I have a stack of Christmas cards to write and nothing to say in any of them.

Example messages, by who the card is for

Change the names and the detail; the detail is what makes a card worth opening.

- Family who live far away: “Merry Christmas, Jen and Tom. We still can't believe Ivy is six months old. Send us a video of her first look at the tree, please.” - A close friend you rarely see: “Happy holidays, Mai. Nursing school suits you, from everything I hear. Let's finally get that dinner on the calendar in January, my treat.” - Neighbors: “Merry Christmas, Pat and Ron. The fence is still standing, and so is our gratitude. Come by for cocoa any evening this month.” - Grandparents: “Merry Christmas, Grandpa. Leo lost his first tooth and wants you to know it was the top one. We love you and can't wait to see you on the 26th.” - A child's teacher or coach: “Merry Christmas, Mrs. Ortiz. Leo plays “Jingle Bells” for us every night now, with both hands. Thank you for your patience with him this fall.” - Someone who had a hard year: “Thinking of you this Christmas, Carol. We miss Frank too, and we'd love to have you over for dinner in the new year.” - An old friend you've lost touch with: “It's been far too long, Dee. I still laugh about our road trip to Austin. I hope this year was kind to you, and I'd love to hear your news.”

How much to write, and how to sign it

Two or three sentences, roughly 25 to 50 words, fills the inside of a standard folded card without cramping your handwriting. A photo card with a printed greeting needs even less: one handwritten line under the print, such as “Hope to see you at Easter, Deb,” turns a mass mailing into a card from you.

A pattern that works for almost anyone: the greeting with their name, one sentence about them or about something you shared this year, one sentence looking ahead. Then the sign-off.

Sign-offs, from close to formal: “Love,” “With love,” “Warmly,” “Merry Christmas from all of us,” “Best wishes for the season.” For a household, list the people in the order you'd introduce them, adults first: “Love, Dana, Chris, Ivy and Biscuit.” Drop the surname for family; keep it for anyone who knows more than one Dana.

Merry Christmas, Happy holidays or something else

Use the greeting the person uses. For a friend who celebrates Christmas, “Merry Christmas” is right. For someone of another faith, or a mixed list where you don't know, “Happy holidays” or “Warm wishes for the new year” is safe and kind. In 2026 Hanukkah begins at sundown on Friday 4 December, so a Jewish friend can get a Hanukkah card mailed in late November, or a New Year card later.

For someone whose first Christmas follows a death, a divorce or a hard diagnosis, skip “merry” and write “Thinking of you this Christmas” with one sentence of love. Mention the person they lost by name if you knew them. If you're mailing late, a New Year card that arrives in the first week of January is perfectly normal.

What to leave out of a card

A short checklist before you seal the envelope:

1. The family update. Promotions, trips and grades belong in a Christmas letter, not squeezed into three lines. 2. Promises you won't keep. “We must get together” every year without a date reads as a formula. Name a month or leave it out. 3. Politics, and any news that's sad for them but not yet shared with the whole family. 4. Stock card lines such as “the magic of the season” and “cherish every moment”. HidenGPT's red pen also cuts words like “embrace” and “vibrant”, but read for the rest yourself. 5. A typo in a name. Check spellings against last year's cards or their own signature.