60 ready-to-send messages organized by who you're sending to. Default to "Happy Holidays" or "Season's Greetings" if you don't know which holiday a coworker celebrates — it's not political, it's just accurate. Replace the [brackets] with names and details before sending.
- 12 inclusive "Happy Holidays" messages (safe for everyone)
- 10 messages for a close coworker
- 8 messages for a boss or manager
- 8 messages to send to the whole team
- 6 messages for remote coworkers
- 10 holiday-specific messages (Christmas, Hanukkah, Diwali, Eid, Lunar New Year)
- 6 funny / casual messages
- How to write a great workplace holiday message
12 Inclusive "Happy Holidays" Messages
When you don't know which holiday a coworker celebrates, or you're sending the same message to many people. These work for everyone.
[Name], wishing you a restful holiday season and a great start to the new year. Thank you for everything you brought to the team this year.
Happy holidays, [Name]. However you're spending the break, I hope it's the kind of quiet you've earned this year.
Season's greetings! It's been a real pleasure working with you in [year]. Wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday and an even better new year.
[Name] — sending you the warmest holiday wishes. Hope this break gives you space, rest, and something good to come back to.
Happy holidays! Thank you for being one of the people who made [year] easier to get through. Looking forward to working together again on the other side.
Wishing you a peaceful holiday season, [Name]. May the new year bring exactly the kind of work and rest you're looking for.
Season's greetings, [Name]. Whatever you celebrate (or don't), I hope you get a real break this year. See you in the new year.
Happy holidays. Genuinely — thank you for the work you do. It doesn't always get said, so I'm saying it now. Have a great break.
[Name] — happy holidays from this side of the org. Hope your break is long, your inbox stays quiet, and your reset is real.
Warm holiday wishes to you and your family, [Name]. Thank you for the partnership this year — it made the work better.
Happy holidays! Whatever the end of [year] looks like for you, I hope it's good. See you when we're all back in inbox mode.
Wishing you a season of rest and a year of momentum. Thanks for being a great teammate, [Name].
For a Close Coworker (10 Messages)
Warmer and more personal. These work for coworkers who've become friends — the ones whose meetings you actually look forward to.
[Name], it would have been a much harder year without you. Wishing you the holidays you deserve — the slow, warm, quiet kind. See you next year, partner.
Happy holidays to one of my favorite people at work. Promise me you'll actually unplug? I'll do the same. Mostly.
[Name] — thank you for being the person I can vent to, brainstorm with, and laugh with. The work was better because of it. Have an amazing break.
Wishing you the holidays you actually need this year. Hot drinks, no Slack, the good takeout, and people who make you laugh. See you in [Month].
[Name], you made [year] survivable. That is not a small compliment. Have the best, weirdest, most restful holiday season. I'll be here when you're back.
Happy holidays, friend. Lunch in the new year — the real kind, off the calendar, with no agenda. I owe you several.
Sending warm holiday wishes to one of the steadiest, kindest people I get to work with. Have a great break, [Name].
[Name] — the year had its moments. You made the moments easier. Happy holidays. Don't reply to this until January.
Warm holiday wishes from your favorite cubicle/Slack-channel/standup neighbor. Eat something amazing. Sleep in. See you in [Month].
[Name], if I get to work with you next year too, that's already a win. Happy holidays — rest hard.
For a Boss or Manager (8 Messages)
Short, sincere, warm without being familiar. Thank them for something specific. Avoid making it about the year ahead or asking for anything.
[Name], thank you for a great year of leadership and patience. Wishing you and your family a restful holiday season.
Happy holidays, [Name]. Thank you for advocating for our team this year — it made a real difference. Wishing you a great break.
Wishing you a wonderful holiday season, [Name]. I've appreciated the trust and the autonomy this year. Hope you get the rest you've earned.
Happy holidays! Thank you for a year of steady leadership and thoughtful feedback. Wishing you and yours a peaceful season.
[Name] — thank you for being the kind of manager people actually want to work for. Have a wonderful holiday with family. See you in the new year.
Warm holiday wishes, [Name]. Working under your leadership this year taught me [specific lesson]. Grateful. Hope your break is great.
Wishing you a restful holiday, [Name]. Thank you for keeping the team grounded through [specific challenge] this year — not everyone could have. Enjoy the break.
[Name], season's greetings. Thank you for everything — the patience, the feedback, the room to grow. Hope you get a real, full break.
Messages to Send to the Whole Team (8 Messages)
Slightly longer is OK here. Use this when you're a team lead, EM, or just want to send something genuine to the channel before everyone signs off.
Team — before we all sign off: thank you. For the long stretches, the wins, the recoveries, the standups where you all showed up. Wishing each of you a real, restful holiday. See you on the other side.
Happy holidays, team. We shipped a lot this year. We also got through some hard weeks together. Both count. Take the rest you've earned — we'll be here in [Month].
To the best team I've worked with: happy holidays. Whatever you celebrate, however you're spending it, I hope it's good. Thank you for everything in [year].
Wishing every one of you a peaceful, restorative holiday season. Thank you for being a team I'm proud to be part of. See you all in the new year — rested, please.
