Holidays & Occasions Christmas 5 Christmas Card Grammar Mistakes To Avoid This Year By Southern Living Editors Southern Living Editors Since 1966, the editors of Southern Living have been carrying out the mission of the brand: to bring enjoyment, fulfillment, and inspiration to our readers by celebrating life in the South. We inspire creativity in their homes, their kitchens, their gardens, and their personal style. We are a friend they can trust, a guide to the seasons, a helping hand during the holidays, and a relentless champion of the Southern way of life. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on September 6, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Laurey W. Glenn Create holiday cards filled with season's greetings, not grammatical errors. When there's a chill in the air, Christmas cards begin to find their way into the mailboxes of loved ones after being carefully inscribed and sealed in envelopes. We ink holiday wishes and season's greetings inside, address our envelopes with a calligraphic flourish, and send off our warmest words to family and friends on our prettiest stationery. In return, we receive a mailbox full of similarly lovely inscribed cards with photos and updates from loved ones. Sending and receiving holiday cards is one of the season's most beloved traditions, but sometimes the inevitable happens—grammatical errors. The beautiful tradition is upset by a misplaced apostrophe, comma, or misspelled word creeping onto our carefully considered cards. But not this year. This year, correct grammar will prevail. We will sidestep mistakes and ensure that our cards are error-free. This year, share the gift of an error-free holiday card sent to your family and friends. 01 of 05 Closing Commas When signing your holiday cards, ensure to follow your closing phrase with a comma, such as "Sincerely," "Love," or "Best Wishes," as examples. The comma should separate the closing phrase from the signature, which is your name or a combination of family members' names. 02 of 05 It's vs. Its Since this is a common grammatical mistake, ensure that you are alert to the difference between "It's" and "Its" in your holiday correspondence. "It's" means "It is" or "It has," whereas "Its" is a possessive term. 03 of 05 Apostrophes Apostrophes are tricky in holiday correspondence. They can distinguish between an error-free card and an alternative with just one small mark. Adding an apostrophe to "Season's Greetings" is correct since it makes the phrase possessive. (As in, the greetings belong to the season.) Whereas "the Bakers" is correct as it is. If there were an added apostrophe (as in, the Bakers' or the Baker's), it would make the term possessive. This possessive indicator is incorrect since there is no subsequent noun for the Bakers to take possession of in the phrase. 04 of 05 Regional Variations Remember where your holiday card is going. There are regional variations of holiday greetings around the country and the world. Especially if your card is heading overseas, you may want to look up variations of salutations, phrasings, and spellings and implement them into your card. Your loved ones will appreciate your thoughtfulness. 05 of 05 Misspellings and Typographical Errors Before sending off your holiday card, be sure to proofread your inscription. Reading your card aloud will help you catch any mistakes that made their way into your holiday wishes. In addition, a spell check is an essential tool for detecting errors if you prepare your holiday cards online. If you are printing your cards in bulk or order from an online site, you definitely want to catch any mistakes before you print and send them out. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit