What to say in a Christmas Card? Christmas card messages made simple

Christmas card messages don’t always come easy. It seems like such a simple thing, but even after spending your afternoon creating custom Christmas cards for your loved ones, when it comes to writing inside suddenly your mind goes blank. What should you say? How much should you write?

Our handy guide is full of suggestions on what to say in a Christmas card. Whether you’re sending to co-workers, friends or family, we’ve given you plenty of options from funny and heartfelt to religious and professional.

Why Christmas cards matter

You may be thinking, ‘do people even send Christmas cards anymore?’ and you’d be right, it’s becoming less popular over the years. The cost of stamps, environmental concerns and the introduction of social media and instant messaging have all seen many people stop sending cards at Christmas. But for us at Paperbox, the tradition of sending custom Christmas cards is one of the most treasured parts of the season.

The wonderful feeling when a festive red envelope drops through your letterbox with a Christmas stamp. It’s that warm hug of a feeling, knowing someone is thinking of you, no matter how near or far they may be. A single card can spread so much joy and end the year on a positive note.

What’s more, when you spend time creating a handmade Christmas card for a person, it’s not simply thrown away; it becomes a treasured keepsake. Plus, our cards and papers are FSC certified, so you can craft with confidence knowing your Christmas card making supplies have come from sustainable sources.

Choosing your Christmas card messages

When you’re stuck for what to say in a Christmas card, our best advice is to think of the person you are sending it to. Think of the inside of the card as an extension of the outside. You’ve personalised that to their tastes down to the card colour and ribbon choice, all you have to do is the same with your pen. Think about;

• Who are you writing to? A close friend, partner, coworker, or distant relative
• How would you speak to them? Jokey, heartfelt, or professional
• How long a message? Is it just a quick greeting or a longer message

No matter your choice, make sure it’s authentic to you; after all it should feel genuine.

Traditional Christmas card messages

Teachers, neighbours or distant relatives- these classics are perfect for just about anyone, even if you’re particularly close.

1. Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
2. Happy Christmas and best wishes for the year ahead.
3. Wishing you and your family a wonderful Christmas filled with joy and happiness.
4. With warm wishes for a lovely Christmas and every happiness in the coming year.
5. Hope you all have a great Christmas and hope to see you in the New Year
6. Merry Christmas to all the family and a very Happy New Year too.

Fun Christmas card messages

Perfect for friends, your close colleagues, children and anyone who loves to laugh. Christmas messages don’t have to be sensible, after all 'tis the season to be jolly!

1. Merry Christmas! May your days be merry, your plates be full and batteries be included!
2. Remember, Christmas calories don’t count, so eat, drink and be merry. See you at the gym in January!
3. Hope Santa brings you everything on your list… and leaves the receipt just in case!
4. Have yourself a merry little Christmas, I hope no one told Santa how naughty you’ve been!
5. It’s Christmas! The only time of year where a Chocolate Orange is one of your five a day.
6. Hope you have a fantastic family Christmas. See you in the New Year for the usual moan!

Heartfelt Christmas card messages

These heartfelt messages are the perfect accompaniment to a romantic greeting made from layers of textured card and paper. Perfect for partners, spouses and the people who mean the most to you.

1. Merry Christmas to my favourite person. You make every day brighter and I’m so lucky to have you in my life.
2. All I want for Christmas is you. Wishing you a wonderful Christmas filled with cuddles on the sofa.
3. The best present I could ever ask for is another Christmas with you. Here’s to making many more happy memories together.
4. Another Christmas together, another year of wonderful memories. I can’t wait to see what the New Year has in store for us.
5. No matter what’s under the tree, I already have the best gift of all. Merry Christmas, my love!
6. Baby it’s cold outside. You get the drinks, I’ll get the chocolates and I’ll meet you on the sofa for Die Hard.

Religious Christmas card messages

Ideal for friends, family and loved ones who celebrate the religious meaning of Christmas. These traditional messages focus on faith, hope, peace and the blessing of Christ’s birth.

