What to write in a holiday card: 100+ messages for family, friends, clients, and the New Year

What to write in a holiday card

A good holiday card message has four parts: the person’s name, one line that could only be about them, a wish for the season, and a sign-off. The specific line is the part people remember. “Thanks for a great year” is polite; “Thank you for driving me to every physical therapy appointment in March” is a card someone keeps.

Choose the seasonal wish for the reader, not for yourself. The Emily Post Institute suggests that when you don’t know someone well, such as a business contact, a broad sentiment like “Season’s Greetings” or “Happy New Year” is the safe choice. If you know which holiday they celebrate, wishing them that holiday by name is warmer still.

This guide covers inclusive, business, and New Year wording. For messages that are specifically about Christmas, including Bible verses and Christmas wishes for family, see our Christmas card guide.

• What to write in a Christmas card

Happy holidays and non-religious holiday card messages

“Happy holidays” and “Season’s greetings” cover Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, the winter solstice, New Year, and simply time off, so they suit a mixed list or anyone whose traditions you don’t know. Emily Post’s advice for those cards is a broad sentiment with no religious figures, messages, or symbols. These messages follow that rule.

• “Happy holidays! Wishing you a season of good food, long talks, and nowhere you have to be.”
• “Warm wishes for a cozy, unhurried holiday season and a bright year ahead.”
• “Season’s greetings! May the coming months be gentle and full of good news.”
• “Wishing you light on the shortest days and plenty of reasons to celebrate.”
• “Happy holidays! Here’s to slow mornings, warm drinks, and the people who make you laugh.”
• “Sending you warmth for the winter and every good thing for the new year.”
• “May your holidays be restful and your new year be kind to you.”
• “Thinking of you this season and wishing you calm, comfort, and good company.”
• “Happy holidays to you and everyone gathered around your table.”
• “Wishing you a joyful end to the year and a hopeful start to the next.”

Holiday card messages for family

Family cards can be longer and more personal than anything else you send. Name a moment from the year, thank someone for something specific, or point to a plan you have together.

• “Happy holidays to my favorite people. Every year with you is the best part of the calendar.”
• “No matter how many miles or years go by, home still means you. Love you all, and happy holidays.”
• “Thank you for the phone calls, the advice, and the leftovers. Wishing you the warmest holidays.”
• “To my sister: thanks for being my first friend and my longest-running inside joke. Happy holidays!”
• “Thank you for a year of showing up for us. We’re so lucky to be yours. Happy holidays, Mom and Dad.”
• “To the grandkids: we’re proud of every one of you. Have the happiest holidays, and call us!”
• “Wishing our whole wonderful, noisy family a season of good food and better company.”
• “Happy holidays, Uncle Ray. The fishing trip this summer is a story we’ll be telling for years.”

Holiday card messages for friends and long-distance friends

A shared joke or a plan does more for a friend than a formal wish. For someone far away, mention the distance once and then point toward the next visit, so the card feels hopeful rather than wistful.

• How to write a letter to a friend

Business holiday card messages for clients and customers

To say happy holidays professionally, thank the client for something real, wish them well, and sign as a person. Use “happy holidays” or “season’s greetings” unless you know which holiday the client celebrates; Emily Post recommends the broader sentiment for business contacts. Fill in the brackets with a project, a year, or a detail only you would know, so the card doesn’t read like it went to a thousand people.

IRIS mails one postcard per order, to one US address, which suits a single important client or a small handful you order one at a time. If you have a client list, use the contact form with the “Sending in volume” topic and say whether you want letters or postcards and about how many recipients; don’t paste the list into the message.

• “Thank you for your trust this year. Everyone at [Company] wishes you a peaceful holiday season and a healthy new year.”
• “It was a pleasure working with you in 2026. Wishing you a restful holiday and a strong start to 2027.”
• “Your support made this year possible for our small team. Happy holidays from all of us at [Company].”
• “Season’s greetings and sincere thanks for your business. We’re grateful to work with people like you.”
• “Wishing you and your team a happy holiday season. Thank you for being such a great partner on [project].”
• “Thank you for choosing [Company] this year. We hope your holidays are bright and your new year is prosperous.”
• “From our shop to your home: thank you for shopping local this year. Happy holidays!”
• “Working with you on [project] was a highlight of our year. Warm wishes for the season and the year ahead.”
• “As the year closes, we simply want to say thank you. Wishing you a joyful holiday season and good things in 2027.”
• “Happy holidays! We appreciate every referral and every return visit this year.”
• “Thank you for being one of our first clients. We’ve grown because of you. Season’s greetings.”
• “Wishing you a calm, well-deserved break this holiday season. It’s a privilege to work with you.”

