How to address Christmas cards
The first line of the address is the part people get stuck on: a family with two last names, a couple where one is a doctor, parents who split up. Below is a table of the common cases, what to write on the name line, and where the etiquette guides I read disagree. Each example is also how the line looks on an address label.
The cases
| Who | Formal | Casual |
|---|---|---|
| Family, same last name | The Henderson Family | James, Sarah, Ella and Tom Henderson |
| Married couple, same last name | Mr. and Mrs. John Smith | Sarah and John Smith |
| Couple, different last names | Ms. Sarah Jenkins and Mr. John Smith | Sarah Jenkins and John Smith |
| Unmarried couple, same home | Ms. Taylor Reed & Mr. Morgan Ellis | Taylor Reed and Morgan Ellis |
| One partner is a doctor | Dr. Emily Ross and Mr. James Ross | Emily and James Ross |
| Both are doctors | Dr. and Dr. Mitchell (Paperlust). Full names: Dr. Sarah Mitchell and Dr. John Mitchell (my extension) | Sarah and John Mitchell |
| Same-sex couple | Mr. David Lee and Mr. Chris Park | David Lee and Chris Park |
| Blended family | The Smith and Jones Family | Sarah Jones and Kids |
| Single adult | Ms. Rachel Green | Rachel Green |
| Divorced or separated | Two cards, one to each home (both guides). Neither gives wording, so write each person's name line as they use it. | |
All names are made up. The couple, one-doctor, unmarried, single-adult, divorced and blended rows follow Vistaprint's card etiquette page. The family row follows Paperlust's etiquette guide, and the casual family line combines both guides' child-order advice. The same-sex row uses Paperlust's "Mr. and Mr." and Vistaprint's examples, applied to two different last names (my extension).
Where the guides differ
- A doctor and a partner
- Vistaprint writes "Dr. Emily Ross and Mr. James Ross". Paperlust gives "Dr. and Mrs. Mitchell" for a doctor and a partner, and "Dr. and Dr. Mitchell" when both are doctors. The first version gives each person their own title. The second is shorter and uses Mrs. for the partner. My pick when you don't know: the first.
- Couples with different last names
- Both guides list each partner separately, with their own title and last name ("Ms. Sarah Jenkins and Mr. John Smith", "Mr. James Taylor and Ms. Rachel Brown"). Neither gives an envelope order. Vistaprint's note on order is about who signs the card: traditionally the woman first, any order today. Putting the person you know better first is my own suggestion.
- Blended families
- Only Vistaprint covers them: "The Smith and Jones Family" or "Ms. Sarah Jones and Children". If you can't tell which one the household uses, ask them. The address link described below lets each household type its own name line.
- Children
- Paperlust says the whole-family version is fine for young children, and that you can add a line under the parents with the children's first names. Vistaprint lists children from oldest to youngest.
- Divorced or separated
- Both agree: no joint card. On a card list I'd keep two entries.
Plural family names
"The Smiths" is the plural and takes no apostrophe, because "The Smith's" would mean something that belongs to Smith. Evite's guide adds "es" after a name ending in C, CH, SH, X, Z or S (its examples: "The Sanderses", and "The Woods Family" when you're unsure). If the plural looks odd to you, "The ___ Family" avoids the question.
How it looks on a label
The name line sits on top, and the street, city, state and ZIP code (or country) follow on up to four more lines. On an Avery 5160 sheet (30 labels, 3 across and 10 down), one label comes out like this:
Ms. Sarah Jenkins and Mr. John Smith 48 Maple Street, Apt 3B Portland, OR 97214
A long name line is wrapped onto unused lines in the label preview and the text shrinks (down to 6.5 pt) if that is not enough. If it still does not fit, the label is cut off with an ellipsis and named in a warning above the preview. The casual version ("Sarah Jenkins and John Smith") is the usual fix. The name field on this site takes up to 80 characters.
Let people write their own
You can skip most of the table by asking. The card list on this site gives you one link, and each household types the name the way it goes on its envelope, plus its address. That becomes the name line on your list, and the labels print from it. If you would rather ask by message first, the collecting guide has text to copy. What else to keep on the list is in the card list template.