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Holiday Emails to Clients: Templates and Subject Lines
A holiday email to clients should be short and sent in early to mid December. Build it around one sincere line of thanks for the year's work together. Then add a warm wish for the season. Skip the sales pitch and the long company recap. Even a company-wide email works when it sounds like a person wrote it and names something real.
A holiday email is one of the few messages a client gets from you with no agenda. That is exactly why it matters. It is a chance to say thanks. It also reminds them that the people behind the bills noticed the work you did together this year.
The emails that land are short, specific and clearly from a person. Use the client's first name and mention a project or a result. Keep practical details, such as office closures, in their own clear paragraph. If you send one email to everyone, write it like a note from the owner, not a press release.
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11 examples to copy
One message is easy. Hundreds of people, all year, is the hard part. Capstone Outreach puts everyone you know on a rhythm you pick, from weekly to every three months. When someone is due, a message like these is already written in your voice from your history with them. You approve it, and it goes from your own email or phone. See how it works.
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1. From the owner to all clients, company-wide
Subject: Thank you for this year, [Name]
Why it works: A short note from the owner with one added detail feels personal, even when it goes to every client.
2. From the whole account team, signed by each person
Subject: Happy holidays from your team at [Your Company]
Why it works: Signing as the real people on the account reminds the client of the team they rely on. It feels like a card from coworkers.
3. Holiday closure notice with a greeting
Subject: Our holiday schedule, and happy holidays
Why it works: It puts the practical details in a list that is easy to scan and wraps them in warmth. The notice reads as caring, not stiff.
4. Holiday out-of-office auto-reply
Subject: Out of office until [date], happy holidays
Why it works: It tells clients exactly when you return and who can help now. The warm line keeps it from feeling like a brush-off.
5. Small service business to its customers
Subject: Thank you for a wonderful year, [Name]
Why it works: It speaks as a local owner to a customer. That feels personal and honest in a way a big company greeting cannot.
6. Holiday email that celebrates the client's results
Subject: What a year for [Company]
Why it works: Making the note about the client's wins, not your services, is flattering and easy to remember.
7. Thanking a client who sent referrals this year
Subject: A holiday thank you, [Name]
Why it works: Thanking a client for named referrals honors the most valuable thing they did for you. And it asks for nothing more.
8. Holiday email with a useful year-end resource
Subject: Happy holidays, plus a year-end checklist
Why it works: A small, useful tool gives the client something of value in a busy season, with no pitch.
9. Season's greetings to an international client
Subject: Season's greetings from [Your City]
Why it works: It uses a greeting that fits every faith and notes the distance. That respects clients who may celebrate other holidays.
10. Holiday email to a client's whole team
Subject: To the whole [Company] team: thank you
Why it works: Thanking the people behind your main contact builds goodwill across the account. It also gives your contact something nice to forward.
11. New Year email if you missed the holidays
Subject: Happy New Year, [Name]
Why it works: It turns a missed holiday email into a fresh start. January is a natural time to look ahead together.
Sending these to more than a few people? See how people keep track of who to follow up with, and when: what a personal CRM does and the best personal CRMs, compared.
When to send it
- Send holiday emails between December 1 and December 15, so they arrive before clients start their time off.
- Send closure notices at least two weeks before your office closes. Add a short reminder a few days before.
- Set your holiday out-of-office reply the afternoon before you leave. Include the date you return and who to contact if something is urgent.
- Schedule emails for a weekday morning in the client's time zone. Avoid Mondays and Fridays in the second half of December.
- If you miss the December window, send a New Year email between January 2 and January 10 instead.
Subject lines
- Happy holidays, [Name]
- Thank you for this year, [Name]
- Happy holidays from your team at [Your Company]
- Our holiday schedule, and happy holidays
- Season's greetings from [Your City]
- What a year for [Company]
- A holiday thank you, [Name]
- Warm wishes for the season
- Happy holidays, plus a year-end checklist
- To the whole [Company] team: thank you
- Wishing you a restful holiday
- Out of office until [date], happy holidays
- Happy New Year, [Name]
- One last note before the break
- Grateful for this year with you
What to avoid
- Do not end a holiday email with a special offer, a renewal reminder or a "book your January call" button.
- Do not send a company-wide email from a no-reply address. Clients who reply should reach a person.
- Do not rely on a big image or moving card with no text. Many inboxes block images.
- Do not bury closure dates in the middle of a long paragraph where clients will miss them.
- Do not CC every client on one email. Send each one on its own or use blind copies.
- Do not write about your company's milestones when the email is meant to thank the client.
After you send it
Reply to any client who answers within a day or two, even with a one-line thank you. Do not follow up on a holiday email that gets no reply. December silence is normal. In the second or third week of January, reach out with something useful or a short plan for the year ahead. After that, stay in touch every six to eight weeks with notes that matter to them. Then next year's holiday email lands with someone who has heard from you all year.
Building the habit: how to keep in touch with contacts and what a personal CRM does.
Want your holiday email to land on the right morning? Write it now and pick the day and hour it goes out. Capstone sends each one from your own Gmail or Outlook after you approve it.
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A study of 20 million LinkedIn members found that acquaintances, more than close friends, led to new jobs (Science, 2022). Capstone keeps those people warm. You approve every message, and it goes from your own email or phone.
Frequently asked questions
How to inform a client about a holiday?
Tell clients by email at least two weeks before your office closes. Include the closure dates, the last day for requests and who to contact for urgent issues. Put those details in a short list so they are easy to find. Send a brief reminder a few days before. Set an out-of-office reply while you are away.
How to write a holiday email?
Write a holiday email in three short parts. Start with a warm greeting and the client's name. Add one line of thanks for the year's work. End with a wish for a restful season. Keep it under about 120 words and leave out any sales pitch. Sign it from a real person the client knows.
How to professionally say happy holiday?
Use a simple line that fits every faith. Try "Wishing you and your team a happy holiday season and a great new year" as your main line. "Season's greetings" and "Warm wishes for the holidays" also work. Pair the greeting with a sentence of real thanks. Then it does not read like a form letter.
How do I put a holiday message on my email?
Set an out-of-office reply with your return date, an urgent contact and a short holiday wish. Or add one line to your signature. Remove both as soon as you are back. A good signature line is "Our office is closed December 24 to January 2. Happy holidays."
Should a holiday email come from the company or a person?
It should come from a person, even when it goes to every client. Send it from the owner, the account manager or the team that works with the client. Use a real address they can reply to. A note from a person feels like a thank you. A note from a brand feels like marketing.
Can I send the same holiday email to all my clients?
Yes, as long as you send each one on its own and add at least one personal detail. That could be the project you worked on together. Use a merge field for the name and the detail. Then write a few custom notes for your most important clients.