You’ve landed on the best Christmas card idea, picked out the perfect photo, have your mailing list ready to go, and now it’s time to write your Christmas card message! Though your Christmas card design and photo are essential, your holiday greeting takes consideration too. So, what to write in a Christmas card? To help you find the right holiday card message for 2021, we’ve gathered our favorite ideas for any type of holiday card. From holiday photo cards for families to professional holiday cards, we’ve compiled a list of happy holiday message ideas from Paperless Post to match the tone you’re going for (from short and sweet to classic or COVID-friendly).
What do you write in a holiday card?
When it comes to a warm Christmas greeting, there’s no right or wrong way to fill out your holiday card. You can share what your family’s been up to with a Christmas letter, or keep it short and sweet. Just stick with a length that works for you. Not sure when to send holiday cards? We have a guide to holiday card etiquette.
Keep in mind whether you want to send holiday or Christmas greeting messages. You can lean into references for the Christmas season if you’re sending cards to friends and family who celebrate the holiday. Or send a neutral holiday message if you have friends who celebrate other religious holidays or none at all.
Depending on which Christmas card you selected, you can let the design influence your wording. If you’re sending photo cards, keep your note short and sweet, or if your card is double-sided, there might be more space to keep friends and family in the know.
Just like cards in the greetings aisle, you can also always use the sample message provided by Paperless Posts. You can fully customize any of our holiday card templates, or leave the wording as is and add your names. Whether you’re sending it to business colleagues or best friends, you’ll hit the right note for everyone on your list.
What are religious holiday card greetings?
If your motto is “Jesus is the reason for the season,” you’re in luck with so many religious Christmas card greetings to choose from. Here are a few examples to get you started:
1. Warmest wishes for faith, hope, and peace this Christmas season.
2. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.
3. He is the reason for the season.
4. Jesus is the reason for the season.
5. Have a wonderful Christmas and a blessed New Year!
6. May God bless your Christmas season with joy and love.
7. May the Lord grant you and all your loved ones peace, joy, and goodwill.
8. Wishing you a season that’s merry and bright with the light of God’s love.
9. Joy to the world, the Lord has come!
What are short holiday card greetings?
While you might get personal if you’re sending to a smaller list, sometimes it’s better to keep things short and sweet if you’re sending it to a large group. You might be better off sending holiday card messages in 2021 that are short and to the point. There’s no need to write an enormous paragraph to convey your warm wishes. Sometimes less is more. Especially when paired with a family photo, a line of text or a holiday phrase is all you need. Here are a few sample holiday greetings to get you started:
10. Warmest wishes
11. Season’s greetings
12. Joy & Peace
13. Happy Holidays
14. Joy and good cheer
15. Love & Warmth
16. Sending our love
17. Merry Christmas to you
18. Joy & Cheer
19. Merry Everything
20. Peace on Earth
Classic holiday sayings that never go out of style
Why mess with the classics? If you want to keep your holiday greeting or Christmas saying simple or looking for something timeless to write, these short Christmas greetings are always a safe bet:
21. Feliz Navidad
22. Happy Christmas
23. Merry Christmas
24. Joy to the world
25. Have yourself a Merry (Manhattan) Christmas [or wherever you live]
26. Tidings of Joy
27. Warmest wishes
28. Jingle all the way
Holiday card messages for New Year’s greetings—What to write in a New Year’s card
“Champagne Dazzle” by Paperless Post and “Wild Rose New Year” by Rifle Paper Co.
If you can’t wait for this year to be over, New Year’s greetings are a great way to look forward. These cheerful greetings are also an excellent alternative for non-religious holiday cards. Start brainstorming with these holiday card messages:
29. Happy holidays! Sending you all our love this holiday season, and wishing you much joy in the new year.
30. Best wishes for a joyful holiday season and a happy New Year.
31. Sending you love and good luck for the New Year.
32. Merry and Bright. Seasons greetings and warm wishes for the coming year.
33. Wishing you the best for the holidays and beyond.
34. Happiness and health to you and yours in the year ahead.
35. Cheers to the new year and new beginnings!
Holiday greetings for family and friends
“Gold Heart” by The Indigo Bunting
They’ll be displayed on the mantle all Christmas season long, so make your greetings to friends and family count. Somewhere between short and sweet and a full paragraph, these holiday card messages are just right:
36. Wishing you a happy holiday and sending you all our love from afar.
37. Health, happiness, and peace during this holiday season and through the coming year.
38. May your holidays be filled with warmth and cheerful celebration.
39. Best wishes for a sparkling holiday season.
40. Happy holidays. Here’s to a joyful holiday season.
41. Wishing you a season that’s merry & bright.
42. Hoping your holiday season is filled with joy.
43. Wishing you joy and good cheer.
44. Sending you good wishes for a joyful holiday season.
45. Wishing you love & warmth in this holiday season.
46. Love is all around
47. Happy holidays friends
48. Happy holidays fam
What should I write on a holiday photo card?