Season's greetings, team. I'm going to keep this short because we all have things to wrap. But seriously — thank you. The work we did this year mattered. Have a wonderful break.
Happy holidays from your friendly neighborhood [team lead/manager]. Try to actually log off this time. The team has earned it. See everyone next year.
Team — warm holiday wishes to all of you. Whatever your tradition, whoever you're spending it with, I hope it's a good week. Thank you for everything this year.
Happy holidays, everyone. Reminder that PagerDuty has been silenced and the on-call rotation is light through [date]. Rest hard. We earned this break.
For Remote Coworkers (6 Messages)
For teammates you've never met in person but worked closely with all year. Lean into the working relationship you do have — specificity beats fake intimacy.
[Name] — we may be in different time zones but you've made the year a lot easier. Wishing you a great holiday wherever you are. See you on Zoom in the new year.
Happy holidays from across the map. Your work on [specific project] this year made my quarter easier. Genuinely grateful. Have a wonderful break.
[Name], it's been a real pleasure collaborating — even across [X] hours of time zone difference. Warm holiday wishes from [your city]. Looking forward to next year.
Happy holidays, [Name]. We haven't met in person but you're one of my favorite collaborators. Hope you get the rest you've earned. Until [Month]!
Sending warm holiday wishes across the time zones. Thank you for the asynchronous patience and the always-thoughtful PR reviews. See you in the new year.
[Name] — one of these years we'll meet in person. Until then: happy holidays, deep gratitude for the collab, and a great new year ahead.
Holiday-Specific Messages (10 Messages)
Only use these when you know a coworker celebrates the specific holiday. Otherwise default to the inclusive options above.
Christmas (3 messages)
Merry Christmas, [Name]. Wishing you and your family a wonderful day — warm food, good company, and a true break. See you in the new year.
Merry Christmas! Hope the day is full of the people and food you love. Thank you for everything you brought to the team this year, [Name].
[Name] — wishing you a peaceful, joyful Christmas with your family. Looking forward to working with you again in the new year.
Hanukkah (2 messages)
Happy Hanukkah, [Name]. Wishing you eight nights of light, warmth, and rest. Thank you for everything this year.
Wishing you a wonderful Hanukkah, [Name]. Hope this season brings light and rest to you and your family. See you in the new year.
Diwali (2 messages)
Happy Diwali, [Name]! Wishing you and your family a season of light, prosperity, and joy. Thank you for everything this year.
[Name] — wishing you and your loved ones a warm and joyful Diwali. May this year ahead bring you light and good things.
Eid (2 messages)
Eid Mubarak, [Name]! Wishing you and your family a joyful celebration and a beautiful week ahead. Thank you for everything you've brought to the team.
[Name] — wishing you a blessed and joyful Eid with your family. See you back at work whenever you're ready.
Lunar New Year (1 message)
Happy Lunar New Year, [Name]! Wishing you and your family good health, happiness, and prosperity in the year ahead. Thank you for everything.
Funny & Casual Messages (6 Messages)
For the coworker who hates anything sincere. Use carefully — not for bosses you don't know well, and not for the team channel.
Happy holidays! Reminder: out-of-office isn't a suggestion, it's a personality. See you next year, possibly hungover.
[Name] — surviving [year] together was a team sport and you were a great teammate. Happy holidays. Eat too much.
Happy holidays! May your inbox stay quiet, your DMs stay silent, and your snack drawer stay full. See you in [Month].
Reminder that the only acceptable Slack response between now and [date] is auto-reply. Happy holidays, [Name]. Respect the boundaries.
[Name] — warmest holiday wishes from your favorite chaos coordinator. May the new year bring fewer emergencies and more lunch breaks.
Happy holidays! Out-of-office goes up at 5pm and I'm not coming back until [Month]. Highly recommend the lifestyle. See you next year.
How to Write a Great Workplace Holiday Message (4 Rules)
If you're personalizing one of these or writing your own from scratch, these are the four rules that separate a memorable message from a forgettable one.
- Be inclusive by default. "Happy Holidays" or "Season's Greetings" works for everyone. Save religion-specific greetings ("Merry Christmas," "Happy Hanukkah," "Happy Diwali") for coworkers you know celebrate that specific holiday. Defaulting to inclusive isn't political — it's just accurate.
- Be specific, not generic. A one-line "Happy Holidays!!" is fine but forgettable. "Happy Holidays — your work on [specific thing] made this year better" lands. Specificity is the entire game.
- Don't bundle asks. No "Happy Holidays! Also, can you take a look at this PR before you leave?" Save the asks for a separate message or for after the break. Mixing them cheapens both.
- Match the channel to the relationship. Slack/Teams for daily coworkers. Email for cross-org or more formal. Physical card for long-term mentors, retiring colleagues, or close work friends. Channel sends signal — pick the right one.
The Three-Sentence Template That Always Works
If you want one reliable structure for a workplace holiday message, this is it:
"[Name], thank you for [one specific thing they contributed]. Wishing you a restful holiday season and a great start to the new year. See you in [Month]."
That's the whole template. Replace the brackets, send it. It outperforms 90% of workplace holiday messages and takes 60 seconds to write.
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