The reading room
Guides for Your Christmas Cards
Original messages to write, the dates that matter for the post, and plain answers about sending a card online. Every message is written for this site, and every date is copied from the official source, with a link.
Card messages
- Christmas Card Messages94 original Christmas card messages by tone: short, warm, nostalgic, religious, gently funny and for family far from home, with openings and sign-offs.
- What to Write in a Christmas CardWhat to write in a Christmas card, step by step: greeting, wish, personal note, closing and signature, with annotated examples, common mistakes and tips.
- Short Christmas Card Messages78 short Christmas card messages, all original: one-liners, simple wishes for family and friends, nostalgic, religious, lightly funny and faraway lines.
- Christmas Messages for Family60 original Merry Christmas messages for family: parents, grandparents, grandchildren, siblings, in-laws, grown-up children and relatives far from home.
- Christmas Messages for Friends54 original Merry Christmas messages for friends: close friends, old friends, friends far away, new friends, neighbors and friends having a hard year.
- Religious Christmas Messages for Cards48 original religious Christmas messages for cards: Christian and Catholic wishes, short blessings, prayers for loved ones and kind words for your pastor.
- Christmas Messages for Coworkers55 original Christmas messages for coworkers: thank-you notes, happy holidays wishes for mixed teams, lines for remote colleagues and for the group card.
- Christmas Messages for the Boss41 original Christmas messages for the boss: thank-you notes, warm lines for a manager you know well, happy holidays wishes and cards from the whole team.
- Christmas Messages for Teachers51 original Christmas messages for teachers: notes from parents, lines in a child's own words, and thanks for aides, preschool staff, coaches and tutors.
- Christmas Messages for Grandparents50 original Christmas messages for grandparents: lines for Grandma and Grandpa, notes from little ones, and cards for elderly relatives and nursing homes.
- Christmas Messages for a Granddaughter or Grandson48 original Christmas messages for a granddaughter or grandson: for little ones, teenagers and grown-ups, new babies and grandchildren living far away.
- Christmas Messages for Parents44 original Christmas messages for parents: notes for Mom (or Mum) and Dad, longer letters to your mother, and cards for parents far away or on their own.
- Christmas Messages for Your Son and Daughter46 original Christmas messages for a son or daughter: grown-up children at home or far away, a daughter-in-law, a son-in-law, and a first Christmas away.
- Christmas Messages for Your Sister and Brother46 original Christmas messages for a sister or brother: warm and funny lines, longer notes, siblings far away, and cards for sisters- and brothers-in-law.
- Christmas Messages for Your Husband or Wife49 original Christmas messages for a husband, wife or partner: romantic and funny lines, a first Christmas married, long marriages and Christmas apart.
- Missing You at Christmas51 original missing you at Christmas messages: notes from home, letters back home, thinking of you at Christmas, and words for family far away this year.
- Words for a First Christmas Without a Loved OneGentle words for a first Christmas without a loved one: 43 original messages for someone grieving a mother, a father or a partner, and lines of your own.
- Happy Holidays Messages55 original happy holidays messages for cards: season's greetings, wishes for friends and neighbors, clients, winter lines and words for mixed families.
- Christmas Messages for Text and WhatsApp60 original Christmas messages for text and WhatsApp: family, friends, group chats, Christmas morning, far-away relatives, funny lines and kind replies.
- Happy New Year Messages62 original Happy New Year messages for cards and texts: short wishes, New Year wishes to family and friends, words for someone far away, and funny ones.
- Happy Christmas and New Year Wishes46 original Christmas and New Year wishes for a single card: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year messages for family, friends, colleagues and late cards.
- Happy Winter Birthday Wishes50 original winter birthday wishes: beautiful lines for a happy winter birthday, December and January birthday wishes, notes for kids, friends and family.
- Christmas Birthday Wishes44 original Christmas birthday wishes for people born on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day or December 26, and kind words for a birthday close to Christmas.
Practical
- How to Send an eCardHow to send an ecard by email, text or WhatsApp: choose a card, write it, send it now or on a set date, see what they'll see, and spot a genuine card.
- When to Send Christmas CardsWhen to send Christmas cards at home and abroad: a simple timeline from November to Christmas Eve, Advent customs, and what to do if you're running late.
- How to Address Christmas CardsHow to address Christmas cards: couples, families and last names, titles with or without a period, and US, UK and Irish envelope layouts, with examples.
