Holiday Card Messages and Happy Holidays Wishes
Holiday card messages and happy holidays wishes for everyone on your list: family, your partner, friends, neighbors, coworkers and your boss, employees, clients and customers, someone far away, someone grieving, and people whose traditions you don't know. A card list is a strange mix, from your aunt to your accountant, so the messages below are sorted by who you're writing to. Each one has a detail in it, a name, a dish, a habit, so swap in one of your own before you send it.
In 2026, Hanukkah begins at sundown on Friday, December 4, 2026. Christmas is on Friday, December 25, 2026, Kwanzaa begins on Saturday, December 26, 2026, and New Year's Day is Friday, January 1, 2027.
52 messages: card messages, a mixed list, family, your partner, friends, coworkers and clients, employees and customers, someone far away, someone grieving, Kwanzaa, and short texts.
When are the holidays this year?
The end-of-year holidays sit close together. In the US, Thanksgiving opens the season on the fourth Thursday of November. Hanukkah follows the Hebrew calendar and can begin any time from late November to late December. Christmas is always December 25, Kwanzaa runs for seven days from December 26 to January 1, and New Year's Eve and New Year's Day close the season. For cards, the date that matters is the earliest one on your list: mail them so they arrive before it. In 2026, Hanukkah begins on Friday, December 4, so cards for anyone who keeps it should go out a week or so before that.
Each holiday has its own page of messages: Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year. The holiday calendar has the dates for the rest of the year.
Holidays 2026 to 2027
- Thanksgiving (US)
- Thursday, November 26, 2026
- Hanukkah begins at sundown
- Friday, December 4, 2026
- Christmas Day
- Friday, December 25, 2026
- Kwanzaa begins
- Saturday, December 26, 2026
- New Year's Eve
- Thursday, December 31, 2026
- New Year's Day
- Friday, January 1, 2027
Hanukkah ends at nightfall on Saturday, December 12. Kwanzaa lasts seven days, through New Year's Day.
Holidays 2027 to 2028
- Thanksgiving (US)
- Thursday, November 25, 2027
- Hanukkah begins at sundown
- Friday, December 24, 2027
- Christmas Day
- Saturday, December 25, 2027
- Kwanzaa begins
- Sunday, December 26, 2027
- New Year's Eve
- Friday, December 31, 2027
- New Year's Day
- Saturday, January 1, 2028
Hanukkah ends at nightfall on Saturday, January 1. Kwanzaa lasts seven days, through New Year's Day.
Happy holidays or Merry Christmas?
Both are kind, and a sincere wish is never the wrong thing to send. If you know someone celebrates Christmas, "Merry Christmas" is warmer, because it's their holiday; the same goes for "Happy Hanukkah" or "Joyous Kwanzaa" when you know that's what they keep, and a family that keeps two holidays is glad to hear both. When you don't know, or when the card goes to a whole list, a workplace or a client, "Happy holidays" or "Season's greetings" covers the whole stretch, and a wish for the new year fits anyone. The card doesn't need to take a side in anyone's argument about greetings: choose the words that fit the person, then spend the rest of the card on them.
If you know which holiday someone keeps, its own page has more to choose from:
- Christmas card messages, for anyone you know celebrates Christmas.
- Hanukkah messages and greetings, with the dates of the eight nights.
- New Year messages, for midnight texts and cards that arrive in January.
- Thanksgiving messages, for the start of the season in November.
- Friendsgiving messages, for the invitation, the toast and thanking the host.
What to write in a holiday card
A card to a long list still works best when each person gets one line of their own. A simple shape:
- 1.A greeting that fits them. "Happy holidays" for anyone, or the holiday you know they keep.
- 2.One line only they would understand. A trip, a meal, a joke from this year. It's the line people read twice.
- 3.A plan or a wish. "Let's get dinner in January" ends a card better than a general wish for the year ahead.
If you send printed photo cards or a family letter, write one line by hand on each card for the people you're closest to. The printed part says what your year was; the handwritten line says why the card went to them.
A couple you see once a year
Happy holidays to you both. We still talk about the night your power went out and we played cards by flashlight until two. This year was a full one for us, mostly good, and we'd love to hear about yours. Let's not wait until next December to catch up.
A family photo card
Happy holidays from all four of us, plus the dog, who would not sit for the photo. Emma started kindergarten and now reads every cereal box out loud. We think of you each time we drive past your old street. Write back with your news.
