It’s that time of year again — when sending holiday cards and buying Christmas gifts are back on to-do lists. The difference is, this year you’ll have all the intel you need to send custom Christmas cards that every generation will love. We analyzed holiday card trends for 2024, we found that despite many holiday traditions changing over the years, Christmas cards remain as popular as ever.
And how did we do that? By surveying 800 US participants who were planning to send cards over the holiday season. Across the board, from boomers to zoomers, 88% of people surveyed said they love receiving them. And most importantly, 61% of respondents said they prefer receiving printed holiday cards over digital ones.
In our holiday card trends survey, we specifically looked at sending habits — why people send Christmas cards and the designs and messages they choose to include. The survey uncovered what different generations, from the post-war generation to Generation Z, prioritize and prefer when it comes to Christmas cards. We found that personalization, pets and retro imagery are among the top holiday card trends for 2024.
Holiday card trends for 2024:
- Younger generations are spending more money on holiday cards
- Holiday cards are not a rush job
- Pets become a focal point
- Millennials carry on holiday card traditions
- The rise of rustic and retro designs
- Photos are a must for younger generations
- The multi-generational joy of receiving physical holiday cards
- A sentimental tradition reinforced by gratitude and life updates
Read on to learn more about Christmas card trends for 2024 and different generations’ plans for sending them. Whether you’re sending cards to loved ones or valued customers, our survey responses will inspire your holiday card designs, shining a light on what people would most appreciate showing up in their mailboxes this year.
1. Younger generations are spending more money on Christmas cards
Our holiday card trends survey found that younger generations are planning to spend more on Christmas cards in 2024 than older generations:
- Of those surveyed, 50% of millennials and 36% of Gen Z said that they plan to spend more money on holiday cards this year than they did last year. When asked how much they planned to spend, 89% of millennials and 79% of Gen Z said more than $20.
- Only 22% of Gen X, 16% of boomers and 9% of post-war respondents plan to spend more this year than they did in 2023. When asked how much they planned to spend on cards, 33% of post-war and 29% of boomers said less than $20.
Source: Holiday card design by Abeena Lijo via 99designs by Vista
Source: Holiday card design by Abeena Lijo via 99designs by Vista
Among millennial and Gen Z respondents, their reasons for spending more varied slightly:
- 26% of millennials and 17% of Gen Z plan to buy more cards this year.
- 24% of millennials and 19% of Gen Z plan on buying more expensive cards.
- 34% of millennials and 25% of Gen Z plan to purchase their cards using an online printing service. This means more customization options, which can increase costs.
Source: Holiday card design by Anna.Vanish via 99designs by Vista
Source: Holiday card design by J_H via 99designs by Vista
2. Holiday cards are not a rush job
Our survey also found that thoughtful design and messaging are top priorities for respondents. Of people planning to send holiday cards this year, 38% said they will spend up to half an hour choosing and personalizing their Christmas card designs. Broken down into generations, we found that:
- 44% of millennials plan to spend at least a half hour on this task.
- 41% of Gen X plans to spend at least a half hour designing and personalizing their cards.
- 48% of the post-war generation plan to spend less than 15 minutes.
We also found that all generations prioritize personalized Christmas card messages, with 51% planning to write a unique message to each recipient on their holiday card list.
For more help on how to write a holiday card, read our useful guide to Christmas card grammar.
3. Pets become a focal point
With the increase in pet adoption and humanization of pets in recent years, partly caused by people having children later in life and working from home more, pets now have a more prominent role in the family than ever. We found that Christmas card trends for 2024 reflect this evolving relationship with our pets, with 46% of respondents saying they plan to feature their furry friends on their holiday cards this year.
Source: Christmas card design by Ana Byndova via 99designs by Vista
Source: Pet Christmas card via VistaPrint
People aren’t just featuring their pets more in holiday cards — 58% of men and 44% of women — but families often include their pets in their family portraits, reflecting the sentiment that pets are part of the family.
Source: Christmas illustration by Tetiana @tannikart via 99designs by Vista
Source: Christmas illustration by Tetiana @tannikart via 99designs by Vista
4. Millennials are carrying on holiday card traditions
Our survey found that millennials are carrying on Christmas card traditions from generations before them — 23% of millennials plan to send 26-50 cards this year, the same as boomers. Among millennials, many responded that this is driven by family life, with 16% saying they began sending holiday cards when they had children. Of this age group, 24% are likely to send Christmas cards that only feature photos of their children, compared to 16% across all generations.
When citing why they first started sending holiday cards:
- 26% said it was when they reached adulthood and wanted to stay in touch with people.
- 13% said they began when they got married, engaged or started a new relationship.
- 12% of those surveyed said it was when they received their first holiday card from someone else.
- 9% of respondents said they started when they had children.
Source: Couple Christmas card via VistaPrint
Source: Family Christmas card design by chris alfeus via 99designs by Vista
When is the best time to send a holiday card? Read our guide on when to send Christmas cards.
5. The rise of rustic and retro designs
We also found that when it comes to trending Christmas card designs for 2024:
- Winter scenes and classic Christmas motifs remain the most popular design categories among all ages. Overall, 37% of respondents are most interested in winter scenes for their holiday cards this year, while 26% are opting for classic Christmas designs.
- Younger generations are increasingly drawn to rustic designs, with 30% of Gen Z and 31% of millennials planning to send this type of holiday card this winter. Among all respondents, 23% said that they prefer a rustic look.
- Retro designs are also popular among younger generations, with 17% of Gen Z favoring retro holiday cards, compared to only 3% of boomers and 4% of post-war respondents.
“This season, we are seeing more and more people gravitate toward nostalgic, vintage-inspired holiday card designs.” says Katie Raabe, Senior Design Strategy Manager at VistaPrint. “Paired with a personal and unique holiday message, these retro and rustic themes tap into a sense of warmth and authenticity that people are craving in today’s digital world.”
