The Most Common Grammar Mistakes on Holiday Cards & How to Avoid Them

It’s always fun to receive holiday cards in the mail, especially since no one really sends them anymore. But it’s just as painful to read the envelope or open up the card to find a glaring grammatical error.

Some grammar snafus on holiday cards are simply popular misconceptions. Others will land you on the naughty list.

Don’t let your seasonal sentiment get overshadowed by a slip of the pen. Here are some holiday card tips to make sure you don’t get bogged down by any of these grammar mistakes:

Mistake #1: Holiday Apostrophes

Wrong: New Years Day, Seasons Greetings

Correct: New Year’s Day, Season’s Greetings

Remember: It’s the day of the New Year and the greetings of the season.

Mistake #2: Last Name Apostrophes

Wrong: The Green’s, The Harris’s

Correct: The Greens, The Harrises or The Harris Family

Remember: The last names are plural because a family is composed of more than one person.  The apostrophe suggests that one Green or Harris family member possesses something, which is not the case when addressing an envelope or signing a letter.

Mistake #3: Requesting a Response

Wrong: Please R.S.V.P.

Correct: R.S.V.P.

Remember: R.S.V.P. is an initialism for the French phrase répondez s’il vous plait, meaning “respond please.”  Keep it as “respond please” and not “please respond please.”

Mistake #4: Holiday Contractions

Wrong: Tis the Season

Correct: ’Tis the Season

Remember: ’Tis is a contraction of “it is.” An apostrophe acknowledges the combining of the two words, just like “it’s” is a contraction of “it is.”

What grammar mistakes have you found on holiday cards? Share the slip-ups below.