An old teacher or mentor
Season's greetings. I think of you every time I run a meeting the way you ran our Tuesday seminar: start on time and let the quiet people speak first. I don't think I ever thanked you for that. I hope the end of your year is peaceful.
For a mixed list
A mixed list is the neighbors, the other soccer parents, the building staff, your kids' teachers and people whose traditions you've never asked about. Use "Happy holidays" or "Season's greetings", thank them for one real thing, and keep the rest about them rather than about any one holiday. If you know a family keeps two holidays, name both. One true sentence per card is enough.
Neighbors on your street
Happy holidays from the blue house on the corner. Thank you for bringing our bins in after the windstorm and for keeping an eye on the place in August. We feel lucky to share a street with you.
When you don't know their traditions
Season's greetings. However you spend the end of the year, we hope it includes good food, people you like and at least one slow morning. Thank you for being part of our year.
A family that keeps two holidays
Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas to all of you. I love that your house has room for both, and that the kids get latkes and a tree in one December. Thinking of your whole noisy, happy crew.
The people who look after your building
Happy holidays, and thank you. You signed for every package, fixed the hallway light twice, and always asked about my mother. I hope you get some time off with your own family soon.
Someone you know only a little
Happy holidays. We don't see each other much outside of soccer pickup, but I always enjoy our five minutes on the sideline. I hope you get a restful end of the year.
For your family
Family cards can say the things that go unsaid at the table. Name a habit, a recipe, or a small kindness from this year. If part of the family keeps a different holiday, or none, wish them well in words that fit them. For grandparents and older relatives, mail a paper card even if you text everyone else; it's the one they can stand on a shelf.
For your parents
Mom and Dad, happy holidays. Thank you for keeping the house the way we remember it in December: the radio on in the kitchen, the box of mismatched decorations, the good blanket on the couch. Coming home to it is still the best part of my year. See you on the 23rd.
For your grandparents
Grandma and Grandpa, happy holidays. I made your walnut cookies last weekend and they were close, but not quite yours, so you'll have to show me again when I visit. Thank you for every recipe card in your handwriting. I keep them in a box next to the stove.
For a sister
Happy holidays to the only other person who knows all the words to the song we made up in the back seat on the way to Aunt Lou's. I'm glad you're my sister. Call me when the house gets too loud.
For your in-laws
Happy holidays, and thank you for setting a place for me from the very first year. I know the traditions by heart now, from the walk after lunch to who always ends up doing the dishes. I'm grateful to be part of them.
A cousin you only see in December
Happy holidays, cousin. Every year we say we'll visit in the summer, and every year we don't. I'm still glad we have December. Save me a spot on the porch steps.
For your partner
A card to your partner can be short and private. Mention something from this year that only the two of you know about, or a tradition you started together. If you're splitting the holidays between two families, or blending two traditions under one roof, say thank you for the work that takes.
Your first holidays together
Our first holidays together. In a few weeks you've learned my family's rules, and you've taught me two of yours. I'd like to keep every one of them. Happy holidays, love.
Splitting the holidays between two families
Thank you for driving four hours on the 24th and four more on the 26th so both our families get a day with us. You never complain about it, and I notice. Next time, the snacks for the car are on me.
Two traditions in one house
A menorah on the windowsill, a tree in the corner, and you explaining both to my nephew with total patience. I love the way our house looks in December. Happy holidays to my favorite person.
A note left by the coffee
Happy holidays. The house is quiet, the coffee is hot, and nobody needs anything from us until noon. I'm glad I get to spend this stretch of the year with you.
For friends
Friends get the most room to be specific, and a little silly. A shared memory beats a general wish, and a plan to see each other in January gives the card somewhere to go. For a friend who doesn't celebrate anything in December, skip the holiday and tell them you're glad they're your friend.
Your oldest friend
Happy holidays to the friend who has been on my card list since we were nine and wrote our addresses in gel pen. We've both moved six times since then, and yours is still the first envelope I write. Love to you and everyone in your house.
The friend who throws the party every year
Thank you for throwing the party again, with the paper lanterns, the soup in the slow cooker and the playlist nobody is allowed to touch. It's the night I look forward to all December. Happy holidays.
