What to put in a holiday greeting [+ email examples]

It’s natural to want to stuff your December with last-chance messaging and go heavy on the campaign promotions. But when devising your holiday email marketing calendar, we highly recommend you reserve at least one newsletter to wish your subscribers well. 

Holiday well-wish emails are a chance to support one or more of the several culturally and religious-based significant events during December, like Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. The last month of the year is naturally a time for reflection and ripe for an optimistic endnote. 

Such holiday email greetings potentially serve multiple purposes. They can certainly be a vehicle for selling more products. But the main point is to usually show off a human/personal side of your Shopify brand and support audience building. 

Read on for guidelines in creating a holiday greeting of substance. Stick around for a few email examples to spark your creativity. 

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How to determine your well-wishes email message

Your subscribers will see right through a simple holiday greeting that’s slapped together. The sentiment is nice, but what’s the value you’re delivering?

Answer the following questions to craft an awesome well-wishes message — plus accompanying holiday email subject line — your subscribers will enjoy reading.  

‍Which holiday/event do you and your audience value? 

While the safest bet is to say “Happy Holidays” or “Season’s Greetings,” it doesn’t mean you can’t lean into a specific event. Just ensure it's appropriate for your audience — even if it’s a segment of your subscribers. 

What value can you offer? 

Wishing subscribers a Happy Hanukkah or Merry Christmas is a nice gesture. However, you must include something valuable to make it a worthwhile email. 

You could offer up:

• a family recipe
• unique holiday-related photo/images
• a specific and special holiday Shopify discount or incentive
• a fun video
• a limited edition product
• a joke 
• a link to a Spotify playlist
• anything you think your audience would find interesting

Billy Reid squeezes in two valuable elements — a recipe and holiday playlist. The result is a delightful email message.

How will your email content be authentic and genuine? 

Cookie-cutter messages will be interpreted as junk mail and received as such — moved to the trash immediately. So how do we avoid looking cringy or boring? 

Easy: be yourself! Remind subscribers of who you are, why you started your business, and your purpose and values. Talk about how this time of year makes you and your family feel. Share how you celebrate the season.  
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Tip: Sign the newsletter using Seguno’s signature section for a personal touch.

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Holiday greeting email examples

We’ve gathered up some email newsletter examples to serve as inspiration.

In the example below from Assots London, we see a playful yet simple animated GIF of lightly falling snow. They make a point to refer to the holiday season in general terms and include the new year. Specifically, they state, "however you choose to celebrate…" within the body copy. 

I like this message because it's short, sweet and seems genuine. It doesn’t feature a push to the Assots London site or any promotion.

The following message from Sean John celebrates Kwanzaa by informing subscribers about day No. 5. It’s powerful because it educates while supporting a culture important to the brand and its values. 

The newsletter is easy to read. The subtle use of the GIF in the flame is an eye-catching nice touch. 

Below, Nordstrom opens with a Happy Hanukkah and follows it with a subtle push to shop for friends and family. I think it’s a tasteful approach that’s still respectful. I love how they pull in relevant imagery to complete the message.  

I appreciate the next newsletter from Lostmy.name because of its uniqueness. Though it is a bit longer than I typically like to see, the content and layout make it entertaining. 

Holiday-themed emails are frequently on the serious side. This brand chooses to provide a bit of joy via humor instead. They include a reference to their products, but it's a soft push and feels organic.

If you’re looking ahead to New Year’s messages, see how brands use them to set the tone.

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Final tips for your holiday greeting emails

We’re closing with a few miscellaneous words of wisdom to give your well-wish emails some extra oomph.  

As with any email newsletter, it’s best to be succinct. Three to four lines of text should be plenty. 

You may think, “But, Kestrel, the example above from Lostmy.name goes totally against that advice!” 

That’s true. But the content is vastly different from the norm. If you’ve got something that merits it — as in, it adds value and is relevant to your audience — don’t be afraid to create a longer message. 

Second, make your job easier by tapping into the wonderful world of Canva. You’ll find tons of great holiday photos and graphic elements waiting to dress up your newsletter.
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Seguno integrates with Canva so you can build your image as you’re building your newsletter.

Remember, concise content and beautiful imagery — plus thoughtful, authentic content that delivers value — is a surefire way to make a lasting impression on your subscribers.