“Paired with a personal and unique holiday message, these retro and rustic themes tap into a sense of warmth and authenticity that people are craving in today’s digital world.”– Katie Raabe, Senior Design Strategy Manager at VistaPrint
Source: Classic Christmas card design by Vesela Toncheva via 99designs by Vista
Source: Christmas card design by Anna Sultanova via 99designs by Vista
Source: Christmas card design by Paula Ambrosio via 99designs by Vista
Rustic designs tend to incorporate letterpress fonts, hand-painted watercolor illustrations, farm and woodland imagery, and muted tones, while retro designs use vintage fonts and nostalgic color palettes to recall a past era.
Source: Rustic watercolor Christmas illustrations by GoodEnergy via 99designs by Vista
6. Photos are a must for younger generations
For younger generations, photos are a must when it comes to Christmas cards. Our holiday card trends survey found that 82% of Gen Z and 86% of millennials prefer to include photos in their designs, compared to 42% of boomers.
Source: Photo Christmas card design by Gisela Benitez via 99designs by Vista
Not only do younger generations prioritize photos, but millennials are particularly focused on photo quality and festive portrait themes, with 37% choosing holiday-themed photos. Like Gen Z, the majority of millennials use holiday cards to showcase their lives, relationships and pets.
To help take the best holiday card photo, take a look at these 8 creative Christmas card photo ideas.
When it comes to including photos in holiday cards, we found that:
- 69% of respondents prefer sending cards with photos.
- 42% prefer sending single-photo cards, while 27% prefer multi-photo cards.
- 68% said they include family portraits on their cards. 73% of married respondents and those who live with a partner prefer to include family portraits, compared to 67% of single respondents.
- 26% include photos of special events that occurred during the year.
- 20% include travel photos.
Source: Family Christmas card via VistaPrint
Source: Family Christmas card design by Ilka A. via 99designs by Vista
7. The joy of receiving printed holiday cards remains strong
There’s just something special about a tangible Christmas card that arrives in your mailbox and goes up on the fridge. Our holiday card trends survey found that:
- 61% of respondents prefer printed cards to digital ones, while 36% said they like printed and digital cards equally.
- Boomers specifically appreciate printed cards, with 72% saying they prefer them to digital cards.
- Perhaps unsurprisingly, younger generations turned out to be the most digital-friendly, with 46% of Gen Z and 38% of millennials stating that they like printed and digital cards equally.
Source: Printed Christmas card design by lulunamostu via 99designs by Vista
Digital or printed, one thing is for sure: people love receiving holiday cards. A whopping 88% of our respondents said they love this annual tradition, with Gen X enjoying it the most — a whopping 93% said they love receiving holiday cards.
Source: Printed Christmas card design by deewimaria via 99designs by Vista
Source: Printed Christmas card design by GloriaSánchezArtist via 99designs by Vista
8. A sentimental tradition reinforced by gratitude and life updates
So, why do so many people still send holiday cards? For 61% of respondents, one major motivator is to stay in touch with friends and family, while 54% send Christmas cards to spread holiday cheer. Looking at each generation’s specific motivations, 24% of Gen Z use holiday cards to share life updates or milestones, while 31% of Gen Z and 40% of millennials send them to express gratitude. For the post-war generation, 73% said expressing a message or sentiment is one of the most important parts of sending holiday cards, with 61% of boomers and 52% of all respondents agreeing.
Source: Holiday card design sharing a life update by lulunamostu via 99designs by Vista
When it comes to receiving holiday cards, 51% of all respondents say keeping in touch with people they may not see often is one of the things they enjoy the most. For the post-war generation, this figure increases to 70%. Seeing photos of friends and family is another huge factor, with 41% saying that’s what they enjoy the most about receiving holiday cards, while 40% say it’s all about the joy of getting a physical card in the mail. For 36% of respondents, it’s the tradition and sentimentality of holiday cards they appreciate, while 20% enjoy seeing the unique designs and creativity of the cards the most.
Respondents generally include personalized messages inside their cards — but this varies somewhat, with 51% saying they write a unique short message to each recipient, while 23% only write personalized messages for close friends and loved ones. Only 8% of those surveyed said they send pre-printed Christmas card messages without personal wishes.
Our survey found that all generations favor personalized holiday card messages:
- 54% of boomers write personalized messages to each recipient.
- 56% of Gen X said they write personal messages.
- 52% of millennials write personal messages to each holiday card recipient.
- 46% of Gen Z also write individual messages.
Source: Unique holiday card design by lulunamostu via 99designs by Vista
Holiday card trends survey
We surveyed a representative sample of the US population across different backgrounds and demographics. All of the people surveyed plan to send holiday cards in the upcoming holiday season.
Generation-wise, here’s how we categorized the respondents:
- 16-27 (Gen Z)
- 28-43 (Millennial)
- 44-59 (Gen X)
- 60-78 (Boomers)
- 79-85 (Post-war)
Looking to customize Christmas card trends for 2024?
If you were wondering if holiday cards are still a valued tradition, the answer is a resounding yes! Our survey found that Americans across generations and demographics love receiving holiday cards in the mail, and even more so when the cards are personalized with custom designs, photos and messages.
When designing Christmas cards this year, consider these key stats from our holiday card trends survey:
- 45% say photo quality and clarity are among the most important considerations.
- 23% of respondents prioritize fast shipping.
- 24% consider good value for money to be one of the most important factors.
No matter your tastes, traditions, motivations, recipients and budget, you can create high-quality, affordable custom Christmas cards with VistaPrint, shipped fast! So if you’re among the 39% who purchase their cards in November or you’re one of those who wait until December, we’ve got you covered.
