I want to send our clients a holiday email that isn't a sales pitch in a Santa hat.
Bring what you did together this year, your holiday hours and how personal each message should be. HidenGPT's Email format, set to Thank-you, writes a short greeting with one real detail and the dates clients need, in your voice if you add samples. Clients get thanks, with no offer attached.
Try it with your own details
Enter to send · Shift+Enter for a new line
How to do it in HidenGPT
- 01
Decide which clients get a personal message and which get the group version, and note one shared moment from the year for each personal one.
- 02
Pick Email under “Use it for”; this page sets Email type to Thank-you, Length to Short and Tone to Professional, so put your notes and your holiday hours in the main box.
- 03
For key clients, write one request per client with their name and a project you did together, so each message mentions something only they would recognize.
- 04
Check names, company names and dates, remove any line that reads like an offer, and pick a subject line that says it is a greeting.
- 05
Send in the first half of December, from a real person's address, and send group emails with recipients hidden, never in a visible CC list.
Email / Newsletter: Subject lines that get opened, emails and newsletters that get replies.
Examples: for many clients, for one key client, and for a card
Names and details are made up.
For all clients (about 95 words):
“Subject: Thank you, and our holiday hours
Hi [first name],
Thank you for trusting us with your books this year. When we launched the client portal in May, most of you switched to it within a month, and your feedback shaped how it works now.
Our office is closed from Thursday 24 December and reopens on Monday 4 January. If a payroll problem can't wait, Ben is on call at the usual number.
We wish you a restful holiday and a good start to the new year.
Carla and the team at Ledger & Co.”
For one key client (about 60 words): “Hi Jonah, before we all disappear for the holidays, thank you. The warehouse relaunch in September was the hardest project we did this year and the one I am proudest of, mostly because your team made decisions in days rather than weeks. Enjoy the break with your family. I'll be in touch in January about the spring catalogue. Best, Priya”
Card lines, handwritten under a printed greeting: - “Thank you for a good year of working together. Enjoy the holidays.” - “It was a pleasure to work on the new menu with you. Wishing you a quiet, happy break.” - “Thanks for your patience during the move in March. See you in the new year.”
Timing, wording and the group send
Holiday greetings arrive in a pile from late November onward. A message sent in the first two weeks of December is read; one sent on 23 December competes with out-of-office replies. If your business serves clients who close early, such as schools or retailers in their busiest season, aim for the start of the month.
“Happy holidays” or “season's greetings” is the safe choice when you do not know a client's traditions, and it covers New Year as well. Use “Merry Christmas” when you know it fits, such as for a client who has wished you the same before. For international clients, remember that December is not a holiday month everywhere; a short thank-you with your closing dates still works.
If you send one email to many clients, use your email tool's mail merge or put the addresses in BCC. A visible list of client addresses is a privacy problem, and it is the detail everyone remembers about that year's greeting.
If your company gives a donation instead of client gifts, one sentence is enough: “This year, instead of gifts, we have made a donation to [charity].” Do not mention the amount.
What turns a greeting into a sales email
Clients delete a holiday message the moment it starts selling. Watch for these:
- A discount code or “book your January slot now” in the same message. Send offers separately, after the holidays. - Your company's achievements as the subject: “What a year for us.” Make it about the work you did together. - Next year's prices or new terms. Those deserve their own email. - Long lists of services in the signature, banners and three call-to-action buttons. - A greeting card graphic with no text from a real person. - “We value your business,” which says the relationship is a transaction.
A short message signed by the person the client actually talks to will get more replies than a designed newsletter from a no-reply address. If you have one person who handles a client, that person should send it.
Not the right tool if
- Holiday promotions or year-end sales emails. Those are marketing, with different rules about consent and unsubscribe links; use the newsletter or cold email settings and your mailing tool.
- Ending a client relationship or announcing a price rise. Keep those out of a greeting and send them on their own.
- Messages to your own staff. The Christmas message to employees page fits that audience.
Other ways to do it
- Printed cards signed by hand
- Good for a short list of key clients. Order early; cards posted after mid-December may arrive after people have left.
- A message from your email marketing tool
- Practical for hundreds of clients, with names merged in. Keep it short and plain so it does not read like a campaign.
- A phone call to your two or three biggest clients
- Often remembered longer than any email. Say thank you, wish them a good break, and keep it to five minutes.
- ChatGPT or another chatbot
- Quick, but expect “we value your partnership” and generic wishes. Add one thing you did with that client.
Questions
What do you write in a holiday email to clients?
Thank them for the year, mention one thing you did together if you can, give your holiday hours and an emergency contact, and wish them a good break. Under 120 words, and no offers.
When should I send holiday greetings to clients?
In the first half of December, before inboxes fill with out-of-office replies. For clients who are busiest in December, send even earlier, at the start of the month.
Is it better to send a card or an email?
For a small number of important clients, a handwritten card is remembered; for a large list, a short, personal-sounding email works well. Many businesses do both: cards for key clients, email for everyone else.
Should I say happy holidays or Merry Christmas to clients?
“Happy holidays” or “season's greetings” is the safe default when you do not know a client's traditions. Use “Merry Christmas” when you know it is welcome.
Can I use AI to write client holiday messages?
Yes, if the thanks and the details are real. HidenGPT drafts from the projects and dates you give it and marks anything missing; you check each message, change what is not right and send it from your own address. For key clients, write one request each so the detail is theirs.
Should I include a holiday offer for clients?
Not in the greeting. If you have a real offer, send it as a separate email after the holidays, so the thank-you stays a thank-you.