Christmas Messages for Colleagues, Staff and Clients

A good work Christmas message is short, warm and specific: thank the person for one real thing, wish them a proper break and sign it with your own name. Below are lines to copy for colleagues, your boss, your staff, clients and suppliers, and each group comes with a short version that fits on a gift card.

We print a lot of these cards in December, and the ones that land all follow the same shape. If the messages are travelling with gifts, our corporate Christmas hampers carry one card per recipient, each with its own message.

The shape that works

Three parts, in this order: a warm opener, one specific thanks, and a wish for the break. Then your name. Change the specific line for each person and keep the rest, which is how you get through forty cards without them reading like a mailout.

Christmas messages for colleagues

• "Merry Christmas. Thanks for being the person I could always ask, even on the busy days. Enjoy every minute of the break."
• "Happy Christmas. This year was a lot better for having you at the next desk. See you in the new year, rested."
• "Thanks for covering for me in the crunch. I owe you more than a card. Have a wonderful Christmas."
• "Merry Christmas to the best part of Monday meetings. Thanks for the laughs this year."
• "Wishing you a relaxing Christmas and a new year with fewer emails. Thanks for a great year."

Short version for the gift card: "Thanks for a great year. Merry Christmas from [your name]."

For a new starter, or a colleague who is leaving

• New starter: "Merry Christmas, and welcome. It already feels like you have been here for years, in the best way."
• New starter: "Your first Christmas with us. Thanks for jumping straight in, and enjoy the break."
• Leaving: "Merry Christmas, and thank you for everything you built here. The new place is lucky to have you."
• Retiring: "Merry Christmas and happy retirement. Thank you for the years, the advice and the stories. Enjoy every slow morning."

Christmas messages for your boss or manager

Thank them for something they did for you, not for being senior. Keep it warm, keep it brief, and skip any joke you would not make in a meeting.

• "Merry Christmas. Thank you for backing me this year, especially on [project]. I learned a lot."
• "Thanks for a year of good advice and a door that was always open. Have a restful Christmas with your family."
• "Wishing you a very merry Christmas. Thanks for making this a team people want to be part of."
• From the whole team: "From all of us, thank you for a big year and for having our backs. Enjoy a proper break, you have earned it."

Short version: "Thank you for a great year. Merry Christmas, [name]."

Christmas messages to staff, from the boss

Staff remember a manager's Christmas message for one reason: whether it noticed what they did. Name the year's real work and the people who carried it.

• "Thank you for everything you gave this year. [Project] happened because of this team, and I don't take that for granted. Merry Christmas."
• "It has been a big year and you met it every time. Switch off, enjoy the people you love and come back rested."
• "Merry Christmas and thank you. I'm proud of what we built together this year."
• For one person: "Thank you for the way you handled [moment]. It made a real difference to all of us. Have a wonderful Christmas."
• After a hard year: "This year asked a lot of everyone. Thank you for sticking with it, and with each other. Rest up and Merry Christmas."

Short versions: "Thank you for a brilliant year. Merry Christmas, [name]." Or: "Thank you for everything this year. Enjoy the break."

If the business is sending a gift to every team member, our Christmas gifts for staff take a different message for each person.

Christmas messages for clients you know well

• "Merry Christmas, [name]. Thank you for another year of working together, and for being so easy to work with. Enjoy the break."
• "Thank you for trusting us with [project] this year. We loved every part of it. Have a wonderful Christmas."
• "Wishing you and your family a happy Christmas. Looking forward to picking up where we left off in the new year."
• "Thanks for a terrific year. Here's hoping Christmas brings you a long lunch and a longer break."

Short version: "Thank you for a great year together. Merry Christmas from [your name]."

Christmas wishes for a whole client list

When the same message goes to a hundred clients, keep it warm and general, and add one personal line wherever you can.

• "Thank you for your business and your trust this year. Wishing you a merry Christmas and a prosperous new year."
• "From all of us at [company], thank you for a great year. Enjoy a relaxing break."
• "Season's greetings, and thank you for being part of our year. We look forward to working with you in 2027."
• "Wishing you and your team a happy holiday season and a well-earned rest."

For what to send with it, from your key clients to the wider book, read how to choose Christmas gifts for clients, or browse our Christmas gifts for clients.

Christmas messages for suppliers and partners

• "Thank you for always coming through for us, often at short notice. Merry Christmas to you and the team."
• "We couldn't do what we do without you. Thanks for a great year, and enjoy the break."
• "Wishing everyone at [company] a merry Christmas. Thank you for another year of great work together."

Short version: "Thanks for a great year of working together. Merry Christmas."

Christmas messages for a remote team

When the gift lands at someone's front door instead of their desk, the card has to bridge the distance.

• "We may be spread across the map, but this year we were one team. Merry Christmas from all of us."
• "A little Christmas from the office to your kitchen table. Thank you for a great year."
• "Thanks for making a team that rarely shares a room feel like one. Enjoy the break."

Season's greetings that suit everyone

Not everyone on a staff or client list celebrates Christmas, and a general greeting is warm without making a point of it.

• "Season's greetings, and thank you for a wonderful year."
• "Wishing you a happy, restful holiday season and a great start to the new year."
• "Enjoy the break. Thank you for everything this year."

How to sign a card from a company

Sign it from a person. "From Sam and everyone at [company]" reads as a card, and "From the team at [company]" reads as a mailout. If several people know the client, add two or three first names. For a big send, end every message with your company name, so it is clear who it came from even when the hamper lands at a busy reception. Your logo on the gift card is free as well, so the sender is clear at a glance.

When the gift arrives early or late

A card that matches the timing reads as planned rather than apologetic.

• Early: "Arriving a little early so you can enjoy it before the break. Merry Christmas."
• Early: "Something for the office before everyone heads off. Thank you for a great year."
• Late: "Christmas got away from us, but the thanks still stands. Happy new year."
• Late: "Something to start the new year well. Thank you for everything in the last one."

To keep gifts on the right side of the break, check our Christmas delivery dates before you order.

One message per person, one order

Writing forty messages is the slow part, and sending them should not be. Put your recipient list into our bulk order form with a message for each person, and every hamper goes to its own door with its own card, from one order with one GST tax invoice. To talk it through, call our corporate team on 1300 795 802 or email corporate@hamperswithbite.com.au. Choose the gift from our corporate Christmas hampers, and for family and friends, our guide to what to write in a Christmas card has lines for everyone else.

Early Bird: order and pay for 10+ hampers by Thursday 19 November and take 10% off, plus a free bottle of Moët with every $1,000 spent. It is not combined with Black Friday prices, and the details are on our corporate order page. Enjoy responsibly.