Christmas cards for your niece
Being an aunt or uncle is the best bit of the family deal: all the fun, none of the bedtime. Your niece probably thinks you are cooler than her parents, and you quietly encourage it.
A card to a niece works best when it sounds like you are on her side. Mention the thing she is into, whether that is horses, a band, a sport or an awkward phase she is rising above. If she is small, a parent can open it for her. If she is older, she will like being treated as someone who gets a real card. Schedule it for Christmas morning, and it will be there with the rest of the wrapping paper.
Checking the Forecast
The Sparkliest One
The Old Recipe
A Star for the Window
Bedtime Christmas Story
Christmas Baking Day
Christmas Morning Surprise
Dreams of Christmas
Reindeer in the Garden
Sharing the Last Cookie
Sledding Together
The Christmas Carousel
The Christmas Puppet Show
The Christmas Wish
The First Snowman
The Gingerbread House
The Little Lantern Walk
The Magic Stocking
The Night Before Christmas
The Secret Present
The Snow Globe Wish
The Toy Soldier Parade
Trimming the Tree
Cookie Crumb Trail
Elf Training Day
North Pole Post
Reindeer Licence
The Glitter Map
The Missing Carrot
The Present Detective
The Reindeer Race
The Sleigh Parking Spot
The Snowman Club
The Toy Workshop Test
The Very Tall Stocking
Evidence
Missing Stocking
Present Mix-up
Reindeer Training
Christmas by the Pool
The Christmas Swim
Second Helping
Baby's First Christmas
The Clock Struck Christmas
The Hidden Workshop
The Library of Snow
The Moonlit Sleigh
The Secret Key
10 things to write inside
Swap in their name. Change anything that doesn’t sound like you.
- sweet [first name], watching you grow up has been one of the best parts of my life. Merry Christmas. I'm proud of you, and I love you.
- sweet Dear [first name], I hope Christmas is full of good food, good people and no one telling you to sit up straight. I am always on your side.
- sweet Merry Christmas, [first name]. You make me laugh, and you make me braver. Thank you for being my niece.
- sweet [first name], whatever comes next, ring me. I am the one who will not say 'I told you so'. Love you loads. Merry Christmas.
- funny [first name], I have bought you the sort of present your parents will pretend not to notice. Merry Christmas. Do not shake it.
- funny Dear [first name], I'm still the fun one. Your parents will deny it. Look at the evidence. Merry Christmas.
- funny Merry Christmas, [first name]. I have been practising for your next game of cards. I intend to lose gracefully, which means badly.
- quiet [first name], so glad you are my niece. Merry Christmas.
- quiet Thinking of you, [first name]. Always here if you need me.
- rude [first name], you are growing up to be a smart-mouthed menace, and I take full credit. Merry Christmas, you little legend.
Questions people ask
What can I write in a Christmas card for my niece?
Tell her something specific you admire, mention a shared joke, and say you are on her side. A niece will remember a card that treats her as a real person, whatever her age.
Should I write to my niece or to her parents if she is young?
Address it to her. A parent can open it and read it aloud, or help her find the link on a phone. Keep the words short and bright for little ones, and put in a line a parent will enjoy too.
Can I send one card to my niece and nephew together?
You can, but it often works better to send each one their own card with their own message. Siblings notice who got what, and a personal line for each avoids any argument over who got the better one.