A friend who doesn't celebrate much
No pressure to celebrate anything. I know December isn't a big deal in your house. I just wanted to say I'm glad we're friends, and I hope you get a few slow days off before January.
A friend you've drifted from
I saw a red scarf in a shop window last week and thought of the one you wore every winter in college. We haven't talked properly in a long time, and I miss it. Happy holidays. Coffee in January?
A friend who had a big year
Happy holidays to someone who moved cities, started a new job and still remembered my birthday this year. I don't know how you did it. I hope you spend the last week of December doing nothing at all.
For coworkers and clients
For coworkers, keep it warm and short, and wish them a good break rather than a particular holiday unless you know which one they keep. Holiday cards to clients and business contacts follow a few rules of their own:
- Send them early. Aim for the first two weeks of December, before offices empty out; a card that lands on an empty desk waits until January.
- Sign every card by hand. A printed signature reads like a mailing. Ask whoever works with that client to add one line about something you did together.
- Leave out the sales pitch. No discount codes, no plans for next year, nothing that asks for a reply. The card is a thank you, and that's its whole job.
- Use wording that fits everyone. "Happy holidays" or "Season's greetings" suits every client, and so does a thank you for the year.
For your team
Happy holidays, everyone. Thank you for the work this year, and especially for the week in October when the launch slipped and nobody pointed fingers. Please log off when the break starts. It will all still be here in January.
Your desk neighbor
Happy holidays to the best desk neighbor I've had. Thank you for the spare phone charger, the honest feedback, and the snacks in your second drawer. Have a good break.
For your manager
Happy holidays. Thank you for backing me in the budget meeting and for the extra day off when my dad was sick. I hope you take your whole break this time.
A client card, signed by hand
Season's greetings from all of us at the studio. Working with your team on the spring catalog was a highlight of our year, and we appreciated your patience with the extra round of proofs. We hope the end of the year brings you some rest. With thanks, Marisol
A client you work with one on one
Happy holidays, Graham. Thank you for trusting me with your books for another year, and for sending your receipts in order, which I can't say about everyone. I hope you get real time away before tax season.
A supplier or vendor
Happy holidays to everyone at the warehouse. You got our orders out on time all through the busy months, even the ones we placed far too late. Thank you, and enjoy the break.
For employees and customers
For a staff or a customer list, "Happy holidays" is the kind default, because you can't know what everyone celebrates. Send it in the first two weeks of December, thank people for something real from the year, and say when you close and when you open again. Keep news, bonuses and next year's plans for another message. If some of your team works through the holidays, write to them separately: they're the ones who notice when a thank-you is generic.
To employees, from the owner
Happy holidays, and thank you. This year we opened the second location, trained eleven new people and kept the old regulars happy, and none of it was done from my office. Whatever you celebrate, or don't, I hope the break gives you time with the people you like best.
A year-end email to employees
As the year closes, thank you all for the work behind every number in this year's report: the late calls, the second drafts, and the way you covered for each other whenever someone was out. Rest properly over the break. Happy holidays.
To a team spread across countries
Happy holidays to the whole team, from Lisbon to Melbourne. Some of you are heading into Christmas, some into the summer holidays, and some are just glad the meetings stop for a week. Thank you for this year. See you in January.
To a team working through the holidays
To everyone keeping things running between Christmas and New Year: thank you. The building is quiet but the phones aren't, and you're the reason nothing slips. Lunch is on us every day you're in, and your extra days off are already in the January calendar.
To customers of a small business
Happy holidays from all of us at the bookshop. Thank you for every special order, every gift you let us wrap, and every time you sent a friend our way. Our holiday hours are on the door, and we'll be here for most of the season.
For someone far away
For someone far away, the card stands in for being there, so tell them what they're missing in detail: who's coming, what's cooking, what the house looks like. Set a time to call on the day. If the card has to cross a border, mail it early.
A grandchild who can't come home
We'll miss you this December. Grandpa has already set aside a jar of honey from the neighbor's bees for you, so it will be waiting when you do come. Call us on the day and tell us what you're eating over there.
A friend spending the holidays abroad
Happy holidays from the cold side of the world. I hope wherever you are has good bread and a place to sit by the water. Send me a picture of whatever ends up on your plate on the 25th.
A brother who can't fly home
It won't feel right without you sneaking the last of the clementines. We'll call when everyone is together so you can hear the noise. Happy holidays. Next December you're coming home if I have to buy the ticket myself.
