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“Happy Holidays”: 15 Heartwarming Seasonal Messages

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It’s the season to spread love and cheer, but sometimes the expression “happy holidays” just isn’t warm enough. If you’re looking for messages that will truly bring smiles to your loved ones, you’ve come to the right place. We’ll help you sprinkle a bit more magic to your holiday greetings.

White text over green background reads "Synonyms for Happy Holidays."
There are several other phrases you can use in place of “happy holidays.”

“Happy Holidays” Meaning

Happy holidays is a festive phrase used towards the end of the year to express well wishes when people are celebrating various holidays, including Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Year’s, and more. The expression gained popularity due to its secularism and inclusivity, which made it a versatile greeting during a season packed with several celebrations.

Yes, happy holidays is a flexible phrase, but it undeniably lacks warmth. For more personal and heartfelt messages, explore the alternative greetings listed below.

Is “Happy Holidays” Capitalized?

Typically, Happy Holidays is capitalized when used as a greeting or in a title.

  • Happy Holidays to you and yours!

However, when used in the middle of a sentence where it’s not treated as a proper noun, it’s usually lowercase.

  • We hope you and your team have happy holidays this year and next!

Graphic reads "Happy Holidays" with alternatives surrounding it including "Season's greetings, joyous festivities, warm wishes, holiday cheers, and holiday hugs."
We’ll help you spread holiday cheer. 

15 Other Ways To Say “Happy Holidays”

1. Season’s greetings!

This is a traditional and formal greeting commonly used on holiday cards. It’s perfect to use with your bosses and colleagues.

It’s “Season’s Greetings,” Not “Seasons Greetings”

Keep in mind that season’s greetings is always spelled with a possessive apostrophe.

2. I hope you have a delightful holiday season.

Sincere and slightly formal, this expression is ideal for professional communication but is also suitable to send to friends and family.

3. Warm wishes to you this holiday season. 

This synonym conveys heartfelt wishes during the festive time of year and can be used in formal and casual settings.

4. Wishing you a joyous holiday season.

You’d most likely see this type of message on a workplace holiday card or email, but it’s versatile and is suited for informal communication, too.

5. Joyous festivities!

This exclamation is a bit more cheerful and casual than the previous options and expresses joy.

6. Best wishes for a festive season.

This is a courteous and semiformal expression that conveys hope that someone will have an enjoyable holiday period.

7. Sending holiday cheers to you and yours.

This synonym is friendly, warm, and expresses festive happiness to the recipients and their loved ones.

8. May your holidays shine bright!  

This expression is an enthusiastic way of wishing someone a luminous and cheerful season. 

9. Sending holiday hugs!

Amicable and affectionate, this expression is ideal for friends and family to convey a feeling of closeness even if you’re physically apart. 

10. Wishing you a season full of wonder and delight.

Although formal, this expression is heartfelt, making it appropriate for business contexts.

11. May your holiday season be merry and bright.

This go-to classic is cheerful, loving, and suitable for formal and friendly settings.

12. Here’s to a wonderful holiday season!

This is another upbeat option that expresses enthusiastic joy for the holiday period. It’s slightly informal, but still acceptable for messages being expressed in professional situations.

13. [Get specific] 

If you know which holiday the recipient celebrates, then there’s no problem offering tailored wishes for that occasion. 

Merry Christmas!
Happy Hanukkah!
Happy Kwanzaa! 
Graphic shows illustration that reads "Happy Hanukkah."
“Hanukkah” and “Chanukah” are both acceptable spellings, though the former is more widely used, and the latter is more traditional.

Pop Culture References

Think of the last two options as inside jokes—they only make sense to use if you’re certain the recipient understands them.

14. Happy Festivus!

This one is perfect for Seinfeld fans, which is where the fictional holiday originated. Festivus is celebrated on December 23rd as an alternative to the commercialism of the Christmas season.

15. Happy Chrismahanukwanzakah!

In the early 2000s, the telecommunications company Virgin Mobile released an ad campaign that included a playful and inclusive approach to the holiday season by combining the names of three major holidays: Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa.


How To Craft Cheerful Holiday Cards

Now you have fifteen cheerful, loving, and fun synonyms for happy holidays. But if you want more help crafting the perfect holiday cards that will surely make your friends and family say, “Aww,” make sure to entrust LanguageTool as your personal writing assistant.

LanguageTool not only checks for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors, but it also makes sure your text is stylistically optimized, whether you’re writing a letter, thesis, or email to your boss.

Try it today and give yourself the gift of flawless writing!


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