What to Write in Holiday Cards: A Guide for Admins

Why does the card message matter more than the gift?

To decide what to write in a holiday card, skip the generic “Happy Holidays” and name one specific thing from the year, use the same voice you’d use out loud, and stop at two to four sentences. The note should feel like it could only have been written for that person.

If you’re an administrative professional or executive assistant, you already know how this goes. The gifts are chosen, the boxes are wrapped, and then someone slides a stack of blank cards across your desk: “Can you write something?” It sounds small, but this is the part people actually read.

The gift gets eaten, opened, or quietly rehomed. The note is what tells someone whether they were genuinely thought of or just checked off a list. When your name is in the corner, that impression is attached to you and to your executive. That’s a lot of pressure for a three-inch piece of cardstock.

This simple approach to cards comes from Sydney, Head of Marketing at Admin Awards Institute, who built an entire “What to Write on the Card” guide for the admins who get asked to do this every year. The goal isn’t poetic perfection. It’s honest, specific, and fast.

How can administrative professionals write cards fast and still sound personal?

You can move through a stack of cards quickly if you stop trying to write a masterpiece and follow three rules: name one specific thing, write the way you talk, and stop early. Two to four sentences is enough to sound human, thoughtful, and professional.

Start with one detail that could only belong to that person. Instead of “Thank you for a great year,” think “Thank you for staying on the phone until 9 p.m. during the launch” or “Thank you for jumping in when our event went sideways.” One real moment is more powerful than five vague compliments.

Next, match the voice your executive would actually use. If they’d never say “It was a true pleasure partnering with you this fiscal year,” that line doesn’t belong in their card. Read each note out loud. If you’d be embarrassed to say it to their face, cut it.

Finally, stop before you talk yourself out of it. Administrative professionals tend to overwork anything with their name on it. Here, that backfires. A short, sincere note lands better than a long one that sounds like it was written by committee. Once you’ve hit two to four clean sentences, sign it and move on to the next.

What should I write in a holiday card to a long-term client?

For long-term clients, the card is less about the gift and more about the relationship. Your job is to show that your executive doesn’t see them as a line item, but as someone they’d actually call with good news first.

One ready-made note from the Admin Awards Institute guide does exactly that:

Hi (name), somewhere around year (number) I stopped thinking of you as a client and started thinking of you as someone I’d call with good news first. Thank you for every honest conversation, and for being kind to my team when things got hectic. We’re better because you’re in our corner. Wishing you and yours a warm, quiet holiday.

Fill in the year, swap “team” for “board” or “region” if needed, and adjust any word that doesn’t sound like your executive. The structure does the heavy lifting: name the length of the relationship, acknowledge honest conversations, and call out how they treat the team when things get messy.

For newer clients, you don’t have the history yet, and overselling feels fake. That’s why the source includes a simpler option:

Hi (name), it has been a pleasure getting to know you this year. I’m grateful you took a chance on working with us, and I hope this makes your week a little sweeter. No agenda, just thanks. Happy holidays.

Notice what’s happening: one real sentiment (“took a chance on working with us”), one clear boundary (“No agenda, just thanks”), and then a clean close. You can hand this to your executive to sign without a rewrite.

What should I write in a holiday card to my boss or executive?

Cards between you and your boss are where things often get awkward. Too formal, and it reads like performance. Too casual, and it can feel off in a professional setting. The same three rules still work here.

From a leader to someone on the team, the Admin Awards Institute template keeps it simple:

(Name), I don’t say this often enough, so I’m putting it in writing: thank you for (the specific thing they did) this year. It made the whole team better. I’m lucky to work with you.

If your executive struggles to express appreciation, this kind of note does a lot of quiet culture work. You fill in the specific thing — the late nights on a project, the calm in a chaotic meeting, the patient onboarding — and the card says, “I noticed.” That matters more than another branded mug.

From you to your own boss, you don’t need a speech. You just need to acknowledge trust and one concrete moment:

(Name), thank you for trusting me with the things that matter, and for (something specific they did). I learned a lot this year, and I’m proud of the work we do together. Happy holidays.

For administrative professionals and executive assistants, that “trusting me with the things that matter” line rings especially true. You’re the one catching the details no one else sees. Naming that dynamic in writing is a small, professional way of saying, “I see what this role really is, and I value it.”

How do I handle cards for vendors and fellow administrative professionals?

Cards to vendors and other admins are where your behind-the-scenes work really shows. These are the people who answer your calls when things go sideways and quietly make you and your executive look competent.

For a vendor or partner who came through when something broke, the template is blunt and perfect:

(Name), the day (the specific thing that went wrong) went sideways, you picked up the phone and fixed it before I’d finished explaining. People like you make this job doable. Thank you. Enjoy every minute off.

“People like you make this job doable” is one of those lines you can leave exactly as written. It sounds like something a real person would say after a fire drill, not a line from a corporate brochure.

For the assistant on the other side of the big-title executive, the note speaks peer to peer:

Hi (name), I know my boss’s emails land in your inbox next to forty others, and somehow you always find us a time. Thank you for being the reason things get done on your side. I’m glad we’re on the same team, even when our calendars disagree! Happy holidays from one admin to another.

That “from one admin to another” matters. Administrative professionals and executive assistants spend a lot of time making other people look good. Using the card to acknowledge that shared reality is a small act of professional solidarity.

Holiday card FAQs for executive assistants and admins

Is “Happy Holidays! Best, (name)” ever enough?
Sure — if you’re signing a stack of corporate cards someone else printed. But if you’re handwriting a note, add at least one specific thing from the year. It’s the difference between “mass mailing” and “you were on my mind.”

What if I don’t know the person well?
Borrow the “new client” pattern: mention that it’s been a pleasure getting to know them, thank them for taking a chance on working with you or your executive, and wish them a good break. You don’t need history to be sincere.

How do I adjust these notes to my executive’s voice?
Read each card out loud as if they were saying it. Change any word that makes you wince or sounds like legal copy. If your executive is short and dry, keep the sentences tight. If they’re warmer, let one extra sentence in — but still stop early.

Who writes the card for the admin who wrote everyone else’s cards?
The original guide doesn’t skip you. It ends with this reminder:

You wrote forty cards, packed the boxes, and remembered everyone’s name, allergy, and favorite candy. Most of it went unseen. Here’s the part you need to know: you’re GOOD at this, and it matters.

Take that one personally. You’re the reason any of these gestures happen at all.

When you’re ready to go deeper and see every example in context, watch the full “What to Write on the Card” session in the Admin Awards Institute library.