Christmas Card Messages & Wishes for the Holidays

Last Updated: Apr 20, 2022

Christmas is a special time of year where family and friends reconnect over shared wishes and Christmas messages. Throughout the hustle and bustle of the year, many families look forward to receiving their Christmas greetings, family photos, and displaying or hanging them for the holiday season for all to admire. For that reason, it’s important to think about the relationship you have with your recipient, and take the time to craft your message carefully for your loved ones. If you’re looking for Christmas writing inspiration to help you get in the spirit, we’ve collected a list of the perfect Christmas card messages, religious Christmas card messages, and Christmas card examples and wishes for your own holiday greetings.

Jump to:

• Best Christmas Card Messages & Wishes
• Classic Christmas Greeting Card Messages
• Religious Christmas Card Greetings
• Christmas Messages For Friends
• Christmas Messages For Family
• Christmas Messages For Teachers
• Business Christmas Card Greetings
• Christmas Card Quotes
• Signing Christmas Cards
• More Christmas Card Resources

Best Christmas Card Messages & Wishes

Christmas cards are primarily made up of the following sections: the greeting, a personal message to express your sentiments, a chosen holiday quote or message, your signed name, and of course, your favorite family photos. All of these pieces should be carefully chosen and heartfelt. If you’re struggling to find the right message or sentiment, we’ve found some great wishes to write in your Christmas cards for any occasion or relationship. Browse our choices below:

Classic Christmas Greeting Card Messages

Christmas is a time of tradition, so classic Christmas card messages are perfect for any season’s greetings. No matter how much or how little you say, you can guarantee your friends and family will appreciate the thought behind their greeting card. For specific Christmas card examples for inspiration, look to our favorite classics below to help you get started.

Merry Christmas Wishes

Sometimes a simple “Merry Christmas” is the most elegant message we can offer to our loved ones. The holiday season is all about expressing your love with Christmas wishes for loved ones. These can be short Christmas wishes for friends, or personal Christmas messages to your family members. For messages that follow this kind and simply crafted sentiment, look to the following examples:

• Tis the season to wish one another joy and love and peace. Merry Christmas.
• Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
• Wishing you a very Merry Christmas.
• The gift of love. The gift of peace. The gift of happiness. May all these be yours at Christmas.
• May Santa Claus bring everything you wished for. Merry Christmas!
• Here’s to a year of blessings and beyond. Have a Merry Christmas!

Happy Holidays Messages

For those who prefer general Holiday messages and wishes, you can always use simple messages to portray the sincerest happy holiday message possible. Simple and classic holiday greetings are the best when they come from the heart and can serve as a message sent from the bottom of your heart. Here are a few classic greetings you can use:

• Best wishes for Happy Holidays and a wonderful New Year.
• Warmest greetings of this festive season and best wishes for happiness this New Year.
• Wishing you a magical and blissful holiday!
• All the best to everyone this Holiday Season!
• May everything on your wishlist come true. Happy Holidays!
• Here’s to a wonderful Holiday season and a Happy New Year!

Or, for more examples, check out our resource on holiday cards messages and wishes.

Religious Christmas Card Greetings

Find the right Christian Christmas card messages for friends and family with the list of greetings below:

• May your Christmas be filled with the true miracles and meaning of this Merry time.
• May the joy and peace of Christmas be with you all through the New Year. Wishing you a season of blessings from heaven above.
• May your world be filled with warmth and good cheer this Holy season, we wish you a joy-filled Christmas.
• A silent night, a star above, a blessed gift of hope and love. A Merry Christmas to you and your whole family.
• I wish you the unconditional love of God in all the dreams of your heart and your everyday prayers. Merry Christmas.
• Praying you have a wonderful Christmas filled with moments you’ll always remember.
• May God bless you with a festive, loving and peaceful celebration this Christmas and all throughout the year.

Christmas Messages For Friends

Your friends are a true Christmas gift, so let them know how special they are in your Christmas letter. You can find some of our favorite examples below:

• For your Christmas time I wish you many blessings, much happiness, and even more love.
• Having you as my friend makes me feel as if it is Christmas every day. Merry Christmas.
• Christmas is a feeling true friends share with laughter and love to show that they care.
• I hope you’re all making this a Christmas to remember!
• So grateful to have a friend like you at Christmas and all year long.
• Your friendship and your love is the best Christmas gift that I’ve gotten. Merry Christmas.
• It’s friends like you that make this season so special and magical.
• Wishing you peace, joy, and all the best this wonderful holiday has to offer. May this incredible time of giving and spending time with family bring you the joy that lasts throughout the year.

