Christmas party invitation wording: for work, family and friends

When should you send Christmas party invitations?

Send them 4 to 6 weeks before the party. December fills fast: work parties, school concerts, end of year drinks and a lunch for every side of the family. For a work party, a big family Christmas, or any Friday or Saturday in the first three weeks of December, give people 6 to 8 weeks.

The season runs a little differently in each country. In Australia, Christmas comes just before the long summer break: many workplaces close between Christmas and New Year and families head away, so parties crowd into late November and the first half of December. In the UK, December is party season and Fridays book out first. In the US, Thanksgiving falls at the end of November, so many hosts send Christmas and holiday party invitations in early November, before it.

What should a Christmas party invitation include?

Everything a guest needs to say yes, arrive at the right place, dressed for it, with the right thing in hand. Most good invitations cover these:

• The party’s name: “The Nguyen Family Christmas”, “Christmas Drinks at Ruby’s”, “Harbour & Co End of Year Party”.
• Who’s hosting: the family, the couple, the team or the company.
• The date, start and finish times: a finish time helps anyone booking a babysitter, a train or a second party.
• The place: the full address, plus parking, the nearest station or which door to use.
• Dress code: festive, Christmas jumpers, cocktail, or swimmers and a hat.
• Food and drinks: lunch, dinner, canapés, a barbecue or bring a plate; drinks provided or BYO.
• Gifts: Secret Santa or Kris Kringle and its limit, presents for the children only, or no gifts.
• Children: welcome, or adults only.
• How and when to reply, with a question about dietary requirements.

Put it all in. Someone will still ask what time it finishes, but far fewer people will.

How do you word a work Christmas party invitation?

Keep it warm, short and clear about who’s invited, when it begins and ends, and what’s provided. A work invitation can still sound like an invitation rather than a calendar entry.

Each country has its own words for it. Many Australian workplaces say “end of year party” (or, casually, the Christmas break-up); in the UK, “Christmas party” is still usual, or the “Christmas do” among friends; and many American workplaces say “holiday party”. If your team doesn’t all celebrate Christmas, “end of year” or “holiday” includes everyone and still feels festive. There’s more on the whole event in Planning a work Christmas party.

What do you write on a family Christmas lunch or dinner invitation?

Say which meal it is, when to arrive, when you’ll eat and what to bring. Family invitations can be warmer, and a little sentimental; it’s Christmas, after all.

Bring-a-plate lines

In Australia and New Zealand, “bring a plate” means bring a dish of food to share. Most hosts suggest what, so the table has balance. If guests from overseas are coming, “please bring a dish to share” saves anyone arriving with an empty plate.

• “Please bring a plate to share: savoury if your surname begins with A to M, sweet if it’s N to Z.”
• “We’ve got the ham and the turkey. Could you bring a salad or a side?”
• “Bring a plate and something to drink.”
• “Everything’s taken care of. Just bring yourselves.”

How do you word a Christmas party invitation for friends?

Relaxed and playful works for friends, as long as the details are just as clear.

Americans call it an ugly sweater party; in the UK and Australia, it’s a Christmas jumper party. In an Australian December a jumper takes real commitment, so say a Christmas T-shirt, a festive shirt or a Santa hat counts too.

How do you word an Australian summer Christmas or Christmas in July invitation?

Say the weather out loud. For a summer Christmas: barbecue, pool, swimmers and shade. For Christmas in July: a roast, the fire on, and jumpers that finally make sense.

Christmas in July is a winter celebration in Australia, New Zealand and other parts of the southern hemisphere: the roast, the pudding and the cosy Christmas of old northern cards, held when it’s actually cold. Send the invitations 4 to 6 weeks before, as you would in December.

How do you mention Secret Santa or Kris Kringle on an invitation?

In a line or two: the spending limit, when the gifts are swapped, and whether it’s optional. Kris Kringle is the name many Australians use; Secret Santa is usual in the UK and the US.

• “Secret Santa: $30 limit. Wrap your gift and pop it under the tree.”
• “Kris Kringle: $20 limit. Names will be drawn once everyone has replied.”
• “Joining the Secret Santa is optional: tick the box when you reply if you’re in.”
• “Secret Santa: £10 limit. Something you’d love to receive yourself.”
• “Kris Kringle for the kids only: $15 per child, names drawn by Nan.”
• “No gifts this year, please. Your company is plenty.”

For the draw, the spending limit and what to do when someone drops out, see How to organise Secret Santa.

What dress code lines work on a Christmas party invitation?

Name the dress code in a few words, then add a line that shows what it means. People read “festive” in very different ways.

Sending your Christmas party invitations with Wonderful Invites

With Wonderful Invites, your party’s own name leads the invitation, and each guest opens it on their own link: they tap the seal, the envelope opens, your music begins and the invitation appears. Good to know carries the dress code (festive or Christmas jumpers), the food (Christmas lunch or dinner, or bring a plate) and whether children are welcome, beside a countdown, a map and “Add to your calendar”.

And yes, Secret Santa is built in. Guests tick “Count me in” when they reply, you set the spending limit and a note, and once at least three have joined you draw the names: each person sees only their own match, and you never see who has whom. If the time or the place changes, change it once, and everyone sees the latest version on the same link.

Questions people also ask