Christmas cards for your adult son
Your son is a grown man, and he still turns up at Christmas looking at the fridge. He pays his own rent, mostly. He knows how to cook, apparently, though you have yet to see it. The card has to be written for that person, not for the boy who needed his shoes tied.
So skip the sentimental poem. Say something true and a little dry. Mention that the spare room is still his if things go wrong, that you noticed how well he is doing, that you are proud and slightly baffled by the beard. Send it as a link, scheduled for Christmas morning, and let him read it with a coffee he did not have to make.
The Fridge Has Been Restocked
Taller Than Me
Exactly as You Left It
Grocery Bill
Ham Census
Laundry Day
Leftover Handover
Midnight Snack
Old Bedroom
Pantry Report
Fridge Raid
The Hot Drive Home
Grandmother’s Magical Recipe
Home Is the Noise
Shoes by the Door
The Kitchen Light
The Old Recipe
The Porch Is Lit
The Way Back
Under Our Roof
The Best Gift This Year
Engaged for Christmas
The Best Present Under the Tree
Lower Your Expectations
Evidence
Your First Christmas as a Dad
Party of One
Some Assembly Required, Dad
Porch Light
First Cup of Tea
First Christmas in the New Home
First Christmas With a Kitten
First Christmas With a Puppy
Somewhere in the Boxes
Keep Your Weird
Midnight, No Pressure
No Grand Reinvention
No New Personality Required
No Resolution Police
Same Laugh, New Calendar
The Midnight Toast
The New Page
The Spare Chair
The Year Ahead
No Reinvention Required
Second Helping
The Familiar Table
The Long Hug
10 things to write inside
Swap in their name. Change anything that doesn’t sound like you.
- sweet [first name], I watched you turn into a good man this year and I am prouder than I know how to say. Merry Christmas. Come home hungry, you always do.
- sweet Merry Christmas, [first name]. Thank you for ringing when you could, and for pretending the hour-long calls were your idea. I notice. I love you.
- sweet Dear [first name], I know you are busy being a grown-up. I just want you to know that the old room is still yours, and so is the end of the couch. Love, Mum or Dad.
- sweet [first name], you are doing better than you think. I have seen it, and I am a very reliable witness. Merry Christmas, love. Eat something green.
- funny Merry Christmas, [first name]. I have bought extra food on the assumption that you will arrive and eat it all. I have been right every year. Please prove me wrong. You will not.
- funny Dear [first name], I have started noticing that your visits and the bottom of my fridge are strongly linked. Merry Christmas. Bring your own washing powder this time.
- funny [first name], the group chat misses you when you leave it on mute. Merry Christmas. Also, your washing is not my problem this year. I said what I said.
- quiet [first name], I am proud of you. Merry Christmas.
- quiet Merry Christmas, [first name]. Come home when you can. The door is open.
- rude [first name], you eat like a horse, you leave your boots in the hallway and you still manage to make my Christmas. Bloody lucky I love you. Merry Christmas.
Questions people ask
What do you write in a Christmas card for a grown-up son?
Skip the baby talk and say one real thing. Mention something he has done well, or a moment you liked this year, and tell him he is welcome home. A dry joke about the fridge never hurts. He will pretend not to be moved. He will be.
Can I send a rude Christmas card to my adult son?
Usually, yes. A grown son who has swapped insults with you since he was fifteen will read a cheeky card as affection. Keep it teasing, never cruel, and add one sincere line at the end so he knows what you actually mean.
How do I send a card to a son who has moved out and is hard to reach?
Send it as a link by email or text, and schedule it for Christmas morning. He opens it like an envelope on his phone, wherever he is. No postage, no queue at the post office, and no excuse about the mail being late.