Christmas Wishes for Grandchildren: Messages From Grandma and Grandpa

A note before the list: we make Tribute, the group video maker, and one of the nine groups shows how to send your wishes on video, with the whole family.

What should grandparents write in Christmas wishes for grandchildren?

Kids remember being noticed. Swap "Merry Christmas, sweetheart" for "Merry Christmas, Maya. We heard about your solo in the school concert." The name and the detail are what get the card taped to the bedroom wall.

Grandparents often worry a message is too sentimental. It almost never is. A study in Psychological Science found that people writing notes of appreciation underestimated how happy the recipients would feel and overestimated how awkward the note would seem.

1. Short wishes for grandkids

For gift tags, a text to the parents or a card to all the grandkids at once.

• Merry Christmas to our favorite people under four feet tall.
• Grandkids make Christmas twice as loud and ten times as fun.
• Love you to the North Pole and back.
• Merry Christmas! The cookie jar is full and waiting for you.
• Our tree is lit, and the best ornaments are your pictures.
• Wishing our grandkids a Christmas full of snow, cocoa and staying up late.
• You're the best gift Grandma and Grandpa ever got.

Best for: Christmas wishes for grandkids on gift tags or one shared card.

Why it works: Short and sweet reads well to a child, and a parent can read it aloud in seconds.

2. Granddaughter

A Christmas message for granddaughter can be as simple as telling her what you love about who she's becoming.

• Merry Christmas to granddaughter Ellie, the best baker in the family (after Grandma).
• You lit up every room this year, and you'll light up our Christmas too.
• To our brave, funny, kind granddaughter: we're so proud of you.
• Merry Christmas, sweet girl. Save us a front-row seat at your next recital.
• Our granddaughter, our joy. Merry Christmas from Grandma and Grandpa.
• You make being a grandparent the best job we've ever had.

Best for: A card or note for a granddaughter of any age.

Why it works: Naming her traits (brave, funny, kind) tells her who you see when you look at her.

3. Say it on video: a Tribute from the whole family

Grandma's card is one voice. A Tribute lets grandparents gather Christmas wishes from the whole family into one video for a grandchild: aunts, uncles, cousins and even great-grandparents. Tribute is a group video maker that turns messages from friends and family into one surprise video. It works by inviting everyone to record a short clip from their phone; Tribute compiles the clips, music and photos into a finished video you share or play together.

Picture a grandson spending his first Christmas at a base overseas, opening a link and seeing his grandparents, his cousins and the family dog wish him a merry Christmas, one after another. Send the link two or three weeks before Christmas and set the deadline a few days ahead, since collecting videos takes time. Unlike a phone call, nobody has to be online at the same time, and he can watch it again on a long night. Over 8 million videos have been sent on Tribute, and it holds 4.9 stars from 7,000+ reviews.

• "Merry Christmas, Danny. Grandpa made everyone record this, so you know he misses you."
• "Hi sweetheart, it's Grandma. Your cousins are behind me, fighting over who goes next."

Best for: Grandkids away at college, on deployment or across the country.

Why it works: The grandchild sees the whole family show up at once, which no single card can do.

👉 Start your holiday Tribute

4. Grandson

A Christmas message for grandson can lean on a shared joke or a hobby: fishing, video games, the team you both cheer for.

• Merry Christmas to grandson Leo, our favorite fishing buddy. The lake misses you.
• Merry Christmas, champ. Grandpa still talks about that home run.
• To our grandson: you're taller than Grandma now. She wants a recount.
• Wishing our grandson a Christmas with no homework and lots of pie.
• You make us proud every single day. Merry Christmas, buddy.
• Merry Christmas! Next visit, you're teaching us that video game.

Best for: A card or text to a grandson of any age.

Why it works: A shared hobby gives a short message a story he'll recognize.

5. Little grandkids

For ages 2 to 7. Write these so a parent can read them aloud with a big voice.

• Merry Christmas, little one! Grandma is baking cookies shaped like dinosaurs, just for you.
• Guess who has a new sled at their house? Grandpa! Come visit.
• Ho ho ho! Grandma loves you bigger than the biggest Christmas tree.
• Did you leave carrots out for the reindeer? We did, just in case.
• Sending you a hug as big as a snowman. Merry Christmas!
• You're our favorite elf. Merry Christmas from Nana and Pop.

Best for: Toddlers and young kids, read aloud by a parent.

Why it works: Silly pictures in words (dinosaur cookies, snowman hugs) are what little kids remember.

What do grandparents write to older grandchildren at Christmas?

Teens and grown grandkids want to be treated like the people they are now. Keep it short, skip the baby talk and tell them you're proud.