1. Wishing you a blessed Christmas filled with the love, peace and joy of Christ.
2. May the true spirit of Christmas bring faith to your heart, love to your home and blessings throughout the New Year.
3. May the light of Christ shine upon you this Christmas and guide you throughout the coming year.
4. Wishing you peace on earth, goodwill to all and the blessings of God this Christmas and always.
5. Here’s to remembering what it’s all about. May peace be with you this Christmas.
6. Wishing you and your family a joyful Christmas and New Year full of happiness.

Professional Christmas card messages

These messages strike the right balance between friendly and professional, helping you share festive wishes without being too personal. Perfect for the office, managers, clients, customers and business contacts.

1. Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Thank you for all your hard work and support this year.
2. Wishing you a relaxing Christmas break and a successful year ahead.
3. Merry Christmas! I hope you enjoy a well-deserved break, see you in the New Year.
4. Have a lovely Christmas and see you for more in the New Year!
5. Merry Christmas from all the team, time for a well-deserved rest.
6. Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Here’s to another successful year of working together!

These are great options for a warm festive message for anyone on your Christmas card list. It’s not a case of one message fits all. Choose the one that suits your relationship and the recipients’ tastes. Remember to add the person’s name at the top.

Writing your Christmas card message

Write in the inside right-hand leaf of your card.

Title

Start with ‘To’ and the name of the recipient, be it a single person or multiple. If you struggle to remember everyone’s names, there are a few easy alternatives you can use instead. Try greetings such as ‘The Smith Family’, ‘Everyone at No. 10’ or simply ‘To you both’. These little workarounds make addressing your Christmas cards much easier and help ensure nobody gets left off your festive greeting list.

Message

Choose your selected message from any of the options above depending on the recipient or use your own. Feel free to add any extra personal details or inside jokes if you have the time to make the message even more personal.

Signing your Christmas card

Now all that’s left is to sign your name. Again, you may want to mix these up depending on how well you know the person and the closeness of your relationship. Some great options include;

1. Warm wishes
2. Love from
3. Best wishes
4. Lots of love
5. All the best

If you feel like adding a few Christmas kisses, then go for it, but only if it feels comfortable.

Example

To John and Margot

With warm wishes for a lovely Christmas and every happiness in the coming year.

Love from

                                                        Charlotte, Paul and the dogs

Paperbox design tip: if you love cardmaking but get anxious that you’ll make a mistake with handwriting or spelling errors, try using a paper insert. A paper insert allows you to write, or even home print your message onto the insert itself and only attach it the card when you are happy. If anything goes wrong, you are only then discarding the insert and not the whole card.

When should you send Christmas Cards?

Writing Christmas cards is a lovely way to get yourself into the festive mood. Whether you’re making custom Christmas cards from scratch or buying from the shops, grab yourself a cosy cup of hot chocolate or mulled wine, snuggle up by the fire with some Nat King Cole and get into the spirit.

If you become overwhelmed, break your list into smaller groups. Instead of tackling everyone at once, organise your cards by who you’re sending them to, how they’ll be delivered and when they need to be posted. For example, it might look a bit like this:

 

Card group	Card type	When to send	Planning tip
Overseas Post	Homemade A5	Late Nov Early Dec	Send these first, as some destinations can take weeks for postage.
UK Post	Shop bought	Early – Mid December	If you send early, you’ll be able to save on postage with second-class stamps.
Work	Mini card A6	Mid Dec	You might decide to make a simpler handmade card using a mini A6 card and stamp for colleagues.
Friends & Family	Homemade A5	Mid – Late Dec	You can hand-deliver cards to your closest people as you see them through the holidays.

When is the last posting date for Christmas?

If you’re posting cards, be sure to check when the last posting dates are. You can find all the last posting dates for Christmas for both UK and international delivery from the UK on the Royal Mail website.  

Discover the joy of Christmas through card making

Christmas is all about sharing joy, spreading kindness and letting the people we love know how much they mean to us. If you find yourself stuck for what to say in a Christmas card, don’t panic. A Christmas card message is simply about spreading some cheer.

Whether you choose a funny festive message, a heartfelt note or a few simple words, it’s the thought behind your card that truly matters.

So why not make this Christmas a little more personal? Wow your friends and family this year with custom Christmas cards made with beautiful papers, festive embellishments and thoughtful messages. Need some inspiration? Check out our DIY Santa’s Belt Card here.