# What to Write in an Employee Holiday Card: 75 Messages by Tenure and by Role, With Inclusive Options Write an employee holiday card in two or three sentences: thank them for something specific from the year, wish them a real break, and sign with your own name. For a mixed team, say "happy holidays" or "happy New Year". Below are 75 original holiday messages to employees, each under 300 characters, with {first name} where a name goes. *We sell a $35 logo mug gift box, printed, packed and shipped to each person's address. This guide covers the other options too.* **Key facts** - **82% of employees** expect "a thoughtful, personalized note with their gift" (Snappy's 2025 survey; Snappy is a gift platform and doesn't publish its sample size) ([Snappy](https://www.snappy.com/blog/what-employees-really-want-this-holiday-season-2025-insights-every-leader-needs-to-drive-stronger-results-in-2026)). - **Who signs matters.** In a Gallup survey, the most memorable recognition came most often from the employee's manager (28%), followed by "a high-level leader or CEO (24%)" ([Gallup](https://www.gallup.com/workplace/236441/employee-recognition-low-cost-high-impact.aspx)). - **The note does the recognizing.** Gallup says recognition "can be as small as a personal note or a thank-you card" (same page). - **Hanukkah 2026 begins at sundown on Friday, December 4** and ends at nightfall on Saturday, December 12 ([Hebcal](https://www.hebcal.com/holidays/chanukah-2026)), three weeks before Christmas. - **All 75 messages here are original and under 300 characters**, spaces included. ## How Do You Write an Employee Holiday Card? Three parts, in this order: their name, one specific thing, and a warm close. "Thank you for your hard work" fits anyone, so it lands with no one. Name something real: a project, a season, the way they handled a bad week. | Who it's from | Open with | The specific part | Close with | |---|---|---|---| | The owner or CEO | Their first name | What the company did this year because of the team | Thanks, and a wish for their family's holidays | | Their manager | Their first name | One thing the team pulled off, or how they made your job easier | Permission to switch off | | The whole team, for a colleague | Their first name | Something they did for the team | Happy holidays, signed by everyone | People notice when a note is real. In an r/managers thread about team Christmas gifts, one commenter's verdict on a manager's gift: "The personal note from you with any gift it is everything." Another manager gives each person a small personalized gift and "a hand written note from me about a page that outlines why I appreciate them being on my team" ([r/managers](https://www.reddit.com/r/managers/comments/1gab3i3/)). **How to use these messages:** where you see {first name}, each card gets that person's first name. Replace anything in [brackets] before you send. Messages with no brackets work as one message for the whole team. ## How "{first name}" Works on a Printed Card On a printed card, one message has to work for everyone, so the name does the personal work. With Personalized Gifts Delivered, one message and one sign-off go on every card in the order, and {first name} fills in each person's first name from your address list. Each message can be up to 300 characters, and the order page tells you if a message is too long to print. A message meant for one person (a new hire, a ten-year veteran) belongs in its own order: one box is a complete order. ## 12 Short Holiday Messages for the Whole Team No brackets to fill. Any of these works as one message for everyone. > {first name}, thank you for this year. Enjoy a real break, and happy holidays. > Happy holidays, {first name}. Thank you for the work, the patience and the good calls you made this year. > {first name}, you made this year better than it would have been without you. Thank you, and happy holidays. > Thank you for a year of showing up and doing it well, {first name}. Rest up and enjoy the season. > Season's greetings, {first name}. We noticed the extra effort this year, and we're grateful for it. > {first name}, here's to a quiet inbox and a warm mug. Thank you for everything this year. Happy holidays. > Happy holidays, {first name}! Thank you for being someone the rest of us can count on. > {first name}, a simple thank-you for a year of good work. Wishing you and yours a restful season. > Thank you, {first name}. This team works because of people like you. Have a wonderful holiday. > {first name}, enjoy the break. You've earned every minute of it. Thank you for this year. > Wishing you a happy holiday season, {first name}, and a new year that's kind to you. Thank you for all you did. > {first name}, thank you for the care you put into the work this year. It shows, and it matters. Happy holidays. ## 8 Holiday Messages to Employees From the Owner or CEO Sign these with your first name. A title on a thank-you card reads like a memo. > {first name}, when I started this company I hoped to work with people like you. Thank you for this year. Enjoy the holidays with the people you love. > {first name}, every customer we kept this year, we kept because of this team. Thank you. Happy holidays from my family to yours. > Thank you, {first name}. I see the work, even the parts that happen when no one is watching. Have a restful holiday. > {first