Tips for Wording Christmas Invitations

Have you ever received a Christmas invitation that resulted in more questions than it answered? What is “dressy casual” anyway? Here are a few tips for deciphering the invitations you may receive. Keep them in mind when wording your own Christmas invitations as well.

RSVP – “Répondez s'il vous plait” if you’re French and “respond, if you please” if you’re not. A phone number (or email address) should be included on the Christmas invitation. Guests are expected to call (or email) and state whether or not they will be attending.

Regrets Only – This means guests should only call if they will NOT be attending. Those who plan to show up do not need to call.

Casual Attire – This means, “Anything goes,” at least to up to a point. Putting some thought into your outfit shows respect for your host.

Business Casual – This means attire that would fit in with most business dress codes. Slacks, dresses, skirts, collared shirts, sometimes sport coats, usually not ties.

Festive Attire – This is a popular phrase on holiday invitations and may require some clarification from your host. For some, it might mean the most obnoxious holiday sweater you can acquire, for others it may mean holiday colored cocktail attire.

The more details you provide on your Christmas invitations, the easier it will be for your guests to respond appropriately.

When Should I Send my Christmas Invitations?

The lead-time on sending Christmas invitations depends a lot upon when you made the decision to host a party. If you like to plan things out in advance, you’ll obviously have more time to mail invitations than you will if you are a last minute party planner. In general, professionals recommend that you mail invitations eight weeks in advance, particularly for parties during the busy holiday season or more formal events.

However, if you’ve planned a spontaneous holiday party, you can still mail Christmas invitations to your guest list. While many vendors suggest you order and send your invitations no less than four weeks in advance, we’re able to accommodate even faster turn-times. When you order Christmas invitations from postcardsandinvitations.com, we’ll print, address, stamp and mail them for you the next business day. Depending upon where your guests live, this could result in a Christmas invitation in their mailbox in as few as three days!