December is the one time of year a single list can split into four different conversations, and the card that gets it right for one person can miss the next entirely. You have a colleague who does not observe Christmas, a client whose family celebrates something else, and a relative who simply prefers the season without the religious framing. None of them should be left out of the warm end-of-year note, and none of them should be handed a greeting that quietly presumes the wrong thing.

Holiday cards are the answer to that mixed list. The designs in this range keep the warmth of the season while stepping back from specific religious language, so the same card can go to everyone without a second thought.

Holiday cards for a mixed-list season

A holiday card does two things at once. It recognises the season, and it avoids assuming which season the recipient marks. That small shift is why the range exists separately from our Christmas cards. A holiday card can carry the same warmth, the same considered typography and the same sense of occasion, but the message stays broad enough for everyone on the list.

Most mixed lists include some people who celebrate Christmas and some who do not. They may mark Hanukkah, a different cultural holiday, the new year, or simply the summer break as their own version of the season. Families often mark the season without marking Christmas at all. They host a long December lunch, exchange gifts at the new year, or treat the holiday break itself as the celebration. A holiday card fits that table without asking anyone to translate the design first.

Workplaces feel this most sharply. A client list can span several countries, several calendars and several faiths, and a greeting that assumes Christmas can read as careless rather than thoughtful. If the office list is clearly corporate and specifically Christmas-led, the Christmas cards range is the sharper choice. For everyone else on the office list, a holiday card is the warmer and safer call.

The difference between the two ranges shows up in the artwork and the wording, not in the paper. A Christmas card might lean on nativity scenes, church windows, or an explicitly Christian verse. A holiday card replaces those with winter and summer motifs, neutral stars, simple seasonal lines, or a photograph that speaks for itself. The emotional register is the same. Only the specificity changes.

That makes holiday cards the better choice for three common sends. The first is a mixed recipient list where you know at least a few people do not celebrate Christmas but you still want to include them in the year-end note. The second is a workplace or client send where the relationship crosses cultures, time zones and traditions. The third is a sender who simply prefers warmth over religious specificity, even when most recipients would happily accept a Christmas card.

For a list that is entirely made up of people who celebrate Christmas, the more direct option is a traditional Christmas card rather than a holiday one. But note the two ranges share the same papers and the same finishing options. You are choosing a broader greeting, not trading down in quality. The decision rests entirely on the names on your list and the tone you want to set.

If you are sending on behalf of a business, the calculation is even simpler. A corporate send that names Christmas can feel exclusionary to a client who does not observe it, and that is a strange final note for the year. A business Christmas cards range exists for teams that want the direct Christmas message. When the client list is more mixed, the holiday designs sit more comfortably with every recipient.

One more practical difference matters. The wording you can write on a holiday card is easier to personalise because it does not have to fit around a fixed religious phrase. You are free to mention the summer break, the year behind you, or the year ahead. The card becomes a note from you rather than a note from the season, and that is exactly what a mixed list deserves.

The choice, in short, is not between a good card and a lesser one. It is between two different audiences. Holiday cards are for the list that includes everyone. Christmas cards are for the list that names one thing. Know the list, and the right card follows.

Personalising the message and the photo

Personalised holiday cards are more than a name swap. The greeting, the photo and the layout can all be adjusted before the first copy is made, so the card you approve is the card that reaches your list. On the photo card formats, the image you supply becomes the main event. The greeting usually sits below or beside it, and the design keeps the photograph central without crowding it.

If you like the way a photo card works and want a version with a clearer Christmas theme, a photo Christmas card uses the same personalisation flow. You upload the image, set the wording and review the proof. It is the same process with a different design lens.

A folded card gives you more room than a flat rectangle. The inside panel is the place for a short personal note, a family update, or a list of names that is too long for the front. You do not need to fill every line, but you also do not have to compress everything into one or two sentences the way you might on a single-faced card.

How much text can a folded card comfortably carry? Think of a short paragraph of three to five sentences, or the equivalent in a list of names. A folded holiday card holds a warm note, not a letter. If you try to set a long family newsletter on the inside, the type will start to feel small and the design will lose the breathing room that makes it look considered. A few honest lines are almost always enough.

The photo you supply matters more than the greeting when a photo card is involved. Choose an image that is sharp, well lit, and cropped the way you want it from the start. The designer will show you how the photo sits on the actual card dimensions in the proof, so you can check whether the crop cuts into a face or works the way you expected. That check is one of the most useful parts of the whole ordering process.

Before anything prints, a designer proof arrives in your inbox within 1 to 2 business days. You get two rounds of revisions at no extra cost, which means the text, photo placement and layout details can be refined before you give the final go-ahead. The proof is not a formality. It shows exactly how the card will look at its final size, and it gives you the chance to catch a rogue typo, an awkward crop, or a line break that disrupts the design.

