Should You Send Your Boss a Christmas Card and What Do You Write?
As the holiday season kicks in most of us have one question lingering in our minds. “Who should I give gifts and Christmas cards to this year?” Although family and friends are a given, the decision becomes tricky when
it comes to choosing people from work. You might be one of those people still wondering if it’s proper etiquette to send your boss a Christmas card or not.
In the workplace, the professional boundaries of communication usually include sending an email, writing a letter or just talking to your boss in person. Sending someone a Christmas card, on the other hand is a more informal and personal way of communicating with someone.
So, should you send your boss one? Is it going to look like you’re “sucking up”, or be appreciated as a kind gesture? And what do you actually write in a Christmas card to your boss? Let’s find out.
Should I Send My Boss a Christmas Card?
Generally speaking, sending a Christmas card to someone – whether it’s a friend, relative, colleague, or a superior is a lovely gesture, and is sure to be appreciated. There are many reasons why sending a Christmas card to your boss is a great idea.
It Helps Nurture Your Professional Relationship
The rule for gift-giving in the workplace is generally downward, not upward. This is because some managers and bosses have been known to take advantage of gifts in exchange for favours down the line. There’s also added pressure for employees to spend more on gifts knowing that bosses may have more expensive tastes.
But giving a Christmas card is completely fine since it’s casual and expensive yet it’s still very sentimentally valuable, especially with a handwritten note. This gesture helps you nurture your business relationship in a more natural way rather than giving expensive gifts that can sometimes send the wrong message to both your boss and the other people in your workplace.
Keeps You Top-of-Mind
The reality is, bosses don’t always remember everyone in their team. Sending a Christmas card is not only a thoughtful way of showing your appreciation for your boss, but it’s also a great way to help him remember you.
Sometimes it will come handy if an opportunity arises in the future and you’d like your boss to think of you favourably (e.g. you’re in line for a promotion). It will also be easier for you to approach your boss if you need support or if you have concerns, since he can easily recall you being part of the team.
Helps You Build Your Network
We all need to follow rules in the workplace, but sending a Christmas card is considered a more personal approach, especially if sent through your boss’ personal mail (or handed to him or her face-to-face). This is a subtle way of building your network without violating any corporate policies and it’s a lot less expensive—and intrusive—than buying gifts or taking someone out to lunch.
Can Benefit Your Employment References
Sending a Christmas card may be a simple gesture, but it actually helps you stay on the good side of a boss, so that you can get that positive employment reference when you need it in the future. A holiday card is a small but very important investment to help you with your career in the long run.
The last thing you want is for your boss to leave you a negative reference or – worse still – not provide you with a reference at all, because you haven’t made much of an impression on them. Sending them a Christmas card each year (and other cards, too) can help in this case.
Etiquette for Sending a Christmas Card to Your Boss
Although a Christmas card is a more casual way of communicating with a boss, it’s different than sending a holiday card to a friend or family member. To make sure that you’re not stepping on any boundaries, here are some rules that you can follow when sending a Christmas card to your boss:
• Choose your card wisely. It’s very important to be mindful when choosing the right Christmas card for your boss. You need to know about religious and cultural practices to ensure that you’re not offending anyone with your card. If you don’t know your boss that well personally, it’s best to choose a card with a general theme to be on the safe side.
• Make sure to get your recipient’s name right. A lot of people make a mistake when writing the name of their recipient on the envelope of a Christmas card. Since this is your boss, make sure that you have the right name and designation.
• Don’t forget your colleagues. If you’re sending a Christmas card to your boss, make sure they’re not the only person in your workplace that you’re giving a card to. Otherwise, it could look as though you’re sucking up to them. Make sure you send cards to your co-workers, too.
• Send out your Christmas cards early. This is especially important if you’re sending cards by mail since the post can easily get hectic during the holiday season.
Make sure that you’re sending out your Christmas cards early so they will be received on time. You may end up looking disorganised if your Christmas card arrives late!
If you’re mailing the card, make sure to include a return address on the mailing envelope too. That way, your boss can send a card back to you if they want to.
What to Write in a Christmas Card to Your Boss
Knowing what to write inside is probably the hardest part of sending any Christmas card, let alone to your boss someone whose opinion you obviously value very highly! But you don’t have to overthink your message to your boss.
In most cases, keeping things simple is the best way to go because you want to send a personal greeting, yet you don’t want to look as though you’re gushing or desperate. Here are some messages to inspire you:
• “Sending you my warmest greetings this holiday season! I am lucky to be part of your team and I am looking forward for another year of success for everyone.”
• “May this holiday season bring a much-deserved rest after a hectic year. Happy holidays from my family to yours!”
• “To one of the best bosses I know, thank you for always putting your employees first. We wish you nothing but relaxation and fun during the holidays.”
• “It’s hard to find a boss as understanding and compassionate as you. So, this holiday season, I’d like to let you know that you are appreciated by everyone in your team. Merry Christmas!”
• “The holidays are a time for giving thanks, and I’d want to let you know that I’m grateful for the opportunity to work with you. May you have an amazing Christmas because you deserve it.”
• “Here’s to a Christmas filled with the best time with family and friends. You deserve it boss after a year of making sure we’re all taken care of. Happy holidays from my family to yours!”
In a time when everything is sent through email, chats and text messages, it would be such a refreshing sight for anyone including your boss to see a handwritten note on his Christmas card.
It doesn’t matter if you have the best handwriting or not. What’s important is that you write and sign your card personally to really give it that sincere feel.
Where Can I Order a Christmas Card for My Boss?
The holiday season may be hectic, but it’s also the rush that makes it all the more special. As the lights start blinking and the Christmas songs start playing, you can also begin to shop for the right Christmas cards for your bosses and colleagues. Yes, sending out cards takes time and effort, but it will surely be worthwhile in the long run.
At Charity Christmas Cards, we offer a fantastic range of Christmas cards, from traditional and religious designs to modern and photographic. We also stock a range of corporate Christmas cards with minimalistic, contemporary designs. Many of our corporate cards also feature front personalisation – so you can include your company name or logo right on the front.
Our designs are fully customisable, so you can include your own personalised message to your boss, or whoever else you’re shopping for. And as an added bonus, every card purchased will include a charitable donation on your behalf, so you can do some good this festive season, too. What are you waiting for?
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