Christmas is a special time of year where family and friends reconnect over shared wishes and Christmas messages. Throughout the hustle and bustle of the year, many families look forward to receiving their Christmas greetings, family photos, and displaying or hanging them for the holiday season for all to admire. For that reason, it’s important to think about the relationship you have with your recipient, and take the time to craft your message carefully for your loved ones. If you’re looking for Christmas writing inspiration to help you get in the spirit, we’ve collected a list of the perfect Christmas card messages, religious Christmas card messages, and Christmas card examples and wishes for your own holiday greetings.
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• Best Christmas Card Messages & Wishes
• Classic Christmas Greeting Card Messages
• Religious Christmas Card Greetings
• Christmas Messages For Friends
• Christmas Messages For Family
• Christmas Messages For Teachers
• Business Christmas Card Greetings
• Christmas Card Quotes
• Signing Christmas Cards
• More Christmas Card Resources
Christmas cards are primarily made up of the following sections: the greeting, a personal message to express your sentiments, a chosen holiday quote or message, your signed name, and of course, your favorite family photos. All of these pieces should be carefully chosen and heartfelt. If you’re struggling to find the right message or sentiment, we’ve found some great wishes to write in your Christmas cards for any occasion or relationship. Browse our choices below:
Christmas is a time of tradition, so classic Christmas card messages are perfect for any season’s greetings. No matter how much or how little you say, you can guarantee your friends and family will appreciate the thought behind their greeting card. For specific Christmas card examples for inspiration, look to our favorite classics below to help you get started.
Merry Christmas Wishes
Sometimes a simple "Merry Christmas" is the most elegant message we can offer to our loved ones. The holiday season is all about expressing your love with Christmas wishes for loved ones. These can be short Christmas wishes for friends, or personal Christmas messages to your family members. For messages that follow this kind and simply crafted sentiment, look to the following examples:
• Tis the season to wish one another joy and love and peace. Merry Christmas.
• Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
• Wishing you a very Merry Christmas.
• The gift of love. The gift of peace. The gift of happiness. May all these be yours at Christmas.
• May Santa Claus bring everything you wished for. Merry Christmas!
• Here’s to a year of blessings and beyond. Have a Merry Christmas!
Happy Holidays Messages
For those who prefer general Holiday messages and wishes, you can always use simple messages to portray the sincerest happy holiday message possible. Simple and classic holiday greetings are the best when they come from the heart and can serve as a message sent from the bottom of your heart. Here are a few classic greetings you can use:
• Best wishes for Happy Holidays and a wonderful New Year.
• Warmest greetings of this festive season and best wishes for happiness this New Year.
• Wishing you a magical and blissful holiday!
• All the best to everyone this Holiday Season!
• May everything on your wishlist come true. Happy Holidays!
• Here’s to a wonderful Holiday season and a Happy New Year!
Or, for more examples, check out our resource on holiday cards messages and wishes.
Find the right Christian Christmas card messages for friends and family with the list of greetings below:
• May your Christmas be filled with the true miracles and meaning of this Merry time.
• May the joy and peace of Christmas be with you all through the New Year. Wishing you a season of blessings from heaven above.
• May your world be filled with warmth and good cheer this Holy season, we wish you a joy-filled Christmas.
• A silent night, a star above, a blessed gift of hope and love. A Merry Christmas to you and your whole family.
• I wish you the unconditional love of God in all the dreams of your heart and your everyday prayers. Merry Christmas.
• Praying you have a wonderful Christmas filled with moments you’ll always remember.
• May God bless you with a festive, loving and peaceful celebration this Christmas and all throughout the year.
Your friends are a true Christmas gift, so let them know how special they are in your Christmas letter. You can find some of our favorite examples below:
• For your Christmas time I wish you many blessings, much happiness, and even more love.
• Having you as my friend makes me feel as if it is Christmas every day. Merry Christmas.
• Christmas is a feeling true friends share with laughter and love to show that they care.
• I hope you’re all making this a Christmas to remember!
• So grateful to have a friend like you at Christmas and all year long.
• Your friendship and your love is the best Christmas gift that I’ve gotten. Merry Christmas.
• It’s friends like you that make this season so special and magical.