• Send in volume: contact IRIS

What not to write in a business holiday card

A holiday card works because it asks for nothing. The moment it turns into an ad, it reads like the rest of the December promotional mail and loses the goodwill it was meant to build. If you have an offer to share, send it separately in January.

• No sales pitch, product launch, or “book your 2027 consultation” line.
• No discount codes, coupons, “holiday special” prices, or QR codes to a store page.
• No assumptions about religion. A business contact you don’t know well gets “happy holidays,” “season’s greetings,” or a New Year wish.
• No politics, and no inside jokes from the office that the client wasn’t part of.
• No account numbers, balances, or invoice details, especially on a postcard, which anyone handling it can read.
• No unsigned company card. Add a real person’s name, even if the company name is printed on the card.

Holiday card messages for coworkers, a boss, and employees

Workplace cards should be warm, short, and readable by anyone who picks them up. Thank a coworker for something concrete, keep a card to your boss grateful rather than flattering, and when you write to employees, name the work they did.

Holiday card messages for neighbors and teachers

For neighbors and teachers, the thank-you is the message. Name one thing they did, then wish them a good break.

Hanukkah and Kwanzaa wishes for a holiday card

If you know someone celebrates Hanukkah or Kwanzaa, wish them that holiday by name; Emily Post suggests a greeting for the friend’s own holiday, and a handwritten line works even on a general card. Keep the wording simple and warm. Plain English wishes are always respectful, so skip phrases from another tradition or language unless you are sure how they are used.

Watch the dates. USPS notes that Hanukkah runs December 4–12 in 2026, earlier than usual, and Kwanzaa runs December 26 to January 1, so a Hanukkah card should be in the mail by late November.

• “Happy Hanukkah! Wishing you and your family eight bright nights together.”
• “Thinking of you this Hanukkah and wishing your home a season full of light and good company.”
• “Happy Hanukkah to you and yours, with warm wishes for the new year.”
• “Happy Kwanzaa! Wishing you a joyful week of celebration with the people you love.”
• “Warm Kwanzaa wishes to you and your family, and every good thing in the year ahead.”
• “Wishing you a happy Kwanzaa and a new year full of promise.”

New Year card messages

A New Year card is the easiest inclusive card there is. Emily Post points out that a New Year greeting “avoids all of the holiday season’s religious associations,” and it lets you mail after the December rush; cards are customarily sent until a couple of weeks into the new year. It is also a natural fit for business, because thanking someone for the past year and looking ahead to the next is exactly what a client card should do.

To wish someone a happy New Year, look back at one good thing and forward to one hope.

• “Happy New Year! Here’s to keeping the best parts of 2026 and leaving the rest behind.”
• “Wishing you a 2027 full of good health, good news, and good people.”
• “Cheers to a new year and another chance to get together more often.”
• “May 2027 bring you rest when you need it and adventure when you want it.”
• “Happy New Year! Thank you for being one of the best parts of my year.”
• “Here’s to fresh calendars, clean slates, and more plans with you.”
• “Wishing you twelve months of small wins and at least one big one.”
• “A new year, the same gratitude for you. Happy 2027!”
• “Happy New Year to you and your family. May the year ahead treat you gently and often.”
• “Late to the holidays, right on time for the new year: happy 2027!”
• For a client: “Thank you for a great year of working together. We look forward to what we’ll do in 2027. Happy New Year!”
• For a client: “Wishing you a healthy, successful new year, and thank you for being part of ours.”

• New Year postcards

Short holiday card messages and one-liners

A one-liner is enough when you add the person’s name above it and your name below. Short lines also work on a postcard, where the message shares the back with the address, or as the closing line under a longer note.

• “Happy holidays and happy everything.”
• “Warmest wishes this season.”
• “Rest, joy, and good company.”
• “Here’s to the season, and here’s to you.”
• “Wishing you a bright and easy season.”
• “Cozy days and happy nights.”
• “Peace and quiet, plus a little cake.”
• “Grateful for you this season.”
• “Cheers to you and to next year.”
• “Happy holidays from all of us.”
• “Good food, good friends, good year.”
• “Light, warmth, and a happy new year.”

