/or family name.
- Include the year. Your recipients can keep your card as a keepsake for years to come!
- Life updates. Write any life updates to let your friends and family know what has been going on.
For more inspiration, we’ve compiled a list of unique Christmas card messages, from wordings for everything from photo Christmas cards to business holiday cards for co-workers and employees! Below, you’ll find special messages and sayings for anyone you plan to send a Christmas card this year.
Pro Tip: Put on a Christmas movie or play your favorite jolly jingles while writing your Christmas card messages!
Classic Christmas Card Messages
These good ‘ol jolly Christmas messages are perfect for any holiday greeting. They’re ideal for sharing the holiday spirit with people you don’t really know but would like to give a card to, like the neighbor five houses down or the kind barista at your local coffee shop.
- Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays
- Wishing You a Happy New Year
- Here’s to a holiday season filled with warmth, comfort and good cheer!
- Merry Christmas with lots of love!
- Merriest Christmas to you from us!
- Warmest wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Sentimental Christmas Card Sayings
When you want to send the warmest wishes with love and thought behind them, these messages are just what you need to show your significant other, family and friends how much they mean to you.
- You’re someone who helps me remember the true reason for the season, and I’m so grateful for you.
- A friend like you is what makes Christmas special to me. Nothing makes me happier than sharing this season with you, and I can’t wait for Christmas to get here.
- My favorite part of the holiday season is all of our wonderful memories together. I’m so thankful to have such loving people in my life. Here’s to many more Christmas memories and too many cookies.
- Let the joy of Christmas bring love and peace to you and spread across the world.
- The gift of love. The gift of peace. The gift of happiness. May all these be yours at Christmas.
Funny Christmas Card Messages
Tickle their funny bones with some jolly jokes. Perfect to send to the jokesters in your life! If you’d like to show off your great sense of humor, you’ll love these funny Christmas card messages and puns!
- There’s snowbody like you!
- Get your fat pants ready, it’s Christmas!
- Why are Dasher and Dancer always taking coffee breaks? Because they’re Santa’s star bucks. Happy Holidays!
- Eat, Sleep & Be Merry!
- Have your elf a merry little Christmas.
Religious Christmas Card Sayings
To celebrate the true meaning and origins of Christmas, these particular messages are ideal to send to older relatives or religious friends.
- May you have the gift of faith, the blessing of hope and the peace of His love at Christmas and always.
- As you celebrate the miracle of this special season, may your heart be filled with joy and peace. May these holiday blessings linger in your home and stay with you throughout the year.
- God bless you at Christmas and into the New Year.
- Sending you prayers of peace and happiness at Christmas and throughout the New Year.
- Wishing you a blessed and joyful Christmas.
Photo Christmas Card Wording
If you believe pictures speak louder than words, try sending a personalized Christmas card with happy family photos. To let the picture speak for itself, it’s best to avoid a long message, so try something short and sweet.
Consider the following Christmas card greetings to include with the photo(s):
- Season’s Greetings
- Happy Holidays
- Merry Christmas
- Happy New Year
- Peace & Love
- Have a Wonderful Holiday Season
- Warm Wishes
Creating your own photo Christmas cards just got easier. Using our design tool just upload your picture, add your family photo and a signature, choose a greeting, and pick out your Christmas card for the upcoming holiday season!
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Create your image on Photoleap and instantly transfer that photo to a custom product on Zazzle. Download the app in iOS or Android for a free 7 day trial and use code PHOTOLEAP15 for 15% off your subscription.
Pro Tip: Who says a sentimental Christmas message can’t also be hilarious and religious? Don’t feel confined by these message groupings either. Mix and match or create your own Christmas card sayings!
Christmas Card Closings & Sign-Offs
Signing off your Christmas cards is the final step to complement the message you wrote. How else would they know who it’s from? And how do you know whether to write “Love You”, “Best Regards,” or “See You Later” at the end?
Warm Closings for Family
It’s always good to be sentimental and thoughtful with your closing wishes for family members.
- With Love Always
- Hugs and Kisses
- XOXO
Sentimental Sign Offs for Friends
You can also be sentimental with your friends, but add a dash of informality.
- See You Later
- Enjoy Christmas, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do
- Hope to see you soon
Professional Closings for Co-workers & Employees
Whether you’re thanking employees for the wonderful job they did, clients for their continued partnership, or just your secret Santa, make sure to keep a professional Christmas card friendly and appropriate.
- From Your Friends At___
- Thanks for Another Great Year___
- Sincerely
Once you’ve finished writing your Christmas card messages, stretch. Do some hand and wrist stretches, stand up and stretch your back, neck and shoulders, and give your eyes a break. Make sure to add a nice return address label for a special touch (and so you’ll know if your card was sent to the wrong address). This also makes it easier for your loved ones to send Christmas cards back! You might not get snail mail often, so use this as an opportunity to keep the holiday card tradition alive!
Christmas Card Writing Tips
In a society where everything is online and digital, it’s extra special to receive a handwritten letter in the mail, especially during the holiday season. If you don’t know how to begin or if you’re feeling a little sluggish to start, here are some writing tips to get the snowball rolling!
1. Know who you’re writing for.
When you have a clear idea of who you’re sending the card to, writing a personal message becomes a lot easier. What I write in a card for my grandma will be different from what I write for my seven-year-old cousin.
2. Get the right pen.
Pens are notorious for smudging, especially on a glossy surface. Look for a pen that suits your card and your writing style. I’m left-handed, so I tend to accidentally cover the entire side of my hand in ink while writing. Not only does this smudge the first card, it also transfers to the next card I write, essentially ruining it. If you find yourself smudging cards a lot, try holding the pen higher, and make sure to leave time for the ink to dry. If that’s still not enough, look for pens with quick-drying ink.
My second problem is that I’m a heavy ink user, so pressing a pen to paper results in a river of ink. If this sounds like a familiar problem to you, try holding the pen with a looser grip.
3. Find the right surface.
Where you write your message is just as important as what you say and what you write with. If you’re writing on a textured surface, you risk your handwriting looking scratchy and bumpy. If the surface is too soft, you risk punching a hole right through the card. Unfortunately, I’ve been guilty of doing this too many times to count!
Christmas Cards FAQ
How many Christmas cards should I send?
What should I do with the Christmas cards I receive?
What can you send instead of Christmas cards?
We hope picking out your Christmas cards on Zazzle will now be a part of your annual holiday traditions! If you’re ready to handle your Christmas shopping, check out our best 30 Christmas gift ideas!
Let us know in the comments if you have any helpful tips for writing Christmas cards!
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in January 2019 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
Nicole is our Content Strategist. She enjoys long walks to Taco Bell, rollerblading into the sunset, and eating Reese’s Cups for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Find her writing about iPhone cases, holiday card messaging and even music festival tips!
Great Ideas! It’s nice to have some different options when writing cards. I think it’s also okay to just let the card do the talking and sign your name or initials, leaving the sentimental handwritten messages only for close friends. Most people are just happy to receive a card!
Would like to get some “Dachund through the snow” cards!o
Your wish may come true!;)