40 Holiday Messages for Clients (That Don't Read Like a Mail Merge)
40 holiday messages for clients and customers, by relationship: new clients, long-standing ones, after a hard project, and from the whole team. Plus what to leave out.
A client holiday card has one job: to sound like a person wrote it. That’s harder than it looks, because the format pulls everything toward the corporate. Wishing you and yours a joyous holiday season and a prosperous New Year is grammatical, polite and indistinguishable from the forty other cards on the same desk. The fix is the same one that works for any card: say something only you could say to this client. The project you finished, the call that went sideways and got rescued, the thing they did that made your job easier. Below are 40 holiday messages for clients, grouped by relationship and situation, plus a set for when the whole team signs.
For a new client (first holidays together)
- It’s been a short year together, but a good one. Thank you for taking a chance on us. Have a proper break.
- Thank you for trusting us with the first project. We know it’s a leap working with someone new, and we don’t take it lightly. Happy holidays.
- You’ve made the start of this working relationship genuinely easy. Wishing you a restful end to the year.
- We’re glad we met this year. Thank you, and enjoy the holidays.
- A good first few months, mostly thanks to how clearly you told us what you needed. Happy holidays to you and the team.
For a long-standing client
- Another year working together, and it still doesn’t feel like work most days. Thank you for that. Happy holidays.
- Thank you for being the kind of client we describe to other clients. Have a wonderful break.
- We’ve been through a few of these years together now. Thank you for every one of them, and enjoy the season.
- You’ve stuck with us through three reorganisations, two rebrands and one very memorable launch. Thank you. Happy holidays.
- Thank you for another year of good work and good conversations. Wishing you a quiet, restful end to it.
After a hard project or a difficult year
- This year asked a lot of both of us. Thank you for your patience when things got complicated. We hope the break is a real one.
- Thank you for staying calm when the timeline didn’t. It made all the difference on our side. Happy holidays.
- Not every project goes to plan, and this one certainly didn’t. Thank you for working through it with us rather than around us.
- It’s been a demanding year, and you’ve been fair, clear and kind through all of it. We noticed. Wishing you a peaceful holiday.
- Thank you for the honesty when something wasn’t working. It made the work better, and it made us better. Enjoy the break.
From a small business to customers
- Thank you for choosing us this year. For a small team, every customer is a person we remember. Happy holidays.
- We know you had other options. Thank you for picking us, and for coming back. Enjoy the season.
- Thank you for the orders, the kind reviews and the occasional very specific feedback. We read all of it. Happy holidays.
- You’re the reason this is still a business and not a hobby. Thank you, and have a lovely break.
- From our small team to you: thank you for a good year. We hope the holidays are restful.
From the whole team
These suit a card everyone on your side signs, so each person can add a line of their own underneath.
- From all of us who worked with you this year: thank you. It was a pleasure.
- Everyone here who’s been on your account wanted to sign this, which tells you something. Happy holidays.
- Thank you from the whole team, including the people you’ve only met in a cc line. They were glad to be part of it too.
- A few of us have worked with you every week this year. All of us wanted to say thank you. Enjoy the break.
- From the account team, the project team and the person who answered your support tickets at 6pm: happy holidays, and thank you.
If several people on your side work with a client, a card they all sign carries more than one signature from someone the client has met twice. TeamRally Cards lets the whole team sign one holiday card, each person invited by their own email, and delivers it on the day you choose. Free to make, sign and send, with up to 100 invited signers and no account needed by anyone signing. For cards that go to clients you can add your logo, colours and typeface; that’s $19 and covers every card you make for a year.
Writing to a whole client list? Send one card to a list: write the message once, and up to 25 clients each get their own copy at their own email, greeted by name. Free.
Formal and professional
- With sincere thanks for your partnership this year, and best wishes for the holiday season.
- Thank you for your continued trust in our work. We wish you and your colleagues a restful holiday.
- It has been a privilege to work with you this year. Season’s greetings from all of us.
- With our appreciation for a productive year together, and warm wishes for the holidays.
- Thank you for your partnership. We wish you a peaceful end to the year.
Warm and a little personal
- I hope you finally get to take that trip you kept mentioning. You’ve earned it. Happy holidays.
- Thank you for making our weekly calls the best meeting on my calendar. Enjoy the break.
- Wishing you a holiday with absolutely no status updates in it. Thank you for a great year.
- I hope the kids let you sleep in at least once. Thank you for everything this year.
- You’ve been a joy to work with. Have a wonderful, unscheduled holiday.
Short sign-offs
- Thank you for a great year. Happy holidays.
- Grateful to work with you. Enjoy the season.
- Thank you, and have a proper break.
- Warm wishes from all of us.
- With thanks, and best wishes for the holidays.
When to send
Early to mid December. That’s when people are still reading email but already thinking about the break. A card that arrives on 23 December joins an inbox nobody is looking at; one sent in mid November reads as beating the rush rather than meaning it.
Before the out-of-office replies start. If your client works in a country where the year winds down earlier, send earlier. The goal is a card someone opens on a slow afternoon, not one that waits behind three weeks of mail.
After the work, not instead of it. If you’re mid-delivery on something late, a holiday card isn’t the moment to paper over it. Fix the work first. The card can say thank you for their patience; it can’t be the apology.
What makes these work
They mention one real thing. The relaunch, the weekly call, the patience in March. A detail is proof that someone thought about this particular client, which is the only thing that separates a card from a mailing.
They thank rather than flatter. “Thank you for the honesty when something wasn’t working” is specific and true. “You are an incredible partner” is a compliment with nothing behind it, and clients can tell.
They end the year rather than start the next one. The card closes something. The planning conversation is a separate email in January.
What to avoid
- A sales message in disguise. No “we’d love to discuss your plans for next year”, no discount codes, no product announcements. The client will read the card as what it really is.
- Assuming the holiday. Unless you know for certain, “Happy Holidays”, “Season’s Greetings” or “enjoy the break” include everyone. A client is someone you know professionally, not personally.
- Mass-merged warmth. “Dear [First Name], we value your business” does more harm than no card at all. If you’re writing to fifty clients, write fifty first lines.
- Overpromising. “Next year will be our best yet together” is a forecast, not a wish. Leave it out.
- Gifts where policy forbids them. Many organisations, especially in the public sector, healthcare and finance, restrict what staff can accept. A card is almost always fine; check before attaching anything of value.
Frequently asked questions
What do you write in a holiday card to a client? Thank them for something specific from the year, wish them a proper break, and stop. Leave out anything about next year’s work.
Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays? Happy Holidays or Season’s Greetings, unless you know for certain how the person marks the season.
Is it OK to mention business? As something you’re grateful for, yes. As something you’re selling, no.
When should you send them? Early to mid December, before people leave for the break.
Should the whole team sign? When the client deals with several people on your side, yes. It says more than one signature.
Related: holiday messages for employees · thank you messages for clients · New Year messages for clients · group holiday cards