Christmas Messages For Family

Christmas if the best time of year for spending time with your loved ones, so make sure your Christmas card reflects that sentiment. Check out our examples for Christmas messages for family below:

• There is no greater gift this festive season than spending time with family all around the Christmas tree.
• You’re all so important to us. Stay safe and stay happy this holiday season!
• To all the people who are dear to me, I wish all of you nothing but the joy and happiness that this Christmas brings!
• Having family like you is the best Christmas gift there ever could be.
• At Christmas and always, what a blessing you are.
• Thinking of you with lots of love at Christmas.
• Grateful to be blessed with such a wonderful family. Merry Christmas!
• Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly merry Christmas.

Christmas Messages For Teachers

Teachers have given much of their time this year to your children, and Christmas is a great time to let them know how much you appreciate them. For message inspiration, look to our examples below:

• May this holiday season be full of surprises and cheers, simply because you deserve the best.
• Season’s Greetings from the family! Hope you all end the year on a bright note.
• Best wishes for you and your family this Christmas. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
• Have a cheerful, holly, jolly, and a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
• Thank you so much for all that you’ve done this year. Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!
• Happy Holidays. Wishing you every happiness this holiday season and throughout the coming year.

Business Christmas Card Greetings

For professional settings, you should use more reserved, but still heartfelt, greetings. We’ve collected a list perfect for any office, whether it’s for a coworker, employee, or manager.

Employee Christmas Card Messages

• Good tidings we bear to you and your family! May we all have a Merry Christmas.
• Happy Holidays and all the best to you in the year to come.
• Holiday time and all the time, I so appreciate the great work you do.
• Peace, love and harmony we wish to you and may love fill your home with blessings too. Happy Holidays.
• We hope your holidays will be filled with joy and laughter through the New Year. Merry Christmas!

Messages For Coworker

• Wishing you a holiday season full of fun, and a new year filled with prosperity.
• It’s a pleasure to work with you and a joy to wish you a merry Christmas!
• Hoping that the new year brings you new opportunities and new possibilities.
• Enjoy your well deserved rest and time with family. Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year!

Messages For Boss

• Merry Christmas from all of us! Here’s to a season of success and harmony.
• We’re all hoping that you have a fantastic holiday season and a fabulous New Year.
• Warmest wishes for a happy holiday season.
• In this loveliest and happiest of seasons, may you find many reasons to celebrate. Have a wonderful Christmas!
• Wishing you a festive holiday season and a very happy new year.

Christmas Card Quotes

Sometimes a quote conveys your holiday sentiment best. In that case, we’ve found a few favorites for the holiday season that you might love for your own Christmas cards.

• Peace on earth will come to stay, when we live Christmas every day. by Helen Steiner Rice
• We make a living by what we get but we make a life by what we give. Winston Churchill
• I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. Charles Dickens
• Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful. Norman Vincent Peale
• Christmas is the day that holds all time together. Alexander Smith
• I’m dreaming of a white Christmas, With every Christmas card I write, May your days be merry and bright, And may all your Christmases be white. Irving Berlin
• Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas . . . perhaps . . .means a little bit more!’ Dr Seuss
• Christmas is not as much about opening our presents as opening our hearts. Janice Maeditere
• Christmas is not a date. It is a state of mind. Mary Ellen Chase
• Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love. Hamilton Wright Mabie
• Perhaps the best Yuletide decoration is being wreathed in smiles. Unknown
• From Home to home, and heart to heart, from one place to another. The warmth and joy of Christmas, brings us closer to each other. Emily Matthews

Signing Christmas Cards

Christmas cards should be signed by hand in either blue or black ink. Even if the rest of your card is printed, you should personally sign the card. If you’re looking for ideas on closing remarks, find examples here:

• Best wishes
• With love
• With all our love
• Happy Holidays
• Merry Christmas
• Much Love
• Hugs and kisses
• XOXO
• All the best
• Warmly
• Take care
• Yours truly
• Sincerely
• Cheers
• Lots of love
• God bless
• Your friend

Do your best to choose a sign off that is appropriate for the recipient. For example, if it’s for a professional relationship, “Take care” or “Happy Holidays” will do. For friends and family, “Much Love” and “Yours Truly” are fine.

More Christmas Card Resources

If you’re looking for additional Christmas card resources you can read our piece on What to Write in a Christmas Card. Or you can browse our Christmas card collection to find the right card and stationary for you and your family.