Someone working through the holidays
Thinking of you on your shift across the country this week. Thank you for doing the kind of work that doesn't stop for the holidays. There's a box on its way with the good tea and some of Mom's shortbread.
For someone who is grieving
The holidays can be the hardest weeks of a year when someone has died, a marriage has ended or someone is ill, because every tradition points at what's missing. Say the person's name if you knew them, don't ask anyone to be cheerful, and make any invitation easy to say no to. A message in the quiet days between Christmas and New Year's Day can mean more than one on the day itself.
When you need words for the loss itself, our condolence messages can help.
The first holidays without someone
I know this is your first December without your mom, and that every tradition has her in it. I'm thinking of you, and of her cranberry bread that nobody else could get right. You don't need to answer this. I'm close by if you want company.
An invitation that is easy to decline
We're having a few people over on the 24th, nothing big. You're very welcome, for an hour or the whole evening. And if you'd rather stay in this time, I understand completely, and I'll drop off a plate.
After a divorce or separation
The first holidays on a new schedule are hard, especially on the days the kids are at their dad's. I'm free on the 26th if you'd like a long walk or a bad movie. Thinking of you.
A card for a widow or widower
Happy holidays is a hard thing to say this year, so I'll just say I'm thinking of you. Frank's laugh was the best part of every December party on our street, and we miss him too. We're right here if you need anything.
Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa is a celebration of African American culture, family and community, held every year from December 26 to January 1. Maulana Karenga created it in 1966, and its name comes from the Swahili phrase "matunda ya kwanza", first fruits. People of many religious traditions celebrate it, and many who celebrate Kwanzaa also celebrate Christmas.
- The seven principles. Each day is given to one of the Nguzo Saba: Umoja (unity), Kujichagulia (self-determination), Ujima (collective work and responsibility), Ujamaa (cooperative economics), Nia (purpose), Kuumba (creativity) and Imani (faith).
- The kinara. It holds seven candles, one black, three red and three green. The black candle, for Umoja, is lit on the first day, and the others on the days that follow.
- The greetings. "Joyous Kwanzaa" works for anyone. The traditional greeting each day is "Habari gani?", Swahili for "How are you?", and the answer is that day's principle: "Umoja" on the first day, "Kujichagulia" on the second, and so on.
- The feast and gifts. The karamu, a feast, usually falls on December 31, the sixth day. Gifts go mainly to children and traditionally include a book and a heritage symbol.
Kwanzaa is its own holiday, not a version of Christmas, so give it its own line in a card rather than adding it to the end of a Christmas wish, unless you know the person keeps both.
A friend who celebrates Kwanzaa
Joyous Kwanzaa to you, Denise, and to the whole house. I know how much planning goes into the karamu on the 31st. I hope it's full of family, good food and the cousins' stories, and that you get to sit down for some of it.
A coworker who celebrates Kwanzaa
Joyous Kwanzaa. I hope the week gives you real time with your family before we're all back in January. Thank you for everything you did for the team this year.
A family with young children
Joyous Kwanzaa to all of you. Maya told me she's been practicing the Swahili names of all seven principles so she can say them at dinner. I hope the whole week is as good as she says it's going to be.
On the sixth day, from someone who celebrates
Habari gani? Kuumba, of course. Thinking of you today and of everything you made this year, from the garden boxes at the school to the quilt you finished for your grandmother. Joyous Kwanzaa.
Short texts for the holidays
For the days themselves: the morning everyone scatters, the last afternoon at work, the quiet evening when someone comes to mind. None of these needs more than a line.
The simplest holiday text
Happy holidays. Thinking of you this week.
For the group chat
Happy holidays, everyone. Whatever you're eating today, I hope someone else is doing the dishes.
Someone you met this year
Happy holidays. I'm really glad we met this year, and I'm looking forward to more of it.
The last day before the break
Signing off for the holidays. Thank you for this year, and see you in January.
A little late
A belated happy holidays. You were on my mind all week, and I didn't say it in time.
A formal one for work
Season's greetings, and thank you for a good year of working together.
Someone spending the day alone
Happy holidays. I am calling you at four, so put the kettle on.
Every date from Thanksgiving to New Year, and the rest of the year, is in the holiday calendar.