Journal · 5 min read
Thanksgiving Card Messages for Everyone at the Table
What should I write in a Thanksgiving card?
Name one thing you're thankful for about them, then Happy Thanksgiving and your name. A small detail (the pie crust, the long drive, the seat they saved you) says more than a big wish. The 109 Thanksgiving card messages below are sorted by who they're for, and each one copies with a tap.
Thanksgiving card messages, sorted by who they're for
These Thanksgiving card messages are short on purpose, so they fit a card, a postcard or a text. Pick who it's for, copy a line, then swap in a real name or dish.
For family far away
Happy Thanksgiving from two time zones away. Save me the corner piece of the stuffing.
We're at a different table this year, thinking about yours. Happy Thanksgiving.
Call us when the pie comes out. We want to hear the cheer.
Wish we were there to argue about the cranberry sauce. Happy Thanksgiving.
Grateful for you from 900 miles away. Happy Thanksgiving to the whole house.
Set a plate for us in spirit. We'll be there next year, gravy and all.
We're making your sweet potatoes this year. They won't be the same, but we're trying.
Missing the noise of your kitchen today. Happy Thanksgiving, all of you.
Thankful for the people worth the long drive, even in the years we can't make it.
Happy Thanksgiving from our little table to your big one.
Prop the phone up by the turkey so we can wave. Happy Thanksgiving!
For grandparents
Happy Thanksgiving, Grandma. Nobody's pie crust comes close. We've stopped pretending.
Thank you for every Thanksgiving at your house, Grandpa, and every nap after it.
Happy Thanksgiving, Nana. Thankful for you, and for the recipe card you finally gave us.
Thankful for a grandma who still sends everyone home with leftovers. Happy Thanksgiving.
Happy Thanksgiving to the two people who started this whole table.
Thank you for the stories at the table, Grandpa. Even the snowstorm one. Again.
Happy Thanksgiving, Grandma! I'm thankful for you and your rolls, in that order. Mostly.
This year I'm thankful for you, Grandma. Last year too. Every year, actually.
Happy Thanksgiving, Pop. Thank you for carving every turkey we've ever eaten.
Happy Thanksgiving, Grandpa! Mia traced her hand and made you a turkey. It has six fingers.
For Mom and Dad
Mom, I made the whole dinner myself this year. I owe you thirty years of thank-yous.
Thank you for every Thanksgiving you hosted and made look easy. Now I know.
Happy Thanksgiving, Dad. Thanks for teaching me to carve, and to do the dishes after.
Grateful for you two every day, and a little louder today. Happy Thanksgiving.
Everything I know about feeding a crowd, I learned from you. Happy Thanksgiving.
Thankful for parents who still save me the wishbone. Happy Thanksgiving.
To my in-laws, who set a place for me the very first year: Happy Thanksgiving.
Mom, my gravy was lumpy. I thought of you the whole time. Happy Thanksgiving.
Thank you for the table, the food, and forty years of showing up. Happy Thanksgiving.
Thank-you notes for the host or hostess
Thank you for having us. The turkey was perfect and the company was even better.
Thank you for opening your home and your table. We left full in every way.
Thanks for a wonderful Thanksgiving. I'm still thinking about that stuffing.
Thank you for hosting. We know how many hours that dinner took, and we noticed.
You fed fourteen people and still sat down to eat. Thank you for a lovely Thanksgiving.
Thank you for making room at your table for us this year. It meant a lot.
Thank you for Thursday: the pie, the games, and the leftovers we didn't deserve.
Thanks for hosting! Next year the dishes are on us. All of them.
Thank you for a Thanksgiving that felt like family, even for the newcomers.
We're still talking about your cranberry relish. Thank you for having us.
For friends
Happy Thanksgiving to the friend I'm most thankful for. You know it's you.
Thankful for you, and for every time you picked up the phone at midnight.
Friendsgiving isn't the same without you. Happy Thanksgiving, wherever you're eating.
Happy Thanksgiving! Grateful for twenty years of you putting up with me.
Thankful for friends who feel like family, minus the arguments about politics.
Happy Thanksgiving, friend. Save room for pie and call me after.
This year I'm thankful you showed up when it counted. Happy Thanksgiving.
Here's to stretchy pants and the friends who don't judge them. Happy Thanksgiving!
Grateful for every walk, every coffee, every long talk this year. Happy Thanksgiving.
Happy Thanksgiving to my favorite person to sit next to at the kids' table.