name}, this business is only as good as the people in it, and this year it was very good. Thank you, and happy holidays. > {first name}, I don't say it often enough: I'm grateful you chose to work here. Wishing you a warm and restful holiday season. > We grew this year, {first name}, and you're a big reason why. Thank you for your work and your patience. Happy holidays. > {first name}, thank you for treating this company like it matters. It does, because of you. Rest well over the holidays. > From all of us, thank you, {first name}. You made hard things look easy this year. Enjoy the season. ## 8 Holiday Messages From a Manager to the Team > {first name}, being your manager this year was easy, and that's a compliment to you. Thank you, and happy holidays. > Thank you for making my job easier, {first name}. I'm proud of what this team did this year. Enjoy the break. > {first name}, thanks for the questions, the fixes and the patience. This team is better with you on it. Happy holidays. > {first name}, I know this year had a lot of late days. Thank you for every one of them. Please actually switch off over the break. > Thank you for trusting me this year, {first name}. I hope I've earned it. Have a happy, quiet holiday. > {first name}, you made our team look good this year, and I noticed. Thank you. > {first name}, thank you for the way you show up for each other. That's what makes this team work. Happy holidays. > Happy holidays, {first name}. Thank you for a year of good work and good company. See you in January. ## 7 Non-Religious Holiday and New Year Messages for Staff For a mixed team, these keep the thanks and leave out the religion. A New Year message also suits a card that arrives after Christmas. > Happy New Year, {first name}! Thank you for everything you brought to this year. Here's to the next one. > {first name}, wishing you a peaceful end to the year and a bright start to the next. Thank you for all your work. > Season's greetings, {first name}, whatever you celebrate. Thank you for a strong year together. > {first name}, however you spend the holidays, we hope they're restful. Thank you for everything this year. > Warm wishes for the season and the new year, {first name}. Thank you for being part of this team. > {first name}, thank you for this year. May the new one bring you rest, good news and a little time for yourself. > Here's to a calm December and a fresh January, {first name}. Thank you for the work you put in this year. ## 5 Merry Christmas Messages for Teams That Celebrate Use these when you know the whole team celebrates Christmas. If you're not sure, use the section above. > Merry Christmas, {first name}! Thank you for all you did this year. Enjoy the time with your family. > {first name}, Merry Christmas and thank you. This year wouldn't have gone the way it did without you. > Merry Christmas, {first name}. Wishing you a full table, a warm house and a break from the phone. > {first name}, have a merry Christmas and a happy new year. Thank you for a year of good work. > Merry Christmas from all of us, {first name}. Thank you for everything you gave this year. ## 3 Happy Hanukkah Messages Hanukkah 2026 begins at sundown on Friday, December 4. Because one message goes on every card in an order, send these to the people you know celebrate, in an order of their own. > Happy Hanukkah, {first name}! Thank you for a great year. Wishing you eight bright nights. > {first name}, chag sameach. Thank you for all your hard work this year, and enjoy the holiday with your family. > Wishing you a happy Hanukkah and a restful end of the year, {first name}. Thank you for everything you do. ## 6 Holiday Messages After a Tough Year Layoffs, a lost client, a move, a bad quarter: say it was hard. A cheerful card that ignores the year reads as if you weren't there. > {first name}, this year asked more of you than it should have. Thank you for staying with it. Rest well; you've earned it. > It wasn't an easy year, {first name}, and I won't pretend it was. Thank you for carrying so much of it. Here's to a better one. > {first name}, thank you for your patience through a hard year. We didn't get everything right, but we got through it together. > {first name}, through the changes and the long weeks, you kept showing up. That meant more than you know. Happy holidays. > Thank you for sticking with us this year, {first name}. We know it wasn't simple. We're grateful, and we're glad you're here. > {first name}, a hard year shows who you can count on. We could count on you. Thank you, and rest up. ## 5 Holiday Messages After a Great Year > {first name}, what a year. Thank you for your part in every win. Enjoy the holidays; you've earned them. > We hit goals this year we didn't think we could, {first name}. Thank you for making them happen. Happy holidays. > {first name}, this was our strongest year yet, and you're a big reason why. Thank you, and enjoy the break. > Thank you for a record year, {first name}. Celebrate a little, rest a lot, and happy holidays. > {first name}, every big number this year started with someone doing the small things right. Thank you for doing them. ## 5 Holiday Messages for a Remote Team > {first name}, we may not share an office, but this year you made the team feel close. Thank you, and happy holidays. > From my screen to your door: thank you for a great year, {first