101 holiday messages and wishes to write in your holiday cards
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 2022, 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.
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!
10. Silent night, holy night.
11. Frankincense, gold, and myrr.
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 2022 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
21. Holiday cheer
22. Warmest holiday greetings
23. Be merry & bright
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:
24. Feliz Navidad
25. Happy Christmas
26. Merry Christmas
27. Joy to the world
28. Have yourself a Merry (Manhattan) Christmas [or wherever you live]
29. Tidings of Joy
30. Warmest wishes
31. Jingle all the way
32. Peace on Earth and goodwill to all.
“Champagne Dazzle” by Paperless Post and “Wild Rose New Year” by Rifle Paper Co.
Holiday card messages for New Year’s greetings—What to write in a New Year’s card
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:
33. Happy holidays! Sending you all our love this holiday season, and wishing you much joy in the new year.
34. Best wishes for a joyful holiday season and a happy New Year.
35. Sending you love and good luck for the New Year.
36. Merry and Bright. Seasons greetings and warm wishes for the coming year.
37. Wishing you the best for the holidays and beyond.
38. Happiness and health to you and yours in the year ahead.
39. Cheers to the new year and new beginnings!
40. Bye bye 2022!
41. May the new year be even better than the old.
42. Hugs, kisses, and new years wishes.
“Gold Heart” by The Indigo Bunting.
Holiday greetings for family and friends
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:
43. Wishing you a happy holiday and sending you all our love from afar.
44. Health, happiness, and peace during this holiday season and through the coming year.
45. May your holidays be filled with warmth and cheerful celebration.
46. Best wishes for a sparkling holiday season.
47. Happy holidays. Here’s to a joyful holiday season.
48. Wishing you a season that’s merry & bright.
49. Hoping your holiday season is filled with joy.
50. Wishing you joy and good cheer.
51. Sending you good wishes for a joyful holiday season.
52. Wishing you love & warmth in this holiday season.
53. Love is all around
54. Happy holidays friends
55. Happy holidays fam
“Magnolia Roundel” by Paperless Post and “Mistletoe Bundles” by Mr. Boddington’s Studio.
What should I write on a holiday photo card?
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:
56. Merry & Bright
57. The [Your last name]s
58. Happiest holidays.
59. Peace
60. Warmest wishes from the [your name]
61. Joy
62. [the year]
63. Merry Merry xoxo
64. Joyful joyful
65. Best wishes
66. Have a wonderful holiday
67. Cheers to a wonderful holiday season
68. Have a blessed Christmas
69. Let it snow
“Carnaby” and “Snow Pine Valley” by Paperless Post.
How do you wish someone a happy holiday professionally?
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:
70. Sending our best to you and yours.
71. Season’s greetings and warm wishes for the coming year.
72. Here’s to a joyful holiday season.
73. Be merry and bright!
74. Sending you the very best wishes this holiday season.
75. May you find health, happiness, and peace during the holiday season and through the coming year.
76. Peace on Earth & Good Will to All
77. Best wishes from your friends at [company name].
78. We appreciate your business and wish you the best in the coming year.
Wording ideas for modern holiday greetings
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.
79. The year in review: [List your top 10 moments from the year]
80. Season greetings. Health, happiness, faith, warmth, happiness, peace on Earth, good cheer, giving, hope.
81. May your days be merry and bright
82. Let your heart be light
83. The Holiday Times: Celebrate the Season!
84. Felix, Joyeux, Merry
Wording ideas for funny holiday cards
If you prefer to make your loved ones chuckle, opt for a funny holiday card and an equally silly message. If you want to joke around for the holidays, here are some ideas for funny greetings:
85. Cheers my deers!
87. Peas on Earth
“Year in Review” by The Indigo Bunting for Paperless Post.
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:
90. Fa La la la La
91. Joyful, Joyful
92. Tis the season to be jolly
93. Hope your season’s full of sparkle.
94. Calm & bright
95. Love is all around
96. Oh, what fun!
97. Making spirits bright
98. Hope, Peace, Cookies
99. So very merry!
100. Warm and cozy wishes
101. Santa Claus is coming to town…
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.