What to write in a Christmas card

Short, for any card

For a card in a pack of twenty, a gift tag or a message sent on the day.

• Merry Christmas! Wishing you a day full of warmth and good food.

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• Happy Christmas to you and all your family.

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• Wishing you a peaceful Christmas and a bright new year.

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• Merry Christmas, with love and a very big hug.

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• Wishing you a Christmas as cosy as your favourite jumper.

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• Happy Christmas! May your table be full and your phone quiet.

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• Nollaig Shona duit, and every good wish for the new year.

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For the family

For parents, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles: the people you'll see round the table.

• Merry Christmas to the best family a person could have. See you round the table.

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• Happy Christmas, Mum and Dad. Thank you for every one of the Christmases you made magic.

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• To my sister: Merry Christmas. The first sherry is yours, and the last mince pie is mine.

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• Happy Christmas to my brother and his noisy, wonderful family.

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• Wishing all of you a Christmas full of love, laughter and leftovers.

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• Merry Christmas to the people who make home feel like home.

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• Happy Christmas, Auntie Joan. Your trifle is the reason we come every year.

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For grandchildren

From grandparents, godparents and anyone who sends a card to a child they love.

• Merry Christmas to our wonderful grandson. We hope Santa finds your chimney, and your wish list.

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• Happy Christmas, our darling Ella. Wishing you a day of snow in your imagination and sweets in your stocking.

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• To our grandchildren: we love you more than all the presents under the tree. Merry Christmas.

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• Merry Christmas, Jack. Nana's put your favourite biscuits on the top shelf.

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• Happy Christmas, Chloe. Grandad has been practising his Santa voice for weeks.

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• To the grandchild who still leaves out a carrot for the reindeer: Merry Christmas, with all our love.

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• Happy Christmas, little one. This is your first with us, and the best one yet.

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From children

For a child to sign, with a grown-up to write down the words.

• Merry Christmas, Mum and Dad. Thank you for helping me find the best present for you.

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• Dear Nana, Merry Christmas! I drew you a picture of the snowman we made. Love, Archie

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• Happy Christmas, Grandad. I hope Santa brings you a new hat and some biscuits.

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• To my family: Merry Christmas! I love you all more than chocolate.

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• Dear Santa's helpers, I have been good this year. Mostly. Merry Christmas from Lucy

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• Happy Christmas, Auntie. I'm saving the gold wrapping paper for you.

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• Merry Christmas to my teacher. Thank you for the stories and for letting us do the play.

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For friends, neighbours and colleagues

Warm without being too personal, for a card the street or the team signs.

• Merry Christmas to a wonderful neighbour. Thank you for keeping an eye on the house.

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• Happy Christmas to the team. Thank you for a year of good humour and strong coffee.

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• Wishing you a lovely break, a long rest and a very Merry Christmas.

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• Happy Christmas to a friend who has made this year better. Let's meet in January.

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• Merry Christmas from all of us. Wishing you a calm few days and a good start to the new year.

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• Happy Christmas to our school-gate friends. May there be no packed lunches for a fortnight.

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• With warm wishes for Christmas and thanks for your kindness all year.

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For someone far away, or someone missed

For a card going overseas, or a message for someone for whom the day is quiet or hard.

• Merry Christmas from far away. You'll be in our thoughts all day, and we'll call after lunch.

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• Happy Christmas. We wish we could be there, so we've sent a hug in the post.

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• Thinking of you this Christmas. There's a seat at our table in our hearts.

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• Merry Christmas, wherever you're reading this. We can't wait to see you in the new year.

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• Wishing you a gentle Christmas. We're thinking of you and the people you miss.

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• Happy Christmas to a family across the sea. The children say the video call is the best present.

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• Merry Christmas. The distance is long, and the love is longer.

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To write in a book

A book under the tree lasts longer than the wrapping paper. Add the date and your name.

• For Ella, Christmas morning. Read this one by the tree, with a hot chocolate.

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• Merry Christmas, Jack. This story has a hero who looks a lot like you.

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• For our grandchildren, from Nana and Grandad, with love and a story to read together.

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• To Chloe on Christmas Day. Presents get unwrapped, but a story gets read again and again.

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• For you, on Christmas Eve. Read this one before you go to sleep, and look out for the reindeer.

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• Happy Christmas, Archie. We put you in the story, and the dog too.

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• For the whole family, Christmas this year. Take turns reading, and everyone gets a page.

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Write your own message in four steps

1. 1

   Write the name first

   “Dear Nana” or “Merry Christmas, Jack” turns a card from a pack into a card from you.

2. 2

   Add one line about this year

   A thank-you, a memory, a plan for January. One real detail is what people read twice.

3. 3

   Use the greeting your family uses

   Merry Christmas, Happy Christmas, Nollaig Shona or Season's Greetings: whichever is yours. A card should sound like you.

4. 4

   Sign it by hand

   A signed name, and a drawing or kiss from a child, is the part that gets kept.

Slips to avoid

• A round-robin letter with no personal line

  A year's news can be a pleasure, and it works best with a handwritten sentence just for the person receiving it.

• Wishes for a day that may be hard

  For someone who has lost a person this year, a bright “Merry Christmas” can sting. “Thinking of you at Christmas” says what you mean.

• Writing in the card for a small child's reading level

  A five-year-old won't read a paragraph. One line a grown-up can read out loud is plenty, and the longer words can go in an inscription for later.

Frequently asked questions

What do you write in a Christmas card?

A greeting, the person's name, one personal line and a wish for the new year. Short is fine. Warm and true matters more than clever.

What do you write in a Christmas card for a grandchild?

Their name, a line about something you share, such as biscuits or a favourite game, and a wish. For young children, keep it short enough to read out loud.

What do you write in a Christmas card to someone far away?

Say you're thinking of them, mention what you'll do on the day, such as a call after lunch, and say when you hope to see them next.

What goes in an inscription in a Christmas book?

The date, the child's name, who it's from and one sentence for later. A book under the tree can be reread every December.