Holiday Cards for Veterans: What to Write and Where to Send Them

Holiday cards for veterans are one of the simplest ways to thank someone who served. For a veteran spending December in a VA hospital, a veterans home or a quiet house far from family, a card from a stranger can be a real bright spot.

This guide covers how to write a card or letter to a veteran, where to send holiday cards for veterans and troops, and plenty of messages you can copy: Christmas and holiday messages, thank you messages, messages for a veteran in a hospital or care home, messages for active-duty troops, and messages kids can write.

Article contents

• How to Write a Holiday Card for a Veteran
• Where to Send Holiday Cards for Veterans and Troops
• Christmas and Holiday Messages for Veterans
• Thank You Messages for Veterans
• Messages for a Veteran in a VA Hospital or Care Home
• Christmas Messages for Active-Duty Troops
• Messages Kids Can Write to Veterans and Troops
• Tips for Running a Card Drive
• Frequently Asked Questions

How to Write a Holiday Card for a Veteran

1. Start with a general greeting. If you do not know who will receive the card, "Dear Veteran" or "Dear Hero" works well. Keep the message general so it suits anyone who served.
2. Say thank you in your own words. One or two sincere sentences of thanks mean more than a long speech.
3. Share a little about yourself. Your first name, your town or what your family is doing for the holidays helps the reader picture who wrote to them.
4. Close with a holiday wish. Wish them a peaceful Christmas, happy holidays or a good new year, then sign with your first name only.

Example: "Dear Veteran, thank you for your service to our country. My family and I live in Springfield, and we are baking cookies and decorating the tree this week. We are thinking of you this Christmas and wishing you a peaceful holiday and a happy New Year. Sincerely, Sarah and family"

Where to Send Holiday Cards for Veterans and Troops

Most cards for veterans go through a local facility or a group that hands them out in person. Rules and addresses change from year to year, so check with the group before you mail a stack of cards.

• Your local VA medical center. Each VA hospital has a volunteer office, often called Voluntary Service or the Center for Development and Civic Engagement. Ask that office whether they accept holiday cards and where to send them. VA medical centers also collect Valentine's Day cards for hospitalized veterans during National Salute to Veteran Patients week, held the week of Valentine's Day.
• State veterans homes and local nursing homes. Call ahead to ask if they accept cards and how many veterans live there.
• VFW and American Legion posts. Local posts often know which veterans in your area are homebound or alone for the holidays and would welcome a card.
• Soldiers' Angels Mission: Cards of Support. This national program accepts store-bought or homemade cards, including holiday cards. You mail them with $1 per card to help with shipping, and the cards go into care packages for deployed troops or are handed out to veterans at VA hospitals. Check the Mission: Cards of Support page on the Soldiers' Angels website for the current mailing address.

Christmas and Holiday Messages for Veterans

Use the general messages for cards sent through a program. Save the faith-based messages for a veteran you know personally.

Christmas Messages for Veterans

• Merry Christmas to a veteran who deserves every good thing this season.
• Wishing you a peaceful Christmas and a happy New Year. Thank you for serving.
• Your service is not forgotten, at Christmas or any day of the year. Merry Christmas.
• Merry Christmas from a grateful neighbor. Your service still matters to us.
• We hope your Christmas is warm and full of good company. Thank you for all you did for our country.
• Merry Christmas. I hope this card reminds you that people you have never met are grateful for you.
• Thank you for the Christmases you spent away from home so the rest of us could be safe. Merry Christmas.

Happy Holidays Messages for Veterans

• Happy holidays to a veteran who gave so much for our country. Thank you.
• Thinking of you this holiday season and grateful for your service.
• Happy holidays from a grateful family in Ohio.
• Season's greetings, and thank you for serving our country with courage.
• Warm wishes for the holidays and a good year ahead. Thank you for your service.
• Happy New Year. We hope the year ahead is kind to you. Thank you for your service.
• Wishing you good food, good company and a restful holiday season. You are appreciated.

Faith-Based Christmas Messages for a Veteran You Know

• Merry Christmas. May the peace of Christ be with you this season and all year long.
• We thank God for you and for your service. Wishing you a blessed Christmas.
• May the joy of Christ's birth fill your home this Christmas. Thank you for serving our country.
• You are in our prayers this Christmas. May God bless you and keep you in the new year.

Thank You Messages for Veterans

A simple thank you note to a veteran works at the holidays, on Veterans Day or any time of year.

