There is no exam. Sign the way you are known, in the order that will not start an argument at the kitchen table, and stop before the list looks like a petition. On Ottermagic you can print that sign-off neatly inside the card, so everyone's names look the same even if your handwriting does not. The front can be a Style Swap of the household, a Face Swap of one person, a Pet Swap if the dog is doing the talking, or Text Swap with the family name on the front. Preview, then order a printed A5 or take the e-card. Start at Ottermagic.com.
When to send, and what to write besides the names, sit in Christmas card etiquette. Sample inside lines live in how to write a Christmas card message. This page is the signature.
Direct answers
How to sign a Christmas card. Close with a short greeting if you still need one ("Happy Christmas", "Love", "From"), then the names. First names for people who know you. First name plus surname if they might have two Dans in their pile.
From a couple. Either order is fine if you are a known pair. Many couples put the name the recipient will recognise first, or write the names as they are usually said: "Love from Priya and Sam". Married couples who share a surname can sign "Priya and Sam Patel" or "The Patels" if that is already how they talk. You do not have to match the names on the mortgage.
Whose name goes first. There is no fixed rule that the man's name must lead. If you are writing to one person's parents, that person's name first is a kindness. If you are writing to a shared friend, use the order you would use in a text. If you are stuck, alphabetical is a boring peace treaty and nobody has ever returned a card over it.
From the family. "Love from all of us" is enough for people who already know the cast. For grandparents, list the kids. For the wider pile, "The Hughes family" or "Love from Sam, Priya, Mae and Tom" both work. Pets can join the list if they already have a personality in that household.
From the dog (or the cat). Sign the animal's name, in the animal's voice if you can do it without becoming a cartoon. Pet Swap on the front makes that sign-off land, because the face on the card is actually theirs. See Christmas cards from the dog or the cat.
To a colleague. First names, a warm but short close, no "love" unless you would say love in the kitchen at work. "Happy Christmas, from Jo in accounts" is plenty. Work-card tone sits next to teacher, colleague and boss Christmas cards.
Couples
Write the names the way you introduce yourselves at a party.
Examples:
- "Happy Christmas, love from Alex and Jordan"
- "Merry Christmas from Priya & Sam"
- "From the two of us in the flat with too many plants"
If only one of you is known to the recipient, lead with that name: "Love from Tom (and Priya, who still talks about your roast)". New partners can add themselves in brackets for the first year if that feels less abrupt.
Same-sex couples use the same pattern. There is no special grammar. If you have taken a shared surname, use it when it helps the envelope make sense.
A printed inside message keeps both names the same size. That matters more than people admit when one of you writes in tiny scratchy biro and the other writes in capitals. Leave the A5 blank if you want a private sentence that should not be typeset.
Style Swap of a photo of the pair is a fair front for a couple card. Face Swap is stronger when the joke is one of you in a scene. More in Christmas cards for a partner.
Families with kids
List children in age order, or in the order they would shout their own names. Toddlers can "sign" even if they cannot hold a pen. A printed line such as "Love from Mum, Dad, Lila and Jonah" saves you writing it forty times.
Examples:
- "Happy Christmas from the four of us"
- "Love from Sam, Priya, Mae (7) and Tom (4)"
- "Mae and Tom say hello. We do too."
If the kids made the card, say so. "From the kids" on a Style Swap of their faces is a whole genre; that guide is Christmas cards from the kids.
For a family already in one photo, Style Swap restyles the whole frame. Face Swap is often one face per design, so crop to the person the scene wants, or trust the preview. Couple and family Face Swap is the honest version of that.
Text Swap can put the family name on the front when you want the envelope to say "The Okafor family" without a photograph. That is a real Ottermagic path; see Text Swap name cards and Text Swap Christmas cards.
Blended families and two households
Sign the people who actually live in the house that is sending the card, plus anyone who should be named out of love rather than logistics. You do not need to list every adult in both homes on every envelope. A short line such as "Love from us at Dad's, and from Maisie this week" is clearer than a combined census.
If two houses send two cards, that is allowed. Blended family Christmas cards covers the front of that problem. The signature is the easy part: names the recipient will recognise, in an order the children will not fight about.
Step-parents can sign their usual name. "Love from Kate" is warmer than a legal label on a Christmas card.
Adding the pets
Put the pet last, unless the pet is the entire point.
Examples:
- "Love from Jo, Dev, and Mabel the collie"
- "The humans send love. So does the cat, probably."
- "From Mabel (the dog wrote this)"
- "Happy Christmas from all of us, including the rabbit who ate the previous card"
Pet Swap makes "love from the dog" look intended rather than like a postscript. Royal Portrait, Clay 3D, Watercolour, Chibi, and Sketch all carry a pet sign-off well. Caricature of the walker or the vet is a different article.
Work cards, and people you do not know well
Keep the close small.
- Colleague you like: "Happy Christmas, Jo"
- Whole team: "Happy Christmas from the design desk" or list first names
- Boss: "With thanks, and happy Christmas, from Priya"
- Neighbour you nod at: "Happy Christmas from number 14" (Text Swap helps here)
- Client or tradesperson: your name, theirs if you know it, no family saga
"Love" is for people you would hug. "Best wishes" and "Happy Christmas" do the rest. You will not offend anyone by being slightly too plain.
UK and US phrasing
UK cards still lean on "Happy Christmas" and "Love from". US cards often use "Merry Christmas", "Happy Holidays", or "Love," with a comma, then names on the next line. "The Smiths" is common in US sign-offs; in the UK it can sound a shade more formal, which is fine for the outer pile and a bit stiff for your sister. Use the words you already speak.
Printed A5 cards are 148×210mm folded, 330gsm gloss, envelope included, printed to order in the UK, posted with Royal Mail to UK addresses in around 3–5 working days, or sent by airmail to US addresses in around 2–3 weeks. The e-card is the hi-res download if you are signing a file rather than an envelope. Posters and canvas are available from the same artwork; check Ottermagic.com. Support: support@ottermagic.com (reply within one working day).
Ready when you are
Get the names down without a committee meeting. Choose a front that looks like the people (and pets) who are signing, print the list inside so it stays neat, or leave the A5 blank and write it once in your own hand. Style Swap, Face Swap, Pet Swap, and Text Swap are all on Ottermagic. Start at Ottermagic.com.
FAQ
Whose name goes first on a Christmas card from a couple?
Whichever name the recipient will recognise first, or the order you already use. There is no rule that a husband's name must lead.
How do I sign a Christmas card from the family if we are a crowd?
"Love from all of us" for people who know the cast. List the children for grandparents. Print the line inside if you are sending a stack.
Is it odd to sign from the dog?
Only if the dog is a stranger to them. If they already ask after the animal, a Pet Swap front and a dog-name sign-off is ordinary kindness.
Should work Christmas cards include the whole family?
Usually no. Sign from you, or from the team. Save the kids and the spaniel for people who have met them.
Can Ottermagic print the names inside?
Yes. Blank inside, or a printed message, on the A5. The printed option is how you keep a long family list readable.
