Holiday cards may be intended to spread cheer, but they can have the adverse effect of being stressful to both send and receive. Proponents say they love to share a piece of themselves with loved ones. Detractors see long, braggy letters with bad grammar.
Adam Groffman, who works in marketing and lives in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, enjoys cards as a physical touch point with faraway friends and family.
“It’s birçok to get an annual update,” he said, “even if it doesn’t necessarily trigger me to keep much more in contact than beyond the occasional Instagram or Facebook like.”
If sending out a card is on your to-do list, the right tools will make it faster, easier and more efficient as Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa coincide to create a trifecta of holiday spirit.
Follow these grammar guidelines
While there is no grammar jail (as much as some people might think there should be), getting the basic rules right is important. “Our brains are wired in a certain way to react when we encounter bad grammar and punctuation,” Jeffrey Barg, a grammar expert, said. “I have absolutely received cards that have wished me ‘happy holidays’ but then they pluralize the family’s last name with an apostrophe and you know what? All of a sudden everything is a little less merry for me.”
Basic Grammar Rules for Holiday Cards
You do not want apostrophes on last names. We’re making the last name plural, not possessive.
The Kardashians, The Kelces, The Wintours.
To make a last name plural, add an -s (with a few exceptions). This simple rule works with last names that end in every letter of the alphabet except s, x, z, ch and sh. Those get an -es.
The Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles and her family become The Chileses.
You can, instead, use first names, or “The ______ Family.”
This is a workaround if your family has multiple last names and you don’t want to hyphenate. Just list your first names. Such as: Kristen, Dax, Lincoln and Delta. Or go with The Chalamet Family.
Apostrophes need to be used with certain greetings (and people will notice if they’re used incorrectly).
Season’s Greetings
’Tis the season
Capitalization rules are looser.
If you feel strongly, you can cap the adjective. Think of it as a headline. But whatever you do, the “a” never gets capitalized.
“Merry Christmas” or “Have a happy Hanukkah” or “Have a happy new year” are all OK!