6. Teen grandchildren

• Merry Christmas! We won't post this on social media, we promise.
• Proud of you for the grades, the job and the patience with our tech questions.
• To our teenage grandson: thank you for still hugging us in public.
• Merry Christmas to our granddaughter, who's cooler than we ever were.
• Your first car, your first job, your first concert. Big year. Merry Christmas.

Best for: Grandkids ages 13 to 18.

Why it works: A little self-teasing shows you get them, which matters a lot to a teenager.

7. Grown and college-age grandchildren

• Your first Christmas in your own apartment. We're so proud, and a little jealous of the quiet.
• Merry Christmas to our grandson the college graduate. Grandpa shows your graduation photo to everyone at church.
• We watched you grow up in December photos. Now look at you.
• Merry Christmas to granddaughter Sofia. Come home soon; your room still has the posters.
• However far you go, there's always a seat at our table on Christmas Eve.

Best for: College students, young adults and grandkids with families of their own.

Why it works: It celebrates who they've become and reminds them where home is.

8. Baby's first Christmas

The baby can't read it yet, but the parents will save it. Write something they'll want to show the child in ten years.

• Merry Christmas to grandson Theo, our newest and smallest reason to celebrate.
• Your first Christmas, and our first as your grandparents. We'll never forget it.
• Merry Christmas to granddaughter Lucia. You slept through it, and we loved every minute.
• Welcome to the family's Christmas, little one. The traditions are yours now.
• One day you'll read this and know how much you were loved from day one.

Best for: A card for the baby's memory box.

Why it works: It's written for the grown-up the baby will become.

9. Christmas blessings for grandchildren

For families who celebrate the birth of Jesus, these are original blessings to write or pray over a grandchild.

• May the Christ child bless you with joy this Christmas and every day after.
• We thank God for you every night, and twice on Christmas.
• May the star that led the wise men lead you through every year ahead.
• Praying that you grow in kindness, courage and faith. Merry Christmas.
• God gave the world a child at Christmas. He gave us you too.

Best for: Religious grandparents and grandkids who go to church with you.

Why it works: A blessing passes on faith in a few words, which is what many grandparents hope to do.

How do you send Christmas wishes to grandchildren who live far away?

Distance is common. In AARP's 2018 grandparents study, over half of grandparents said at least one grandchild lived more than 200 miles away, and about a third lived more than 50 miles from their closest grandchild. That makes the Christmas message do more of the work.

• Mail early: kids love getting their own envelope. Send it the first week of December.
• Add a photo: one of you holding something they made.
• Record your voice: a short video of you saying merry Christmas to grandson and granddaughter by name.
• Make a plan: end with the date of the next visit or call.

Compared to a single card, a group video means the grandkids hear from the whole side of the family at once. In the American Psychological Association's 2023 holiday stress survey, 25% of adults named not being able to be with family, such as living too far away, as a holiday stress. A video won't fix the distance, but it shortens it for a few minutes.

How can grandparents make their Christmas message one the grandkids keep?

Write by hand, date it and sign it with the names they call you, whether that's Nana, Lolo, Abuela or Pop. If you have more to say, a Christmas letter to each grandchild lets you tell them about their year and yours.

Some grandkids grow up in families that celebrate Hanukkah, Diwali or a mix of traditions. "Happy holidays, my love" works for any of them, and you can add the greeting their family uses. For more lines to borrow, see our Christmas quotes for family, which has a section on grandchildren, and our holiday season guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do you write in a Christmas card to a grandchild?

Use their name, mention one thing they did this year and end with a plan, such as the next visit or a treat waiting at your house. Sign it with the name they call you.

What is a short Christmas message for a grandson?

"Merry Christmas, champ. Grandpa still talks about that home run." Short lines with a shared memory work for grandsons of any age.

What is a sweet Christmas message for a granddaughter?

"To our brave, funny, kind granddaughter: we're so proud of you. Merry Christmas." Naming her traits tells her how you see her.

How can grandparents send Christmas wishes to grandkids far away?

Mail a card early in December, record a short video message, or start a group video so the whole family can send wishes together. Each person records on their phone when it suits them.

What should grandparents write for a baby's first Christmas?

Write a note the child can read when they're older, such as "Your first Christmas, and our first as your grandparents." The parents will keep it in a memory box.

What can grandparents write to teen grandchildren?

Keep it short and proud, and skip the baby talk. A line like "Proud of you for the grades, the job and the patience with our tech questions" fits.

👉 Start your holiday Tribute and send your grandkids a merry Christmas from the whole family.