How do you write a holiday message to employees that doesn't sound corporate?

Write it the way you'd say it to the team in person, then cut anything you wouldn't say out loud. Name one or two real moments from the year. Avoid words like 'synergy', 'journey' and 'family', which make people brace for an announcement.

Should a founder send a holiday message to the whole company?

Yes, and it should be short. A few sentences that name what the company got through this year and thank people for it land better than a long letter. If you want to say more, say it in person at the last all-hands of the year.

35 Holiday Messages for Employees (From a Manager or Founder)

A holiday message from the person in charge gets read differently from every other card. Your team is reading for subtext: is this a thank-you, or a warm-up for a hard January? That’s why the safest holiday messages for employees are short, specific and entirely free of plans. Thank people for something real from this year, tell them to switch off, and leave next year for next year. Below are 35 messages, grouped by who’s writing to whom: a founder to the whole company, a manager to a team, a manager to one person, plus versions for a hard year, a remote team and the people working through the break.

From a founder to the whole company

This year we shipped more than we planned and argued less than I expected. Thank you, all of you. Please actually switch off.
I know how much of this year ran on people quietly doing more than their job. Thank you. Enjoy every day of the break.
A year ago this company was a lot smaller and a lot less sure of itself. You changed that. Happy holidays.
Thank you for the work, the patience with the parts that weren’t finished yet, and the jokes in the channels that kept it human. See you in January, rested.
We got through a genuinely hard year without losing what makes this a good place to work. That’s down to you. Happy holidays.

From a manager to their team

Thank you for this year. You made the hard weeks feel shorter and the good ones feel earned. Have a proper break.
I’ve been lucky with this team, and I know it. Happy holidays, and please don’t check your email.
Thank you for covering for each other without being asked. It’s the best thing about this team. Enjoy the holidays.
We did good work this year, and we were decent to each other while we did it. Thank you. See you in the new year.
This team handled more change this year than most handle in three. Thank you for your patience with all of it, mine included.

To one person on your team

You took on the hardest project of the year and made it look calmer than it was. Thank you. Have a restful holiday.
This was the year you went from new to indispensable. Thank you for everything, and enjoy the break.
I want to say this properly: the way you handled the spring reorganisation made it easier for everyone. Thank you.
Thank you for always telling me what I needed to hear rather than what I wanted to hear. Happy holidays.
You’ve grown more this year than you probably realise. Thank you for the work and the good humour. Enjoy the time off.

After a difficult year

This year was harder than it should have been, and you showed up anyway. Thank you. I hope the break gives you some of your energy back.
I know this year asked a lot of you. Thank you for giving it, and please take the time off seriously.
We had some tough months. You were the reason we got through them. Happy holidays, and rest.
Not every year is a good one. Thank you for being kind to each other in this one. See you in January.
Thank you for staying steady when a lot around us wasn’t. I don’t take it for granted. Have a peaceful holiday.

For a remote or distributed team

We’ve spent the year as faces in small boxes across six time zones, and it’s still felt like a team. Thank you. Happy holidays, wherever you are.
Thank you for making remote work feel less remote. Enjoy the break, and close the laptop.
To everyone who joined a call at an unsociable hour this year so someone else didn’t have to: thank you.
Wherever you’re spending the holidays and however you mark them, thank you for this year.

For people working through the holidays

Thank you for working while most of us aren’t. It doesn’t go unnoticed, and it shouldn’t go unthanked.
Someone has to keep things running over the break, and this year it’s you. Thank you. Your time off in January is protected.
Thank you for taking the holiday shift. I hope it’s quiet, and I hope the time off afterwards is better.
To the on-call rota over the break: thank you. Here’s hoping your phone stays silent.

A group card signed by the whole team suits these moments: the person covering the holiday shift, the colleague who carried the hardest project, or the whole company from the leadership team. TeamRally Cards collects everyone’s message by personal email invite and delivers on the day you choose. If the card is for the whole company, choose “I’ll deliver it myself” and share the finished card’s link in your team channel. Free to make, sign and send, with up to 100 invited signers.

Short ones

Thank you for a great year. Switch off properly.
Grateful for this team. Happy holidays.
Thank you for everything this year. See you in January.
Rest well. You’ve earned it.
Happy holidays, and thank you.
A good year, because of you. Enjoy the break.
Thank you. Now go and do nothing for a while.

What makes these work

They name something real. “The spring reorganisation”, “six time zones”, “the on-call rota”. A single concrete detail tells people you were paying attention to them, not just to the numbers.

They give permission to stop. “Don’t check your email” means more coming from the person who might send it. If you write it, honour it.

They’re short. People read a holiday message from leadership in about five seconds. Two or three sentences survive that; a page doesn’t.

What to avoid

Turning the card into a year-end review. Targets, revenue, next year’s goals. The all-hands is for that; the card isn’t.
“Hit the ground running in January.” It tells people their break is a pause in work rather than a break from it.
“We’re a family.” Families don’t have performance reviews. Most people find the word uncomfortable from an employer, especially one that’s had a hard year.
Assuming the holiday. Your team marks the season in different ways, or not at all. “Happy holidays” and “enjoy the break” include everyone.
Thanking people for things that were really sacrifices you asked of them. If a team worked weekends to hit a deadline, a card isn’t the whole answer. Say thank you, and also fix whatever made the weekends necessary.
Hinting at bad news. “Next year will bring some changes” in a holiday card ruins the holiday. If something is coming, say it properly, at the right time.

Frequently asked questions

What should a manager write in a holiday card to employees? Thank the team for something specific from the year, tell them to switch off, and stop there. Keep it about the people, not the plan.

How do you avoid sounding corporate? Write it the way you’d say it in person, then cut anything you wouldn’t say out loud.

Should a founder send a message to the whole company? Yes, and keep it short: a few sentences that name what the company got through this year.

What do you write for employees working over the holidays? Acknowledge plainly that they’re working while others aren’t, thank them, and pair it with something real if you can.