Nothing goes to production until you give the final go-ahead on the proof. That single step is the reason you can be confident the finished cards will match what you saw on screen. The proof stage also handles the fiddly details you might not notice, such as how a foil accent lines up around a photo or whether the greeting sits too close to the fold. You make the call. We do the adjusting.

Paper options and print methods in this range

The holiday range uses three print methods. Digital printing is the workhorse, carrying almost the whole range. It suits photographic cards, crisp text and flat festive colour, and it is the most affordable entry point at $3.50 per card. If you are sending a large mixed list, digital printing is usually the right option.

Flat foil appears on a small handful of designs. It gives a clean metallic surface without a raised edge, so it reads as elegant rather than ornate. It works well on a design that wants one strong gilded detail, such as a heading or a simple star, without taking over the whole card. A flat foil card suits a smaller send where the recipient will notice the single metallic accent in real light.

Metallic printing appears on a small selection of the range and gives a shimmering ink finish that catches the light in a more subdued way than foil. It suits a design that wants a soft all-over gleam rather than a single high-shine accent. If flat foil is a spotlight, metallic ink is more like candlelight across the whole card.

Across the range you will find three formats: folded cards, photo cards and rectangle cards. The folded and photo formats give you space for an image and a longer greeting. The rectangle format keeps things single-faced and simple, which works well when the design itself is bold and you want the card to read at a glance.

The two sizes in the range are 178mm H x 127mm W and 127mm H x 178mm W. The landscape 178mm H x 127mm W size is the more common of the two, while the portrait 127mm H x 178mm W size fills out the rest of the range. That gives you both landscape and portrait orientations to work with. A wide landscape card suits a family photo or a scenic motif. A tall portrait card suits a single strong graphic or a greeting stacked above the names.

Buying blind is the easiest way to end up with a finish you do not like, so we recommend the $5 sample pack first. It puts real wedding cards on the same paper and print methods into your hands, so you can compare metallic and flat foil under normal room light rather than a screen. That side-by-side look settles the foil versus metallic question in minutes, before you commit to an order.

Every order in this range is produced on the same cardstock we use across our stationery suites. When the cards are finished, each completed order supports our One Tree Planted initiative, which gives the send a little more weight beyond the words inside.

Before you approve: the proof and delivery timeline

The ordering flow moves from design to proof to production to postbox in four clear steps. First, you choose the design and add it to your order. Second, a proof is prepared for you within 1 to 2 business days, showing the card exactly as it will print. Third, you sign off on the proof or request changes, and nothing is produced until you do. Fourth, the cards go into production and then out the door.

That proof window is the part worth planning around. You get two rounds of revisions at no extra cost, which means you can refine the wording, adjust the photo crop, or correct a misspelled name before production starts. A fast approval on a morning proof can move the order into production the same day. A slow approval, or a second colour change, moves everything back by the time you take.

Delivery after production is the part people ask about most. Every order is dispatched with complimentary overnight Startrack Express delivery to all Australian capital cities. That is a genuine overnight service once the cards are printed and packed, not a production window. The whole timeline depends on when you confirm the proof, so the smartest move is to order early and leave the proof stage unhurried.

The minimum order of 10 cards keeps the range accessible for a household sending to a small list, while the per-card price scales from there. If your list is larger, digital printing keeps the cost predictable. If your list is small and you want the richest finish, flat foil or metallic is worth the extra per card.

What to write in a holiday card

For a mixed list, keep the message inclusive without making it feel cold or generic. A standard line such as wishing the recipient a joyful holiday season and a happy new year is safe, but it lands better when it acknowledges the person. If they are in Australia, a note about the summer break feels more natural. If they are overseas, a line about the season and the year ahead travels better.

Stay away from nativity references, church language and any phrasing that assumes December is the centre of the recipient's year. If you know someone is travelling, hosting family, or simply resting after a long year, acknowledge that instead of leaning on a one-size-fits-all greeting. The most memorable cards are often the shortest ones that sound like you.

That is the real rule of holiday wording: write the note you would say aloud if the recipient walked into the room. A greeting that sounds written for a card often reads that way. A greeting that sounds like you, even in three lines, carries far more than a formal verse.

When you are signing from a family or a couple, list the names in the order the recipient knows them. Do not overthink it. The names can go on the front with the greeting or inside a folded card. If children are involved, their names add most of the warmth. A card that ends with "from Sarah, Michael and the kids" feels personal without needing a paragraph.

If the majority of your list does celebrate Christmas and you want more traditional verse, the Christmas card wording ideas guide has longer options for cards with more room. For this range, a short warm line is usually enough. The design carries the season, and your words just need to carry the thought.

The right wording does not just fill the card. It tells each recipient they were thought of as themselves, not as a name on a December list. In a mixed-list send, that is the whole point.

Frequently Asked Questions

Read More >>