Holiday Card Messages for Family and Friends, for Every Holiday

A note before the list: we make Tribute, the group video maker, and one of the sections shows how to send these messages on video, together.

What are good holiday card messages for family and friends?

Good ones are inclusive when you don't know the reader's traditions and specific when you do. December is crowded with holidays: in the National Retail Federation's 2025 holiday survey, 91% of U.S. adults said they planned to celebrate the winter holidays, and those holidays aren't all Christmas. A mixed list deserves a mix of messages.

1. Holiday wishes for family and friends of any faith

Use these when your list covers several traditions, or when you're not sure. The exact greeting matters less than you'd think: in a 2017 Pew Research Center survey, 90% of U.S. adults said they celebrate Christmas, yet 52% said it doesn't matter to them how stores greet them. These also make good holiday card greetings for family you see once a year.

• Wishing you light, laughter and a full table this season.
• Happy holidays from our house to yours. May the new year treat you well.
• Here's to warm kitchens, long talks and the people who make the season.
• Season's greetings, and thank you for being part of our year.
• May your December be bright and your January be gentle.
• Wishing you rest, good food and someone to share both with.

Best for: Coworkers, neighbors, in-laws and anyone whose traditions you don't know.

Why it works: Light, food and people belong to every winter holiday.

2. Say it together on video (a Tribute group video)

A card from one household is lovely. A card from the whole family, in their own voices, is the one that gets watched twice.

Start a Tribute, share the link with everyone, and ask each person to record a holiday message for one relative or one family. 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 Grandma lighting the menorah while her grandkids in three cities wish her a happy Hanukkah from the TV, one after another. Unlike virtual Xmas cards from a template, every frame comes from your own people. Over 8 million videos have been sent on Tribute, and it holds 4.9 stars from 7,000+ reviews.

• Time needed: 10 minutes to set up; open it 2 to 3 weeks before the holiday so everyone has time to record
• Cost: Free to start a draft; you pay from $35 when you publish and start collecting videos

Best for: Grandparents, family abroad and anyone who can't be there this year.

Why it works: Nobody has to be online at the same time, and it works for any holiday.

👉 Start your holiday Tribute

What should you write for each holiday?

When you know the holiday, name it. A specific greeting shows you remembered, and it gives you a detail to build on.

3. Christmas card messages

• Merry Christmas from the four of us and the tree that leans to the left.
• Wishing you a merry Christmas full of the good kind of noise.
• May your stockings be full and your to-do list be empty.
• Merry Christmas to the family that always saves us a seat.
• Here's to cookies for breakfast and naps by the fire. Merry Christmas.

Best for: Relatives and friends who celebrate Christmas.

Why it works: A small household detail, like the leaning tree, makes a classic line yours. For a merry Christmas wish for family in every tone, see our Christmas card messages for family.

4. Hanukkah card messages

• Happy Hanukkah. May your eight nights be bright and your latkes come out crisp.
• Chag sameach from our family to yours. Wishing you light that lasts longer than expected.
• May every candle bring a little more joy than the night before.
• Happy Hanukkah to the best dreidel player we know. We want a rematch.
• Wishing you warm doughnuts, cold noses and a house full of light.

Best for: Jewish friends, family and in-laws.

Why it works: Naming the food and the candles shows you know the holiday, not only the season.

5. Kwanzaa card messages

Kwanzaa runs from December 26 to January 1 and celebrates seven principles, from Umoja (unity) to Imani (faith).

• Joyous Kwanzaa. May the seven principles guide your family all year.
• Wishing you unity at the table and purpose in the new year.
• Habari gani? Here's our answer: grateful for you.
• May the light of the kinara bring your family closer every night of the week.

Best for: Friends and family who celebrate Kwanzaa.

Why it works: Mentioning a principle by name turns a greeting into a shared value.

