Christmas cards for remote and hybrid teams: a simple plan

For hybrid and remote teams, the office Christmas card used to mean someone carrying a paper card around the building while half the team was at home. A group e-card lets everyone sign, wherever they are, and arrives exactly when you want it. Here's a simple plan for this year.

Who to send a team Christmas card to

• Each other: a card from the whole team to the whole team, opened at the Christmas party or the last meeting of the year.
• Your manager or a colleague who's had a big year.
• A colleague on leave: parental leave, sick leave or a sabbatical, so they feel included.
• Clients or partners you work with closely.
• Another team that helped you this year.

A four-week plan

Start a Christmas card: there are free Christmas covers, and your own team photo as the cover is coming soon.

Christmas messages for colleagues

• Merry Christmas! Thanks for being such a brilliant teammate this year.
• Wishing you a restful break and a happy New Year.
• Thank you for all your help this year. Enjoy every mince pie!
• Happy holidays! Here's to an even better year together.
• Wishing you and your family a peaceful Christmas.
• Merry Christmas to the best team I've worked with.

For the boss

• Thank you for your support this year. Have a wonderful Christmas.
• Merry Christmas! Enjoy a well-deserved break.
• Wishing you a relaxing holiday and a great New Year.

For clients and partners

• Thank you for working with us this year. Wishing you a happy holiday season.
• Season's greetings from all of us, and thank you for a great year.
• Wishing you a peaceful holiday and a successful New Year.

Not everyone celebrates Christmas: "Happy holidays" or "Season's greetings" works for mixed teams and clients.

Including people who are away

December is when people take leave, work part-time or are off sick, and they're the easiest to forget. A shared link solves most of it:

• Share the link in a channel everyone sees, not just a meeting chat.
• Send it by email too, for colleagues who aren't checking the team chat while they're off.
• Mention people by name in your reminder: "We'd love a message from everyone, including Ana and Tom who are on leave."
• Think about time zones: if part of the team is abroad, schedule the delivery for a time that works for most people.

For clients: keep it simple

A card from the whole account team to a client is a warm, low-key way to say thank you. Keep messages short and professional, avoid inside jokes, and check there's nothing confidential in any photo. As the organiser, you can read every message before it's delivered and hide anything that doesn't fit.

Make it fun

• A team photo: from the summer outing or a screenshot of the funniest video call.
• Highlights of the year: ask everyone to add their favourite moment.
• Festive GIFs: the more ridiculous, the better.
• Open it together: share the card on screen at the last team call of the year.

Don't forget New Year

If December is too busy, a New Year card in early January is a lovely way to start the year, and it doesn't compete with the Christmas rush. It's also a good moment to welcome people who joined during the year, and to thank another team for their help.