• Wishing you peace, joy, and all the best this wonderful holiday has to offer. May this incredible time of giving and spending time with family bring you the joy that lasts throughout the year.
Christmas if the best time of year for spending time with your loved ones, so make sure your Christmas card reflects that sentiment. Check out our examples for Christmas messages for family below:
• There is no greater gift this festive season than spending time with family all around the Christmas tree.
• You’re all so important to us. Stay safe and stay happy this holiday season!
• To all the people who are dear to me, I wish all of you nothing but the joy and happiness that this Christmas brings!
• Having family like you is the best Christmas gift there ever could be.
• At Christmas and always, what a blessing you are.
• Thinking of you with lots of love at Christmas.
• Grateful to be blessed with such a wonderful family. Merry Christmas!
• Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly merry Christmas.
Teachers have given much of their time this year to your children, and Christmas is a great time to let them know how much you appreciate them. For message inspiration, look to our examples below:
• May this holiday season be full of surprises and cheers, simply because you deserve the best.
• Season’s Greetings from the family! Hope you all end the year on a bright note.
• Best wishes for you and your family this Christmas. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
• Have a cheerful, holly, jolly, and a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
• Thank you so much for all that you’ve done this year. Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!
• Happy Holidays. Wishing you every happiness this holiday season and throughout the coming year.
For professional settings, you should use more reserved, but still heartfelt, greetings. We’ve collected a list perfect for any office, whether it’s for a coworker, employee, or manager.
Employee Christmas Card Messages
• Good tidings we bear to you and your family! May we all have a Merry Christmas.
• Happy Holidays and all the best to you in the year to come.
• Holiday time and all the time, I so appreciate the great work you do.
• Peace, love and harmony we wish to you and may love fill your home with blessings too. Happy Holidays.
• We hope your holidays will be filled with joy and laughter through the New Year. Merry Christmas!
Messages For Coworker
• Wishing you a holiday season full of fun, and a new year filled with prosperity.
• It’s a pleasure to work with you and a joy to wish you a merry Christmas!
• Hoping that the new year brings you new opportunities and new possibilities.
• Enjoy your well deserved rest and time with family. Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year!
Messages For Boss
• Merry Christmas from all of us! Here’s to a season of success and harmony.
• We’re all hoping that you have a fantastic holiday season and a fabulous New Year.
• Warmest wishes for a happy holiday season.
• In this loveliest and happiest of seasons, may you find many reasons to celebrate. Have a wonderful Christmas!
• Wishing you a festive holiday season and a very happy new year.
Sometimes a quote conveys your holiday sentiment best. In that case, we’ve found a few favorites for the holiday season that you might love for your own Christmas cards.
• Peace on earth will come to stay, when we live Christmas every day. by Helen Steiner Rice
• We make a living by what we get but we make a life by what we give. Winston Churchill
• I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. Charles Dickens
• Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful. Norman Vincent Peale
• Christmas is the day that holds all time together. Alexander Smith
• I’m dreaming of a white Christmas, With every Christmas card I write, May your days be merry and bright, And may all your Christmases be white. Irving Berlin
• Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas . . . perhaps . . .means a little bit more!’ Dr Seuss
• Christmas is not as much about opening our presents as opening our hearts. Janice Maeditere
• Christmas is not a date. It is a state of mind. Mary Ellen Chase
• Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love. Hamilton Wright Mabie
• Perhaps the best Yuletide decoration is being wreathed in smiles. Unknown
• From Home to home, and heart to heart, from one place to another. The warmth and joy of Christmas, brings us closer to each other. Emily Matthews
Christmas cards should be signed by hand in either blue or black ink. Even if the rest of your card is printed, you should personally sign the card. If you’re looking for ideas on closing remarks, find examples here:
• Best wishes
• With love
• With all our love
• Happy Holidays
• Merry Christmas
• Much Love
• Hugs and kisses
• XOXO
• All the best
• Warmly
• Take care
• Yours truly
• Sincerely
• Cheers
• Lots of love
• God bless
• Your friend
Do your best to choose a sign off that is appropriate for the recipient. For example, if it’s for a professional relationship, "Take care" or "Happy Holidays" will do. For friends and family, "Much Love" and "Yours Truly" are fine.