• Thank you for your service. Our country is better because of people like you.
• Thank you for the years you gave to protect the freedoms my family enjoys every day.
• Your service and sacrifice made a difference, and we are grateful.
• Thank you for answering the call to serve. We are proud of you.
• Thank you for your courage, your hard work and your time away from home.
• To a veteran I may never meet: thank you for everything you did for our country.
• Thank you for your service, and thank you to the family who supported you while you served.

Messages for a Veteran in a VA Hospital or Care Home

Many veterans in a hospital or long-term care spend the holidays away from home. Keep these messages warm and simple, and avoid assuming anything about their health.

• Sending you holiday cheer and warm wishes. Thank you for your service.
• We hope this card brightens your day. Merry Christmas, and thank you.
• Thinking of you this season and wishing you comfort and good days ahead.
• Happy holidays! You are remembered and appreciated.
• We hope your days are filled with good visits and good food this season. Thank you for your service.
• Even though we have not met, we wanted you to know someone is thinking of you this Christmas.
• Wishing you a calm, cozy holiday and a visit from someone you love. Thank you for serving.

Christmas Messages for Active-Duty Troops

Holiday cards for troops often reach service members who are deployed or stationed far from home. Keep the message upbeat and general, since you will not know where the card ends up.

• Merry Christmas! Thank you for serving our country while so many of us are home with family.
• Wishing you a safe and peaceful holiday season, wherever you are stationed.
• Thank you for giving up time at home to keep us safe. We are thinking of you this Christmas.
• Happy holidays from a grateful American. I hope you get a good meal and a little rest this season.
• We know the holidays can be hard far from home. Please know people back here are thankful for you.
• Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. We hope you are home with your loved ones soon.
• Thank you for standing watch over the holidays. Stay safe and know you are appreciated.

Messages Kids Can Write to Veterans and Troops

Cards from kids are often a favorite. A short thank you, a first name and a drawing are plenty, and older kids can add a sentence about school or a holiday tradition.

• Merry Christmas! Thank you for keeping us safe.
• Happy holidays! I drew you a tree. Thank you for your service.
• Thank you for being brave. I hope you have a fun Christmas.
• Thank you for your service. My favorite part of Christmas is the cookies.
• Thank you for protecting our country. You are a real hero.
• Happy holidays. My name is Ava and I am 8. Thank you for being brave.
• Merry Christmas from our scout troop. Thank you for serving.
• I made this card just for you. Thank you for your service and happy holidays.
• Happy New Year! I am learning about veterans in school, and I wanted to say thank you.

Tips for Running a Card Drive

Card drives are a good project for a class, scout troop, church group or office.

1. Call first. Ask the group how many cards they need, whether to seal the envelopes, and where to deliver them.
2. Keep the messages general. Soldiers' Angels asks card writers to keep religion, politics and other sensitive topics out of their cards. "Happy holidays" is a safe choice when you do not know the reader.
3. Protect your privacy. Sign with your first name and your town. Leave off your phone number, email address and home address unless the group tells you otherwise.
4. Skip the extras. Leave out glitter, confetti, candy and anything loose that could spill when a card is opened in a hospital room.
5. Send early. Cards need time to be sorted and handed out, so mail them well before the holiday.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do you write in a holiday card for a veteran?

Start with "Dear Veteran," thank them for their service, share your first name and town, and close with a holiday wish. One or two personal sentences make it feel like a real letter.

Where can I send Christmas cards to veterans?

Try your local VA medical center's volunteer office, a state veterans home or a local VFW or American Legion post. Soldiers' Angels also accepts holiday cards through its Mission: Cards of Support program. Check current instructions before you mail anything.

Can I send holiday cards to deployed troops?

Most people send them through a national nonprofit, since individual service members' addresses are not shared publicly. Soldiers' Angels places cards from its Mission: Cards of Support program in care packages that go to deployed service members.

Can kids write holiday cards for veterans?

Yes. Cards from kids are often a favorite, and a drawing with a short thank you is perfect. Have children sign with their first name only.

Can I write a letter to a veteran instead of a card?

Yes. A short letter folded inside a card works well, especially for older kids and adults who want to share more about themselves. Follow the same privacy tips you would use for a card.

For more ideas, read our Veterans Day wishes and quotes, our Memorial Day quotes and messages, and our thank you for your service cards. You can also browse patriotic greeting cards and our Veterans Day cards.

If you are writing a stack of cards for a drive, our Old Glory American flag cards are blank inside and suit any holiday message. For a thank you note to a veteran, our American Flag Thank You cards have "Thank You" on the front. Both come in boxes of 12 with envelopes.