name}. Enjoy the break. > {first name}, thank you for showing up on every call and every chat this year. Wishing you a restful holiday away from the screen. > Happy holidays, {first name}! Different time zones, same team. Thank you for everything this year. > {first name}, you made remote work feel like teamwork this year. Thank you. Take a real break from the laptop. How to get a gift to every remote teammate's home: [gifts for remote employees](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/employee-gifts/remote-employees). ## 10 Holiday Messages by Tenure: New Hires, Veterans and Returning Seasonal Staff These are written for one person, so each goes in an order of its own. ### Hired this year > Welcome to your first holiday season with us, {first name}! You fit in from week one. Thank you, and enjoy the break. > {first name}, you've only been here a few months, and the team already relies on you. Happy holidays, and welcome. > Your first year with us isn't even over, {first name}, and you've already made your mark. Thank you, and happy holidays. > {first name}, joining a team in the busiest season isn't easy. You made it look easy. Thank you, and enjoy the holidays. ### Five, ten or more years > {first name}, [number] years, and you still make the hard parts look simple. Thank you for all of them. Happy holidays. > {first name}, you've been here for most of this company's story. Thank you for writing so much of it. Happy holidays. > Ten years, {first name}. Thank you for a decade of good work, good judgment and good company. Happy holidays. > {first name}, the people who've been here longest set the tone for everyone else. Thank you for setting a good one. ### Seasonal staff > {first name}, thank you for another great season with us. We hope to see you back next year. Happy holidays! > Thank you for coming back this season, {first name}. You make the busy months easier for everyone. Enjoy the holidays. Who should get a gift at all, from part-timers to November hires: [who gets a holiday gift](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/employee-gifts/who-gets-a-holiday-gift). ## 6 Holiday Messages by Role One message goes on every card in an order, so each of these suits an order for that role alone; the office manager's is for one person, in an order of its own. **Customer-facing staff** > {first name}, our customers remember how you treated them this year, and so do we. Thank you, and happy holidays. **Field crews and technicians** > {first name}, thank you for the early starts, the cold mornings and the jobs done right. Enjoy a warm break. **The office manager** > {first name}, half of what went right this year went right because you caught it first. Thank you for keeping us running. **Clinical staff** > {first name}, thank you for the care you gave patients this year, especially on the hard shifts. Rest well over the holidays. **Warehouse and drivers** > {first name}, every order that went out on time this year went through your hands. Thank you, and happy holidays. **Sales** > {first name}, thank you for every call, every follow-up and every no you turned into a yes. Enjoy a well-earned break. ## Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays for Employees? For a team, default to an inclusive greeting. One r/managers commenter remembered a manager whose Christmas tree ornaments "caused a huge HR issue because someone complained since they didn't celebrate a traditional Christmas", and another manager gives everyone the same thing with "Happy New Year instead of a religious holiday (the team is diverse on that front)" ([r/managers](https://www.reddit.com/r/managers/comments/1gab3i3/)). The simple rule: "happy holidays" or "happy New Year" for everyone, and "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Hanukkah" for the people you know celebrate. More: ["Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays"?](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/card-messages/merry-christmas-or-happy-holidays) ## How Should You Sign an Employee Holiday Card? Sign as a person. Your first name, or your first name and the team, reads warmer than a company name or a job title. - "Dana" (from the owner of a small team) - "Dana and everyone at [Company]" - "With thanks, Dana" - "The leadership team" only if each of them would sign it by hand With Personalized Gifts Delivered, one sign-off goes on every card in the order, so pick one that's true for all of them. More, including when the whole team signs: [how to sign a business holiday card](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/card-messages/how-to-sign-a-business-card). ## What to Know Before You Order - **The card is printed, not handwritten.** The words do the personal work: every card greets its person by first name. - **One order carries one message,** with each person's first name filled in. A note for one person (a new hire, a ten-year veteran) goes in an order of its own; one box is a complete order. - **The treats.** LINDOR truffles contain milk, soy and barley malt (gluten); read the labels. - **Where we ship.