When learning English, it is a great idea to practise your writing skills in different ways. From writing letters and postcards to typing emails and text messages, there are many different ways to practise these new skills.
One useful and festive way is to write your own Christmas cards to friends and family who speak English. Read on for some tips on writing a Christmas card for the first time.
Keeping in Touch
Christmas cards are a big tradition in the UK and in many countries. Writing one in English might seem like a daunting task, but there are many stock phrases you can use that are perfect for this kind of message. A Christmas card is a wonderful way to keep in touch with people you rarely see or to give a festive message to loved ones.
Christmas cards tend to have messages printed inside them, such as ‘Happy Christmas’, ‘Merry Christmas’, ‘Festive Greetings’ or ‘Season’s Greetings’. You can add to this sentiment by writing your own message inside, whether that means writing on the card itself, perhaps on the opposite side to the greeting, or writing a letter and enclosing it in the same envelope.
Festive Greetings
When writing a Christmas card, you need to write the person’s name at the top and sign your own name at the bottom, along with a suitable ending, such as ‘Love from’ or ‘Best wishes’. In the middle, you can write a short message such as ‘Hope you have a wonderful Christmas and a fantastic New Year!’ or you can add something more personal.
A good way to think about festive messages is to listen to Christmas carols and rhymes, which can give great ideas for phrases to use to wish someone a merry Christmas, such as sending them 'good tidings at Christmas time'!
When practising your English writing skills by penning a card, you can talk about what you have been doing recently or what you plan to do. Christmas cards are ideal places to write about your achievements that year, places you have been to and events you have attended. When writing in English, you could also talk about your future plans for the year ahead. People often add a New Year message to a Christmas card, so looking to the future is a common practice.
Share with Family and Friends
If you are studying at university, you can write about how that is going. If you are working, you can comment on that, or you can talk about your recent holiday or hobbies. You can also ask how the recipient is and give your good wishes for their health and happiness for the coming year. It is a great idea to share your cards with friends and family that speak English and encourage them to return the favour – you can test your progress together.
Make It a Tradition
You could organise with other language learners to write a Christmas card in English every year as a tradition. You can then test each other’s progress with the language and learn from each other’s writing. It is a fun way to try out and use your skills as they develop and get stronger each year. You could also look online to find an e-card to send, as there are many fun designs and jokes to choose from. You can use your English writing skills to create your own message and send the e-card to friends all over the world, asking them to return the favour for an annual card-writing tradition.