If you’re looking for additional Christmas card resources you can read our piece on What to Write in a Christmas Card. Or you can browse our Christmas card collection to find the right card and stationary for you and your family.
Christmas and New Year’s Eve/Day (often shortened to "New Year’s") are times when family and friends get together. It is a time of miracles and fulfilling of wishes. For many people, these are very important events in their lives because there is a spark of hope in the soul that the new year will bring big changes, things will improve, long-held wishes will be fulfilled, etc.
So I thought it would be a good idea to suggest a few ways that you can wish someone well in English during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.
As most people know, most Christians in Britain and the United States celebrate Christmas on December 25, and it is a more important holiday to them than New Year’s Eve/Day. In other countries, for example, Ukraine and Russia, New Year’s is more important than Christmas.
Here are a few ways to wish someone well for Christmas:
• May your life be filled with joy and happiness and may each new day bring you moments to cherish
• Merry Christmas and may you live a long and happy life filled with goodwill and friendship
• May this New Year bring you peace and tranquillity, and as you walk your path may it bring you contentment
• I hope you know how much I value your friendship. I wish you a very merry Christmas and may we enjoy many more years together as friends
• On this most blessed day, I wish you love for all your kindness, and I hope the New Year will bring you many days of happiness.
• Merry Christmas, and may this New Year bring you joy and laughter
• To be happy is the greatest wish in life
If you want to wish your friends and acquaintances well in English, you can confidently write these expressions in messages and cards.
What You Can Write in Christmas and New Year’s Cards to Wish Someone Well
The expressions should not be too long, but at the same time they should be meaningful; we try to write everything clearly and concisely, since we are not writing a letter, but a card. So look at a few examples of how to express your wishes in a card in English.
• It is easy to get lost in the flurry of activity during the holiday season. May you get time to take in the beauty and true meaning of the season and have a Merry Christmas!
• I wish you a blessed holiday season. May this Christmas bring you comfort, joy, peace and happiness to last throughout the coming year!
• This season is so much more than holiday parties and giving gifts. May your Christmas be filled with true miracles and the true meaning of this beautiful time.
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• As Christmas and the New Year approach, I want to take time to tell you how blessed I feel to know you. Here’s to wishing you a very Merry Christmas and amazing New Year.
• The true heart of Christmas is one of wonder and warmth. May any holiday stress you feel fade away and be replaced with this. Merry Christmas!
• May your heart and home be filled with all of the joys the season brings. Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year!
• May all the beauty and blessings this Christmas season has to offer to be with you and your family. Happy Christmas to you all!
Write cards to your friends! In the era of the Internet age, we’ve forgotten how happy we are when we receive a handwritten letter.
Personally, I would like to wish you, even more, the determination in the new year to study, work harder, be even kinder and more sympathetic, and may your cherished wishes and dreams come true!
In 2022 you will definitely learn English!
I wish you well during the upcoming holidays!
"Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays?"
Christmas is now celebrated around the world by a lot of people, regardless of their religion. For example, in the US, the majority of non-Christians celebrate it.
However, some people dislike being wished a "Merry Christmas," because of the holiday’s Christian origins. So if you don’t know how the recipient feels about Christmas, simply use "Happy Holidays."
Since December is packed with holidays, such as Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Years, "Happy Holidays" conveniently includes them all!
In more formal messages, you’ll also see people write "Seasons Greetings!"
"Happy New Year!"
On December 31st and January 1st, people will wish each other a "Happy New Year!"
However, people often combine the two big holidays into one greeting: "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!"
How to Customize Basic Greetings
Now that you know everything you need to know about the basic greetings, let’s look at how to customize them.
Some adjectives you can use are:
• Beautiful
• Delightful
• Exciting
• Fabulous
• Fantastic
• Festive
• Joyful
• Lovely
• Magnificent
• Peaceful
• Wonderful
• Successful
Classic Greetings
In addition to the basic greetings above, there are some other classic holiday card expressions you can learn (and customize as you see fit).
"Wishing you …"
Often, in writing, the basic greetings start with an expression like "Wishing you …." For example:
• Wishing you a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
• Wishing you a lovely holiday season!
• Wishing you a magical holiday season and a fantastic New Year!
"Best wishes"
Best wishes is also a good phrase to use in combination with holiday greetings. For example:
• Best wishes for the New Year!