** We ship from New York to the lower 48 states and Washington, DC, except Texas for now. P.O. boxes are fine; no Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, other US territories, APO/FPO or international. More on what to write: [the card message library](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/card-messages). The gifts themselves: [Christmas gifts for employees at a small business](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/employee-gifts). ## What Happens to Your Message With Personalized Gifts Delivered The message you pick here is printed on a textured card, sealed in an envelope with a gold wax-seal sticker and laid on the lid of a finished gift box, so it's read before the box opens. One message and one sign-off go on every card in the order, {first name} becomes each person's first name from your [address list](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/how-it-works/client-address-spreadsheet-template), and you see every person's card before you pay. Under the card is [a logo mug gift box with Ghirardelli cocoa, Lindt truffles and a personal card](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/custom-logo-mug-gift-box): an 11 oz white ceramic mug with your logo printed small, a 1.5 oz packet of Ghirardelli premium hot cocoa and 4 Lindt LINDOR milk chocolate truffles packed inside it, in a matte-black gift box with a magnetic lid. It's $35 per box, delivered, whether you send 1 or 50, and each box ships to its own address, the office or each person's home. ## Can You Pack 25 Holiday Gifts for Your Team Yourself? Yes: you can buy note cards, print 25 messages and pack 25 gifts yourself, and by our estimate 25 logo mug gift boxes take about 9 hours of hands-on work, plus a week or more waiting for supplies: - **The cards:** about 45 minutes to write or print 25, and a typo on printed cards means printing all 25 again. - **The packing:** about 3½ hours, at about 8 minutes a box (treats, foam, tissue, seal, card, carton, crinkle, tape). - **Everything around it:** about 4½ hours to find a mug printer, place about 8 supply orders, clean up the address list, buy 25 labels, drop off the cartons and follow 25 tracking numbers. The supplies and postage come to about $38 a box with USPS counter postage (about $34 with commercial postage), with $1,192.84 paid up front for the mugs, the supply packs and 25 postage labels, with leftovers, as of Oct 26, 2026 ([the itemized DIY cost](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/compare/diy-mug-gift-box-vs-ordering)). Per box, that comes out about even with our $35; the difference is the 9 hours and the cash up front. With Personalized Gifts Delivered, the message is the only part you write. Add your logo (or type your website and we'll find it), or a photo or a few words for a personal gift; check the preview of your mug and card; add your address list; and pay $35 per box. We print, pack and ship each box to its own address. ## Frequently asked questions ### What should I write in a holiday card to employees? In a holiday card to employees, thank them for something specific from the year, wish them a real break, and sign with your own name. Two or three sentences is enough; in Snappy's 2025 survey (Snappy is a gift platform), 82% of employees said they expect "a thoughtful, personalized note with their gift." ### What is a good non-religious holiday message for employees? A good non-religious holiday message for employees thanks them for the year and wishes them a restful season, with "happy holidays" or "happy New Year" instead of a religious greeting. For example: "{first name}, however you spend the holidays, we hope they're restful. Thank you for everything this year." ### What should an owner or CEO write to employees for the holidays? From the owner or CEO, write something like "{first name}, every customer we kept this year, we kept because of this team. Thank you." and sign with your first name, not your title. In a Gallup survey, the most memorable recognition came most often from the employee's manager (28%), then "a high-level leader or CEO (24%)." ### What do you write in a holiday card to employees after a tough year? After a tough year, say so honestly, thank people for staying with it, and don't promise what you can't deliver. For example: "{first name}, this year asked more of you than it should have. Thank you for staying with it. Rest well; you've earned it." ### Who will ship a holiday gift with a card that greets each employee by name? Personalized Gifts Delivered prints one holiday message on a textured card that lies on the lid of every $35 logo mug gift box, greets each employee by first name from your address list, and ships each box to its own address, with no minimum. You see every card before you pay; a note for one person goes in its own order. ## Sources 1. Snappy, 2025 Holiday Gifting Report (vendor survey; sample size not published), [snappy.com](https://www.snappy.com/blog/what-employees-really-want-this-holiday-season-2025-insights-every-leader-needs-to-drive-stronger-results-in-2026). Read Oct 29, 2026. 2. Gallup, "The Importance of Employee Recognition: Low Cost, High Impact" (Jun 28, 2016, updated Jan 12, 2024), [gallup.com](https://www.gallup.com/workplace/236441/employee-recognition-low-cost-high-impact.aspx). Read Oct 29, 2026. 3. Hebcal, "Chanukah 2026", [hebcal.com](https://www.hebcal.com/holidays/chanukah-2026). Read Oct 29, 2026. 4. r/managers, "What do you do for Christmas for the team?" (Oct 2024), [reddit.com/r/managers/comments/1gab3i3](https://www.reddit.com/r/managers/comments/1gab3i3/). Read Oct 29, 2026.