The end-of-year holiday season is upon us, bringing perpetual to-do lists and frantic hustle and bustle. Many of us who intend to thoughtfully craft messages of good will for our nearest and dearest in the form of polished holiday cards simply can't find the time! While creating a picture-perfect holiday card always requires effort, following these eight grammar tips will make the process much faster and help your message shine flawlessly!
Properly Pluralize Family Names
Unless a last name ends in s, sh, ch, x, or z, all one needs to do is add s to perfectly pluralize any surname on holiday cards and invitations. For example, the surname Johnson becomes "The Johnsons" while the surname Dodd becomes "The Dodds." If your family name does end in one of the exceptional letters mentioned above, you will need to add es instead—think Williams→The Williamses, Diaz→The Diazes, and Hatch→The Hatches. Don't like the result? It's always safe and fashionable to use this alternative: "The (insert surname here) Family."
Use a Comma After Your Complimentary Close
A complimentary close is that lovely farewell sentiment included right before your signature. Popular phrases in this category for holiday cards include "With love," "Sincerely," and "Happy holidays." Whichever closing you choose, make sure to add a comma afterward to visually separate it from your signature.
Use Commas to Separate Individual Names in a Series
If you, like many people, choose to include the individual names of all your family/party members in your holiday card signature, make sure to separate these names with a comma in between. The spot where a comma is most commonly forgotten is just before the and joining the final name in the series to the names listed beforehand. This "Oxford comma" is used consistently in academic writing but is often dropped in journalistic contexts, causing confusion about when it's necessary. Why keep the Oxford comma here? Using this serial comma is standard practice in formal correspondence like holiday cards.
Know How to Use Ampersands
Did you know the ampersand was considered the twenty-seventh letter in the English alphabet prior to the mid-1800s? In informal writing, the ampersand icon is used in place of the word and as a space-saving measure as well as between common word pairings, such as peanut butter & jelly. If space on your card is ample, you may still consider using an ampersand for stylistic purposes or to highlight the joint status of individuals who are coupled up, such as spouses (e.g., "Josh & Molly"), twin siblings (e.g., "Liam & Chloe"), or even pets (e.g., "Milo & Bear"). Just make sure not to use a comma directly before an ampersand (even if the name that follows it is the last in the series) since it appears awkward and out of place.
Always Capitalize Names of Holidays
This rule is as simple as it sounds—the name of a holiday itself, such as Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, is always capitalized. Modifiers, however, are another story. Read on to learn more!
Only Capitalize Holiday Modifiers at the Start of a Sentence
Modifiers, in this case, are adjectives describing the type of holiday you are having or wish for yourself or another to have. What type of Christmas might you wish for? A merry Christmas. What type of Hanukkah may you be hoping for? A happy Hanukkah. In these examples, the modifiers merry and happy are not capitalized (even though the holiday names that follow them are) because each occurs in the middle of a sentence and is not part of the formal holiday name itself. At the beginning of a sentence, however, both words should be capitalized. We commonly see this in greetings like the following: "Merry Christmas to you!"
Check Capitalization of Nonspecific Holiday Greetings
"Happy holidays" and "Season's greetings" are popular sentiments used to express all-inclusive good will toward others one may not know well or at all. Since a proper name for a specific holiday is not being referenced in these instances, there is no need for capitalization unless the initial word happens to begin a sentence. Therefore, both of the following are correct:
"Happy holidays to you and yours!"
"Wishing you and yours happy holidays!"
Know Where Apostrophes Belong (and Where They Don't)
Greetings in holiday cards are notorious for flaunting misplaced apostrophes. The following list covers the most common errors to avoid.
In summary:
Season in "Season's greetings" is written in singular possessive form since it refers to the comprehensive holiday season in general.
While "Happy New Year's" is commonly heard near the stroke of midnight on December 31st, this sentiment when written should reflect the more accurate "Happy New Year," "Happy New Year's Eve," or "Happy New Year's Day."
Don't forget that the seasonal terms ’tis and ’twas need apostrophes too! Serving as contractions, ’tis is short for it is while ’twas stands for it was.
Finally, when referring to a home, location, or other element belonging to more than one person—remember the possessive 's is only required in the name of the last person listed (e.g., "Josh & Molly's house" rather than "Josh's & Molly's house"). This trick will come in handy when writing holiday invitations, simplifying both text and space. Plus, it just sounds better!
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Season's greetings to you,
