Christmas Messages for Sister and Brother: 46 Notes

A brother or sister is the only person who remembers your childhood Christmases from the same height: the same stairs you sat on waiting to be allowed down, the same arguments over the last chocolate in the tin, the same carol your mother always sang flat. That shared memory is the whole secret of a good sibling card. You can tease, you can be sentimental, or both in the same line. The messages below cover sisters, brothers, in-laws and siblings who live far away.

Christmas messages for sister

For an older sister, a little sister, or the sister who is also your closest friend.

To my big sister, who taught me how to peel back the wrapping paper and tape it up again so nobody would know. Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas, sis. You’re the only person I’d share the top bunk with on Christmas Eve, even now.
Dear Rachel, every year I hang the felt angel you made at school. Her halo has fallen off, but she still has pride of place.
To my little sister, who is now somehow wiser than me: Merry Christmas, and thank you for every phone call this year.
Sister, friend, co-conspirator in every Christmas morning we ever had: have the most wonderful Christmas.
Merry Christmas to the sister who still knows exactly which presents are mine just by the shape.
Of all the things our parents gave us, you were the best. Merry Christmas, sis.
Wishing my sister a Christmas with long walks, good books and a seat as far from Uncle Frank as possible.

Christmas card messages to sister: longer notes

When there’s more to say than a line will hold.

Dear Sarah, I was thinking the other day about the Christmas we built a fort out of the sofa cushions and refused to come out for lunch. Mom still talks about it. I’m so glad that, thirty years on, you’re still the person I’d want in the fort with me. Merry Christmas, with love from your little brother.
Dear Jen, this year asked a lot of you, and you handled it with more grace than anyone I know. I hope Christmas gives you a proper rest: a fire, a film, and nobody needing anything from you for a whole day. I’ll call on Christmas Eve. All my love.

Christmas messages for brother

For a big brother, a little brother, or the one who still steals food off your plate.

Merry Christmas to my brother, who once convinced me that Santa’s sleigh had a flat tire and we’d have to wait until Boxing Day.
Dear Michael, the sled we fought over every winter is still in Dad’s shed. I’m calling first dibs this year.
To my little brother, now taller than all of us: Merry Christmas, and please duck under the doorframe this time.
You’ve always had my back, from the schoolyard to this year. Merry Christmas, brother.
Merry Christmas to the only person who laughs at my jokes, and only because he taught me most of them.
Dear Sean, have a quiet one with the family, and don’t let the kids open everything before breakfast.
Merry Christmas, bro. The tree lights are up and they’re straight, which means you weren’t involved.
To my brother, who drove four hours in the snow to get home last Christmas: you’re the reason we all made it to dinner.

Gently funny messages for siblings

For brothers and sisters who show love by teasing. Keep the joke one you both enjoy.

Merry Christmas! I’m officially forgiving you for the haircut you gave me in 1994.
Mom still likes me best, but you’re a close second. Merry Christmas.
I’ve wrapped your present in last year’s paper, which I believe you gave me. Merry Christmas.
Here’s to another Christmas of pretending we don’t remember who broke the nativity donkey.
Merry Christmas from your favorite sibling. Please don’t show this card to the others.
I’ll bring the dessert if you promise not to tell the story about the turkey and the dog.

For a brother or sister far away

For a sister in Melbourne, a brother in New York, or the sibling who stayed in the old town while you moved away.

Merry Christmas from the house where we grew up. Your old bedroom is full of boxes and Mom’s sewing, but it’s still yours.
I’ll ring you on Christmas morning while the parents are opening their presents, so you can hear them argue over the batteries.
It’s my first Christmas without you down the road, sis. The pub isn’t the same without you at the bar.
There’s frost on the windows here and the lane is white. I wish you could see it, and hear you complain about the cold.
We’ll raise a glass to you at dinner, brother, and Dad will pretend he’s not getting emotional.
Same family, same jokes, two different countries. Merry Christmas, and come home in the summer.
When you light your tree tonight, I’ll be lighting mine. Five thousand miles apart and we’re still doing everything together.

Christmas messages for sister-in-law

For your brother’s wife, your husband’s sister, or your partner’s sister who has become your friend.

To my sister-in-law: my brother is lucky, and so am I. Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas, Emma. Thank you for welcoming me into your family as if I’d always been part of it.
I asked for a sister for Christmas when I was six. It took a while, but you were worth the wait.
To the sister-in-law who saves me a seat at every family dinner: Merry Christmas, and see you at the cheese board.

Christmas messages for brother-in-law

For your sister’s husband, your partner’s brother, or the brother-in-law who has become a real brother.

Merry Christmas to my brother-in-law, who makes my sister laugh harder than anyone.
To Dave, who married into this family and has survived every Christmas since. You’re one of us now.
Merry Christmas, brother-in-law. The good armchair is yours this year. Don’t get used to it.
Thank you for being so good to my sister and to all of us. Wishing you a very happy Christmas.

For stepsiblings, half-siblings and twins

For the brothers and sisters who came by other routes, and the one who came at the same time as you.

We didn’t start out in the same house, but we ended up in the same family. Merry Christmas, sis.
To my stepbrother, who made a new family feel like home from the very first Christmas.
To my twin: thirty-four Christmases side by side, and you still get the bigger slice. Merry Christmas.
Half-brother on paper, whole brother in every way that counts. Merry Christmas.

For a sibling having a hard year

For a brother or sister who is unwell, grieving, or simply struggling.

I know this Christmas isn’t easy for you. I’m here, I’m on your side, and I’m only a phone call away.
You don’t have to be cheerful. You just have to let me bring dinner on the 26th.
Whatever the new year brings, you won’t face it alone. I love you, sis.

Make it personal

Name a shared memory. The year the tree fell over, the Christmas you both had chickenpox, the snowball fight that broke a window. You don’t need to explain it; they’ll remember.

Tease, then mean it. A joke followed by one sincere line is the classic sibling card. “You still owe me a sled. Also, I’m so proud of you.”

Remember their family. Add a line for their partner and their children by name.

Make a plan. “Let’s do the walk on Boxing Day (the 26th)” or “I’ll see you at the airport” gives them something to look forward to.

For other relatives on your list, there’s our page of messages for parents, grandparents, cousins and in-laws. For more in every tone, see the main collection of card messages.

Our Cosy Classics collection has cards with no country attached (a lighthouse under a full moon, a stone cottage at dusk, a robin on a snowy gate) for a brother or sister who lives anywhere.

Questions

Should I send a card to my sister and her husband, or just to her?

Address it to both. You can still write mostly to your sister and add one line for her husband, and for the children if they have any.

Is a funny Christmas card too much for a sibling?

Rarely. Most brothers and sisters expect a little teasing. If they’re having a hard year, keep the joke gentle and add one warm line underneath.

What do I write to a brother or sister I’ve drifted away from?

Something short and sincere: you’re thinking of them, you wish them a peaceful Christmas, and you’d love to catch up in the new year. A card can quietly open a door.