Business Christmas Cards: How to Choose Cards for Clients and Colleagues

For a lot of businesses, the Christmas card is the one piece of post a client actually keeps. It sits on a desk or a mantelpiece for a few weeks, and quietly says something about how you work - whether you're the kind of company that sends a printed logo in bulk, or the kind that takes a moment to write something properly.

Here's how to choose business Christmas cards that do the job well.

Order Earlier Than You Think

Business Christmas cards run on a different calendar to personal ones. Clients and colleagues should receive their cards before offices wind down for the holidays, which in practice means the second week of December at the latest. Working back from that - time to order, time to write, time to post - most businesses are best placed ordering in October or early November.

Ordering early also means you get the designs you actually want, rather than whatever is left.

A Logo Card or a Considered Card?

Corporate Christmas cards tend to fall into two camps.

Printed logo cards make sense for very large mailings where every card is signed by the company rather than a person. They're efficient, but they're also the cards most likely to be glanced at and binned.

A beautifully designed card with a handwritten message takes a little longer, but it reads as personal rather than promotional. For clients you genuinely value - the ones you want to keep working with next year - the handwritten card is almost always the stronger choice. The name on the inside does more than any logo on the front.

How Many Do You Need?

Start with a list rather than a guess. A useful way to split it:

Key clients and partners - the people who deserve a genuinely personal message.

Wider client list and suppliers - a warm, shorter message still works well here.

Your own team - often overlooked, and often the card that means the most.

Buying in packs or boxes keeps things consistent and cost-effective. Our boxed Christmas cards come in sets of eight, and our packs of six make it easy to buy one design in quantity or mix a few across your list. Always order a few spare - someone is always forgotten.

Choosing a Design That Suits a Business

Keep it considered rather than novelty. A card for a client should feel elegant and seasonal, not like a joke from the office party.

Blank inside is best. A pre-printed greeting leaves nothing for you to add. A blank card gives you space to write something specific to each relationship.

Quality shows. Heavyweight card, a good envelope and a careful finish all signal that the card was chosen, not bulk-bought. Our Christmas cards are printed on sustainably sourced card with gold foil detail and come with a matching envelope.

Plastic-free matters to more businesses every year. Cards without cellophane sleeves or plastic coatings are easier to recycle and sit better with sustainability commitments.

What to Write in a Business Christmas Card

Warm, brief and specific is the aim. A few lines that work:

  • "Thank you for a brilliant year working together. Wishing you and the team a very happy Christmas."
  • "It's been a pleasure working with you this year - here's to more of the same in the new year."
  • "Wishing you a restful Christmas break and every success for the year ahead."

If you can add one line about something you actually worked on together, do. It is the difference between a card that gets kept and one that doesn't. For more ideas, see our guide to what to write in a Christmas card.

The Most Important Thing

A business Christmas card isn't really about the card - it's about the relationship. A considered design and a few handwritten words will always say more than a printed logo, and it's the kind of small detail clients remember when the new year comes round.

Shop our boxed Christmas cards and packs of six - designed in our North London studio, printed on sustainably sourced card and completely plastic-free. Katie Leamon is stocked at Liberty, Harrods and Fortnum & Mason. Free UK delivery on card orders over £20.

Ordering for your business? If you'd like to enquire about Christmas cards for your business this year, please contact ruairi@katieleamon.com.

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