Christmas cards 2026: writing, sending, in good time

The same point in the calendar every year: in early December you notice the cards are still missing. Things get hurried, and in the end you send whatever was quickly available — not what you actually wanted to send.

Yet Christmas post is one of the few occasions all year where a piece of paper says more than a message on a phone. Here is when to do what, what belongs in a card when nothing comes to mind, and which plants actually have colour in December.

A card still stuck to the fridge in January was the right one.

When you need which card

See every motif at a glance: our handmade Christmas cards.

The timing question is almost always asked too late. As a rough guide from the workshop:

• End of October: choose your cards. Anyone sending business post in any quantity plans here — not later.
• Mid-November: sort addresses and start writing. It sounds early; it is not. Handwritten cards are not done in one evening.
• End of November: post going abroad. Overseas mail needs more time than most people allow.
• Early December: domestic post. Taking the sixth of December as your deadline works well in practice.

Carriers usually publish their exact final posting dates in November. Anyone following the guide above manages without that date.

What to write when nothing comes to mind

The usual block is not the missing words but the expectation of having to write something remarkable. Three approaches that reliably work:

The concrete detail. Instead of "Merry Christmas and a happy New Year", one sentence that fits this one person only: the afternoon you spent together in summer, the project that worked out. One sentence is enough. It makes the difference between duty and pleasure.

The honest look back. Not every year is a good one. If that was the case, it may go in the card — carefully, without going into detail. "A year that took some getting through. Glad you were there." People remember cards like that.

Business: thanks, not advertising. A company card that lists the services once more goes in the bin. One that thanks the recipient for working together and carries a handwritten name stays on the desk.

For bereavements during Advent: a separate, quiet card is more appropriate than cheerful Christmas post. Our range includes its own motifs for that.

What really blooms in December

Christmas cards often look like Christmas cards: baubles, fir, stars. Yet winter is botanically more interesting than its reputation suggests. For our motifs we arrange what the season offers — and photograph it:

• Rowan berries — the strong red left in December when everything else has long finished flowering. On the card for the second Sunday of Advent.
• Eucalyptus — the muted blue-green that turns up in almost every Advent arrangement and still never looks twee.
• Spindle — the pink capsules that split open in late autumn. On one card a dachshund wears them as a hat.
• Chrysanthemum — the last bloom of the year, lasting well into November.
• Sea holly and albiflora — silver tones that look better in candlelight than any glitter paper.

Every motif starts as a drawing. Then the real plants are added, arranged as a three-dimensional collage and photographed. The finished card shows the print of that photograph — which is what makes it flat, postable and durable.

The four Sundays of Advent as a series

One particularity of the range: each Sunday of Advent has its own motif, each with a different plant. "The first candle is burning" with eucalyptus, the second Sunday with rowan berries, "The third candle is burning" with albiflora.

If you want to give someone real pleasure, send not one card but four — one each Sunday. It costs four stamps and is the kind of attention people still remember a year later. It works especially well for families with children.

More than a card: gifts from the same range

Christmas post does not have to stop at a card in an envelope. Three variations that work as small gifts:

• Folded cards with a magnet — a removable magnet carrying the motif sits on the front. The card is read and put away, the magnet stays on the fridge. Card and gift in one, and both fit the same envelope.
• Notepads — illustrated pads, including one with a Christmas motif. The classic small present for colleagues, neighbours or a child's teacher, when a card is not quite enough but a real gift is too much.
• The set "10 x gemütliche Adventszeit" — ten Christmas motifs in a box. Anyone sending a lot of post has the season covered. The whole box also makes a good present in itself.

Frequently asked questions about Christmas cards

When should Christmas cards be sent?
Domestic post in early December, international post by the end of November. Anyone sending business cards in quantity should have chosen them by the end of October.

What do you write in a Christmas card?
One concrete, personal detail works better than any standard formula. A single sentence that fits this one person is entirely enough.

Are real flowers glued to the cards?
No. The plants are arranged into a three-dimensional collage in the studio and photographed. What is printed is the photograph — which keeps the card flat, postable and durable.

What size are the cards?
A6, 105 × 148 mm, on four layers of Mohawk Superfine. Uncoated and therefore easy to write on, with a coloured edge between the paper layers. A matching envelope is included and the packaging is plastic-free.

Are the cards available as a set?
Yes, selected motifs come as a set — for example ten cards of "gemütliche Adventszeit". For business orders in larger quantities, please get in touch.