Funny holiday card messages

Save funny cards for people who share your sense of humor, and aim the joke at yourself or the season, never at the reader. Avoid jokes about weight, politics, or anyone’s family drama.

• “Happy holidays! May your leftovers outnumber your obligations.”
• “May your Wi-Fi be strong and your work email be silent.”
• “We were going to send a newsletter, but this card is the highlights. Happy holidays!”
• “Happy holidays from the people who still haven’t returned your casserole dish.”
• “This card took us three weekends and one mild argument. Happy holidays!”
• “Wishing you a season of naps that are completely on purpose.”
• “May your holiday playlist never repeat and your batteries never run out.”
• “New year, same us. Thanks for putting up with it. Happy holidays!”

Holiday card messages after a hard year

If someone has lost a person, a job, or their health this year, a cheerful “Happy holidays!” can land badly. Acknowledge the year, offer warmth without asking them to feel festive, and make clear no reply is needed. For a fuller note after a death, write a condolence letter.

• “I know this year has been a lot. Thinking of you this season and sending all my love.”
• “This card doesn’t need an answer. It’s just here to say I’m on your side.”
• “Wishing you a gentle season and a new year that’s easier on you.”
• “Holding you close in my thoughts this holiday. I’m here whenever you want company.”
• “The holidays can be hard after a loss. I’m thinking of you and remembering [name] with you.”
• “You got through a tough year, and I’m proud of you. Here’s to a softer one ahead.”
• “Sending quiet comfort this season, and a standing offer of soup and a walk in January.”

• How to write a condolence letter

How to personalize a holiday card message

Start from any message above, then change one thing so it could only be for this person. Emily Post says printed cards sent exactly as they are are fine, but even a short added line or a signature makes a card feel personal.

• Use their name in the greeting, and the names of their partner or kids if you know them.
• Swap a general phrase for a real moment: “this year” becomes “the week we spent at the lake.”
• Mention something ahead of them, such as a new job, a move, or a trip, so the wish is about their year.
• Match their holiday when you know it, and use a general wish when you don’t.
• For a client, name the project, the season you worked together, or the person on your team they dealt with.
• Read it out loud. If it sounds like something you would say to them in person, it is right.

When to send holiday cards

Emily Post says holiday cards are usually sent any time from Thanksgiving until a couple of weeks into the new year. For a card that should arrive before December 25, USPS recommends mailing First-Class Mail by Thursday, December 17, 2026. That is a recommendation, not a guarantee, and delivery times vary, so mail earlier when you can. Send Hanukkah cards earlier (Hanukkah starts December 4 this year), and New Year cards can go out after Christmas.

Mailing your own cards? A standard rectangular card up to 1 ounce takes one $0.82 Forever stamp, but a square envelope is nonmachinable and needs $1.31, so check the shape before you buy stamps.

• USPS holiday mailing deadlines for 2026
• Square envelope postage
• How to address Christmas and holiday cards

How to sign a holiday card

Sign the way you talk to that person. Emily Post says the order of names in a household doesn’t matter and pets can be included. On a business card, sign with your own name and add the company, so the client knows who is thanking them. Our guide to signing a Christmas card covers family names, couples, and formal sign-offs in detail.

• How to sign a Christmas card

How to send a holiday message with IRIS

IRIS prints and mails personal postcards by USPS First-Class Mail. Pick a design from the Winter greetings or New Year collections, which suit any tradition, or upload your own photo. Then type your message (up to 420 characters, so every message on this page fits), add an optional signature line, enter your return address and the recipient’s US address, and review the total before you pay. A 4 × 6 or 5.5 × 4.25 postcard costs $3.49 and a 6 × 9 or 8.5 × 5.5 postcard costs $4.49, with full-color printing and postage included.

Know the limits before you plan a long list. Each order goes to one recipient; there is no mailing list or bulk upload at checkout, and you can’t schedule a future send date, so order each card when you want it to go out. The message is printed, not handwritten. A postcard isn’t private, so keep account details and anything personal you wouldn’t want a stranger to read for a sealed letter. Businesses with a client list should contact IRIS about sending in volume.

• Winter greetings postcards
• New Year postcards
• Contact IRIS about sending in volume