6. New Year card messages

• Happy New Year. Here's to fewer emails and more dinners together.
• May the year ahead be kind, curious and full of good news.
• Thank you for being part of our last year. We can't wait for the next one.
• Wishing you 365 days of small wins.
• New calendar, same us. Happy New Year, and come visit before March.

Best for: Late cards, mixed lists and anyone who celebrates after the 26th.

Why it works: A New Year card fits every tradition and arrives when the mailbox is quiet.

7. Messages for mixed-faith families

• Merry Christmas and happy Hanukkah from the house with a tree and a menorah.
• Two traditions, one table, twice the leftovers. Happy holidays.
• Wishing you every holiday you celebrate, and a few extra days off.

Best for: Interfaith couples and families who blend traditions.

Why it works: It honors both holidays without making anyone choose.

Which holiday card sayings for family are funny, religious or gentle?

Tone matters as much as the holiday. These cover the friend who wants a laugh, the aunt who prays for you and the cousin who had a hard year.

8. Funny holiday card sayings

• Happy holidays. We got everyone the same gift this year: our absence from the group chat.
• May your relatives be cheerful and your Wi-Fi be strong.
• Our family photo took 47 tries. This is number 12. Enjoy.
• Season's greetings from the people who still haven't returned your casserole dish.

Best for: Siblings, old friends and anyone who'd groan at a sincere card.

Why it works: Self-mockery is the warmest kind of joke.

9. Religious holiday blessings

• May the peace of Christ fill your home this Christmas and all year.
• Wishing you the joy of the season and the blessings of the One who gives it.
• May the light of these holy days stay with you in the new year.
• Praying that your family feels God's love at every table this season.

Best for: Church friends and family who share your faith.

Why it works: A blessing offers something instead of asking for anything back.

10. Messages for friends

• Happy holidays to the friends who feel like family and act like it too.
• Our favorite part of this year? The nights at your place.
• Thanks for every text, ride and late-night "you up?" Happy holidays.
• You're the reason this year had a soundtrack. Happy holidays, and see you at the reunion.

Best for: Close friends, chosen family and old roommates.

Why it works: Friends like to hear what they added to your year.

11. For a family that had a hard year

• Thinking of you this season and holding you close.
• No need to be merry. We're here, and we love you.
• Wishing you quiet moments of peace this holiday.

Best for: Families grieving a loss or facing illness.

Why it works: It offers comfort without asking them to feel festive.

How do you sign a family holiday card?

End with a line, then every name: "With love from Ana, Diego, Lucía and Pepper (the dog)." Write the message in your own hand if you can, even on a printed card. Compared to a printed signature, three handwritten words make the whole card feel personal. Want one sign-off for the whole family? Borrow from our merry Christmas from our family to yours card lines.

Rather say it than write it? Our holiday video ideas cover a family video message for every holiday, and our holiday season guide covers the rest of December. If paper isn't your thing, plenty of apps offer free virtual holiday cards.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a good holiday message to family?

"Wishing you light, laughter and a full table this season" works for any family. Add one detail from your year with them, like a visit or a shared joke, to make it personal.

Should I write "happy holidays" or "merry Christmas" on a card?

Write the holiday the reader celebrates when you know it. When you don't, "happy holidays" or "season's greetings" is a kind, safe choice.

What do you write in a Hanukkah card?

"Happy Hanukkah, may your eight nights be bright" is a classic. You can add "chag sameach," which means happy holiday in Hebrew, and a line about latkes, candles or dreidel.

How do you wish someone a happy Kwanzaa?

"Joyous Kwanzaa" or "Happy Kwanzaa" are both common. Mentioning one of the seven principles, such as Umoja (unity), makes the message more meaningful.

What are good holiday greetings for family far away?

"Miles apart, same holiday lights" or "Saving you a seat at next year's table" both work. A group video lets the whole family send greetings at once.

Are xmas quotes for family okay in a card?

Yes. A short quote at the top, followed by one personal sentence of your own, makes a card feel both classic and personal.

👉 Start a Tribute and send this year's holiday wishes in everyone's own voice.