- How to Sign a Christmas CardHow to sign a Christmas card: closing lines for every kind of recipient, ways to sign without saying love, and signing from a couple, a family or a team.
- Christmas Card EtiquetteChristmas card etiquette made simple: who to send cards to, whether to send one back, religious or not, photo cards and letters, ecards and late cards.
- Last Posting Dates for Christmas 2026Royal Mail's last posting dates for Christmas 2026: 2nd Class, 1st Class, Tracked and Special Delivery, plus Parcelforce and BFPO, and tips for posting.
- Last Day to Mail Christmas Cards in 2026The last day to mail Christmas cards in 2026: USPS send-by dates for First-Class Mail, Priority Mail, military and international mail, with tips for cards.
Languages
- Merry Christmas in Different LanguagesMerry Christmas in different languages: Welsh, Irish, Scottish Gaelic, German, Italian, Polish and Swedish, with New Year wishes and tips for your card.
- How to Say Merry Christmas in WelshMerry Christmas in Welsh is Nadolig Llawen. What it means, how to wish the whole family well, Welsh sign-offs and bilingual card examples to write home.
- How to Say Merry Christmas in IrishMerry Christmas in Irish is Nollaig Shona Duit to one person, Nollaig Shona Daoibh to several. Meanings, sign-offs, Irish vs Scottish Gaelic and examples.
- How to Say Merry Christmas in GermanMerry Christmas in German is Frohe Weihnachten. Fröhliche Weihnachten, Frohes Fest, Guten Rutsch, German card sign-offs and bilingual examples for family.
- How to Say Merry Christmas in ItalianMerry Christmas in Italian is Buon Natale. What it means, Buone Feste and Felice Anno Nuovo, Italian sign-offs and bilingual card examples to write home.
- How to Say Merry Christmas in PolishMerry Christmas in Polish is Wesołych Świąt. What it means, the Happy New Year wish, how to address Babcia and Dziadek, Polish sign-offs and card examples.
- How to Say Merry Christmas in SwedishMerry Christmas in Swedish is God jul. What it means, Gott nytt år, the after-Christmas God fortsättning, Swedish sign-offs and bilingual card examples.
- How to Say Happy New Year in WelshHappy New Year in Welsh is Blwyddyn Newydd Dda. What each word means, Christmas and New Year wishes together, Welsh New Year customs and card examples.
- How to Say Happy New Year in IrishHappy New Year in Irish: Athbhliain faoi mhaise duit to one person, daoibh to several. What it means, other forms, Irish New Year words and card examples.
Traditions
- Irish Christmas TraditionsIrish Christmas traditions, explained: the candle in the window, Midnight Mass, the Christmas Day swim, Wren Boys on 26 December and Women's Christmas.
- Welsh Christmas TraditionsWelsh Christmas traditions explained: Plygain carols before dawn, toffee evenings, the Mari Lwyd at the door, Calennig at New Year, and Nadolig Llawen.
- German Christmas TraditionsGerman Christmas traditions explained: the Advent wreath and calendar, Christmas markets, boots on St. Nicholas Day, and Christmas Eve with the Christkind.
- Italian Christmas TraditionsItalian Christmas traditions explained: the presepe and St. Francis, Santa Lucia's gifts, the meatless Christmas Eve dinner, panettone and the Befana.
- Polish Christmas TraditionsPolish Christmas traditions explained: Kraków's szopka, a tree hung with apples, carols and costumed carolers, who brings the gifts, and chalk on the door.
- Wigilia: The Polish Christmas EveWigilia, the Polish Christmas Eve supper: the first star, sharing the opłatek wafer, hay under the tablecloth, twelve dishes and the empty place at table.
- Swedish Christmas TraditionsSwedish Christmas traditions explained: Advent lights in the windows, Lucia, the julbord, Donald Duck at three, the tomte and the tree's end on Knut's Day.
- St. Lucia Day: Lucia in Sweden and BeyondSt. Lucia Day falls on December 13. What it is, where it comes from, the candlelit procession, saffron buns, and how Swedish families abroad keep Lucia.
- First Footing: Who Crosses the Threshold FirstFirst footing explained: the first visitor after midnight at Hogmanay, why a tall dark-haired man, the coal, black bun and whisky gifts, and its origins.
- Irish New Year TraditionsNew Year traditions in Ireland: bread knocked on the door against hunger, the back door opened at midnight, the lucky first visitor, Christ Church bells.