• Best wishes for a happy and healthy New Year!
• Best wishes for a wonderful holiday season!
Instead of "Best wishes," you can also say the following:
• Warm wishes
• Warmest wishes
"Enjoy"
Finally, don’t forget you can tell people to enjoy the holidays!
• Enjoy your holidays!
• Enjoy your winter break! (if the recipient is a student)
• Hope you enjoy the holidays with your loved ones!
• Hope you enjoy this special time of year.
Mention the Family
Don’t forget that holiday greetings are often not just meant for one recipient, but for their whole family!
"To You and Your Family"
Most of the time, we write greetings to not just one person, but also their family. Of course, you can list out everyone (including pets) if you want.
But it’s more common to simply say "you and your family." For example, "Best wishes to you and your family this holiday season and in the coming year!"
"To You and Your Loved Ones"
Instead of "you and your family," it’s also common to say "to you and your loved ones." "Loved ones" includes anyone who matters to the recipient. For example, "Wishing you and your loved ones health and happiness this holiday season!"
"To You and Yours"
You can also just say "to you and yours," which has the same meaning as the previous two options. For example, "Happy holidays to you and yours!"
"End the year on a good note"
In English, you can "end" something "on a good note," so you can tell someone that you hope they end the year on a good note. This means that even if the rest of the year may not have been great (like the one behind us), you end it in a good way.
This expression is also used with different adjectives:
• Hope you end the year on a positive note!
• Hope 2022 ends on a cheerful note!
• May you end this year on a bright note!
"Filled with" or "Full of"
When you send someone a holiday greeting, it’s always nice to hope that their holidays are "filled with" or "full of" things they like. For example:
• Wishing you a holiday season filled with happiness and special moments!
• Hope your holidays are filled with laughter and champagne!
• Have a merry Christmas and a New Year full of delightful surprises!
This phrase is perfect for adding a personal touch. For example, you can wish someone "a New Year filled with bubble gum and bungee jumping" if those are the things they like.
In more formal messages, this phrase is often used with the structure "May … be ….":
• May your holidays be filled with happiness and special moments.
• May your holidays be full of joy and laughter!
"Here’s to a … "
This is an expression typically used when making a toast. You can also use it in your greeting messages to make it more bright and cheerful. For example:
• Here’s to a wonderful holiday season!
• Here’s to a merry Christmas and a happy New Year!
• Here’s to ending the year on a merry note!
• Here’s to a great year ahead!
Sample Greeting Messages
Now it’s time to combine all the tips above.
Greeting Messages for Friends and Family
You might see something like the following in a card:
Dear Joe,
Merry Christmas and best wishes for a happy and healthy New Year!
xoxo,
Your sister
You might see something like this in a text message:
Hey Matt, Just wanted to wish you a joyful Christmas and a fantastic New Year! Can’t wait to see you in the coming year!
In addition to holiday greetings, it’s common to remind the recipient to relax. For example:
Dear Rachel,
It’s been a busy year for you! Hope you can end the year on a more relaxing note.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Best wishes,
Brian
You can also use your greeting card to thank the recipient for something they’ve done for you this year.
Dear John,
Thanks again for always helping me in science class. Hope your holidays are filled with fun and the year ahead full of exciting science projects for the both of us!
All the best,
Luke
Professional Greeting Messages
Here’s a greeting message you can write to a business partner:
Dear Ben,
It’s been a pleasure doing business with you this year. Here’s to another year of successful collaboration!
Happy holidays to you and yours,
Jake
Here’s a greeting message you can write to a coworker:
Dear Grace,
Thanks to your passion and dedication, our team has reached new heights this past year. Enjoy the holidays and see you next year!
Warmly,
Karen
Here’s a message you can write to a client:
Dear Bill and the team at Texas Medical Instruments,
We were able to reach our milestones for this year thanks to your support. We look forward to continuing this partnership and we extend our sincerest wishes to your team.
Here’s to an even better year to come!
Pat and everyone from Synology
We hope this has given you an idea of how to write greeting messages this holiday season! If you need help writing them or simply want someone to check your messages, remember our tutors are here for you. Your first session is free, so you’ve got nothing to lose!
In the meantime, happy holidays and may the next year be a lot more cheerful than this one!