“Magnolia Roundel” by Paperless Post and “Mistletoe Bundles” by Mr. Boddington’s Studio
What’s a better way to spread holiday cheer than a family photo in front of the Christmas tree? If you’re sending a photo holiday card, keep your holiday wishes short and playful. If you need to expand on your good wishes, add your details on the back. Here are some of our favorite Paperless Post holiday card messages for photo cards:
49. Merry & Bright
50. The [Your last name]s
51. Happiest holidays.
52. Peace
53. Warmest wishes from the [your name]
54. Joy
55. [the year]
56. Merry Merry xoxo
57. Joyful joyful
58. Best wishes
59. Have a wonderful holiday
60. Cheers to a wonderful holiday season
61. Have a blessed Christmas
62. Let it snow
How do you wish someone a happy holiday professionally?
“Carnaby” and “Snow Pine Valley” by Paperless Post.
Whether you’re sending corporate holiday cards to clients and customers, or wishing your employees a “Happy Holiday,” what to write in a holiday card is much different for a business Christmas card.
You’ll want to make sure your business holiday card greetings is appropriate for anyone of any religion. So it’s best to use a neutral business holiday card greeting. Keep the tone cheerful and optimistic and let your recipients know you are thankful for them. If they’re clients, tell them you appreciate their business; if they’re employees, tell them you appreciate all of their hard work this year.
Make sure your business holiday card matches your business values. If you’re a serious company, stick to a simple greeting, but if your brand is more playful, a witty Christmas greeting works too. Here are some of our favorite sample holiday greetings:
63. Sending our best to you and yours.
64. Season’s greetings and warm wishes for the coming year.
65. Here’s to a joyful holiday season.
66. Be merry and bright!
67. Sending you the very best wishes this holiday season.
68. May you find health, happiness, and peace during the holiday season and through the coming year.
69. Peace on Earth & Good Will to All
70. Best wishes from your friends at [company name].
71. We appreciate your business and wish you the best in the coming year.
Wording ideas for modern holiday greetings
“Year in Review” by The Indigo Bunting for Paperless Post
If you’re planning a modern holiday party this year, why wouldn’t you send modern holiday wishes for cards? With these Paperless Post holiday card templates, the work is done for you. All you have to do is add your photo or details, and you’re good to send.
72. The year in review: [List your top 10 moments from the year]
73. Season greetings. Health, happiness, faith, warmth, happiness, peace on Earth, good cheer, giving, hope.
74. May your days be merry and bright
75. Let your heart be light
76. The Holiday Times: Celebrate the Season!
77. Felix, Joyeux, Merry
Holiday card messages for family and friends
Looking for season’s greetings that are more out-of-the-box? Send your warmest thoughts and Christmas blessings with a bit of flair with unique Christmas card messages. Not feeling very creative? We went ahead and did some brainstorming to get you started. Here are our festive favorites:
78. Fa La la la La
79. Merry & Bright
80. Joyful, Joyful
81. Till the season to be holly
82. Hope your season’s full of sparkle.
83. ‘Tis the season
84. Calm & bright
85. Let it Snow, Let it Snow
86. Love is all around
87. Oh, what fun!
88. Joy to the world
89. Making spirits bright
90. Hope, Peace, Cookies
91. So very merry!
92. Warm and cozy wishes
93. Santa Claus is coming to town…
“Chimney Smoke” and “Porch Wood” by Cheree Berry Paper & Design for Paperless Post
COVID holiday card ideas
The pandemic has affected our lives in so many ways, including keeping up with friends and family to share life updates. We’ve designed Covid-friendly holiday greetings for 2021 that put Covid front and center, even if it’s in a light-hearted way.
Acknowledging that we’re living through a global pandemic in your online Christmas cards is a great way to say “we’re all in this together.” Whether you want to write something motivational or use humor to lighten the mood, here are some Covid Christmas cards to get you started:
94. Wishing you a healthy holiday
95. Hang in there!
96. What a year!
97. Wishing you an unprecedented, essential, socially distanced, extraordinary, happy, healthy holiday!
98. Happy and healthy New Year!
99. Wish we were Christmasing together!
100. Happy New Year! You’re essential to us.
101. From my bar cart to yours.
The greeting card sign off
And of course, after your Christmas message, don’t forget to add your signature! You can add personality with every line of the card, even your name. You can add your sign-off into your template, or hand-write it at the bottom. Sign off as a family, or list everyone’s names out individually. You can even add the ages of your kids (and pets) if you like. These are our go-to’s:
1. Xoxo
2. All the best
3. Sending our best to you and yours
4. With love
5. With snow much love
6. Warmest wishes
7. Until next year
8. Wishing you love and warmth this holiday season
Ready to start Christmas card writing? Get started by browsing our Christmas and holiday cards. For holiday party inspiration we’ve rounded up our favorite holiday party tips from over ten years of party-planning in the ultimate guide to holiday party planning.