A corporate holiday card is one of the few moments in the year when you write to your clients and partners without an invoice attached. It is worth using it well. Good wishes do not have to be flowery or long - they have to be sincere. Below you will find rules that work in practice, along with a handful of ready examples you can use as they are or treat as a starting point for your own version.
- The best corporate wishes are sincere and specific - thank the reader for the cooperation and look ahead.
- Match the tone to the recipient: you write differently to a client, a partner and an employee.
- You can choose from several styles: elegant, warm, short, lightly humorous, industry-flavoured.
- When you do not know the recipient's beliefs, pick the universal wish of peaceful holidays and a good new year.
- Avoid copy-paste, exaggeration and - most importantly - typos in the name.
What sets good corporate wishes apart from empty phrases
Most holiday cards that land in mailboxes sound the same. Generic, safe and impersonal. Your card has a chance to stand out with one simple move - sincerity instead of cliche. Instead of writing "all the best for the holidays", say something you actually think about the past year and about the person you are writing to.
A few rules that work regardless of the industry:
- Sincerity instead of cliches - write something that sounds like you, not like a template from the internet.
- A warm tone - the holidays are a time for relationships, so allow yourself a bit of human warmth even in a formal note.
- Short and specific - two or three sentences are plenty; nobody reads an essay on a card.
- A thank you for the cooperation - this is the heart of corporate wishes; thank the reader for their trust and the shared year.
- A look ahead - add a line saying you look forward to another year of working together.
These five elements form the skeleton on which you can build almost any good message. The rest is a matter of matching the tone to the specific person.
Match the wishes to the recipient
There is no single universal text that will sound equally good to a client, a business partner and an employee. Each of these relationships has a different accent, so it is worth preparing a few variants if you send cards to different groups.
To a client
To a client you say thank you for the trust and for choosing you. A calm, warm tone with a focus on gratitude. This is not the moment to sell - it is the moment to nurture the relationship.
Thank you for the trust you placed in us this year. We wish you peaceful, family-filled Christmas holidays and many good moments in the coming year. We are glad we can work for you.
To a business partner
With a partner it is worth underlining shared goals and the value of the cooperation. A tone that is more of a partnership than a service - you speak as equals.
A year of working with you has shown how much can be achieved when we care about the same things. We wish you peaceful holidays, a moment to breathe and energy for the joint projects ahead in the new year.
To an employee
With an employee you can allow yourself the most warmth and a personal tone. Acknowledge the effort, mention the team, show that people stand behind the results.
Thank you for your commitment and for every day in which we built this together. We wish you peaceful holidays among those closest to you and strength for the new year - it is good to have you on the team.
Styles of wishes - choose a tone that fits your brand
The same thank you can be written in several ways. Choose the style that matches the character of your company and your relationship with the recipient. Below is one example in each tone.
Elegant, formal
On the occasion of Christmas we wish you peace, joy and rest among those closest to you. May the coming year bring prosperity and success in all your endeavours.
Warm, heartfelt
May these holidays be a time of peace, warmth and closeness for you. Thank you for the shared year and, from the bottom of our hearts, we wish the new one to bring only good days.
Short
Peaceful holidays and all the best in the new year. Thank you for the cooperation.
With a touch of humour
We wish you holidays without the rush, with a second helping of cheesecake and your phone on silent for at least one evening. And in the new year - plenty of good ideas and even better cooperation.
Industry-flavoured
If you want to nod to what you do, do it lightly and with a wink. In printing we could write it, for example, like this:
We wish you holidays in the best colours, with no unnecessary bleeds and well-placed accents. May the coming year be as polished as a well-prepared design.
The same trick will work in any industry - all it takes is a single wink at your own craft, without exaggeration and without jargon the recipient may not know.
If you are sending cards to a large and diverse list, prepare two or three versions of the text - one neutral, one warmer for regular clients and one more personal for your closest partners. It is a small effort that makes a huge difference in how the card is received.
Wishes in English for foreign contractors
If you work with companies outside Poland, it is worth having an English version ready. Here too, simplicity and sincerity are what count. Two proven suggestions:
- Thank you for a great year of working together. We wish you peaceful, joyful holidays and a successful new year ahead.
- Season's greetings and warm wishes for the year to come. We are grateful for your trust and look forward to what we can build together next year.
The phrase "Season's greetings" is convenient because it stays religiously neutral and works well in international contacts when you do not know which holidays the recipient celebrates.
When you do not know the recipient's beliefs - go for neutrality
You do not always know whether your contractor celebrates Christmas. In such situations the safest and most elegant choice is to reach for universal wishes that will not put anyone in an awkward position.
We wish you peaceful holidays and a happy new year. Thank you for the past year of cooperation and we look forward to the next one.
Such a formula is warm, courteous and suits every recipient - from a local company to a foreign partner. You do not have to give up the festive mood; it is enough not to assume in advance what the recipient believes.
What to avoid when writing corporate wishes
A few things can ruin even the best-intentioned card. It is worth watching out for them before the text goes to print.
- Copy-paste - an identical text sent to everyone sounds impersonal; personalise at least the greeting.
- Exaggeration - an avalanche of superlatives and exclamation marks sounds insincere; warmth does not have to be loud.
- Typos in the name and company name - this is the most common and most painful mistake; check them twice.
- Hard selling - a holiday card is not the place for an offer or a discount; leave business for January.
- Too much formal coldness - a dry, official tone kills the whole festive mood; allow yourself a human touch.
Once you have a polished text, it is worth making sure the form matches the content. Warm words come across best on a well-printed corporate holiday card that is pleasant to hold. If you are wondering why a paper card still makes sense in the age of email, take a look at the post on how corporate holiday cards build relationships. And if you want your card to truly stick in memory, we explain in a separate text how to make your company stand out with new year wishes.
Finally, the most important thing - write what you really mean. Even the simplest "thank you for this year, we are glad to be in it together" will sound better than a phrase borrowed from the internet. Sincerity always beats flashiness.