For coworkers, your boss or clients
Happy Thanksgiving! Thanks for making this year at work a lot easier.
Grateful to work with you. Enjoy the long weekend, and don't check email.
Happy Thanksgiving to a team I'm genuinely thankful for.
Thank you for your help this year. Have a restful Thanksgiving with your family.
Happy Thanksgiving! May your turkey be juicy and your inbox be empty.
Thankful for a boss who listens. Enjoy the break. You've earned it.
Thank you for everything you did this year. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.
Happy Thanksgiving! Thanks for covering for me in June. I still owe you.
Grateful for clients like you. Wishing you a happy Thanksgiving.
For teachers and coaches
Happy Thanksgiving, Ms. Rivera! We're thankful Ava gets to be in your class.
Thank you for all the patience you give our kids. Enjoy a quiet break.
We're thankful for teachers like you. Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving, Mr. Okafor. Thank you for making math Noah's favorite subject.
Thank you for teaching our kid to love books. We're grateful every day.
Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy a few days with no grading at all.
Thankful for the teacher who noticed when Sam needed a little extra help.
Happy Thanksgiving, Coach. Thank you for every cold early practice this fall.
Faith-based Thanksgiving messages
O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good. (Psalm 107:1) Happy Thanksgiving.
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving. (Psalm 100:4) Blessings to your whole family.
In every thing give thanks. (1 Thessalonians 5:18) We're thankful for you.
This is the day which the LORD hath made. (Psalm 118:24) Happy Thanksgiving.
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow. Happy Thanksgiving.
Come, ye thankful people, come. Happy Thanksgiving from our table to yours.
Now thank we all our God. Wishing you a blessed Thanksgiving.
Thanking God for you and your family this Thanksgiving.
Praying your table is full and your heart is at peace this Thanksgiving.
Counting our blessings this year, and you're one of them.
May God bless your home and everyone around your table.
Funny Thanksgiving messages
Happy Thanksgiving! May your stuffing be plentiful and your politics stay off the table.
I'm thankful for you. And pie. Mostly you. Some pie.
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone except whoever put raisins in the stuffing.
Eat like nobody's counting. Nobody is. Happy Thanksgiving.
Wishing you a turkey that's done on time. Ours never is.
Happy Thanksgiving! Remember, it's not a nap. It's tradition.
Today I'm thankful for leftovers. Tomorrow too. And probably Saturday.
Thankful for you, and for whoever is doing the dishes.
Happy Thanksgiving! May the wishbone break your way.
Happy Thanksgiving! Let's agree the green bean casserole counts as a vegetable.
Short Thanksgiving messages (one-liners)
Happy Thanksgiving. Grateful for you.
Thankful for you, today and always.
Wishing you a full table and a full heart.
Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours.
Grateful for you this Thanksgiving.
So thankful you're in our lives.
Warm wishes for a cozy Thanksgiving.
Thankful for good food and better people.
Gratitude, gravy, and good company. Happy Thanksgiving.
Sending love and a slice of pie.
Happy Thanksgiving. You're on my list of thanks.
Missing you at the table. Happy Thanksgiving.
When someone is missing from the table
A first Thanksgiving after a loss, a parent in the hospital, a son deployed overseas. These lines don't ask anyone to feel grateful. They just say you noticed.
Thinking of you this Thanksgiving. I know there's an empty chair this year.
We'll keep a place for your dad in our hearts today. Thinking of you.
This is a hard first Thanksgiving. You don't have to feel thankful today. We love you.
Remembering your mom's pecan pie with you today. Sending love.
Missing Jake at the table this year. Counting the days until he's home.
No pressure to be grateful today. We're just grateful for you.
Thinking of you, and of the one who always carved the turkey.
Sending love on a Thanksgiving that feels different. We're here.
There's a seat for you at our table, whenever you're ready.
What to write in a Thanksgiving card, in three lines
01
Their name
"Dear Carol," or just "Carol,". It turns a card into a note.
02
One thing you're thankful for
Name it plainly: the ride from the airport, the recipe, the call every Sunday. One sentence does it.
03
A warm sign-off
"Love," "Gratefully," or "With thanks from all of us," then every name. Kids can sign their own.
Send it on a real postcard
Found your line? Put it on a Thanksgiving postcard: your photos on the front, your message on the back. We print it and mail it for you. One card is $9.99, postage included.
Sending for Thanksgiving? Please allow up to 15 days, because USPS can run a little slow. To be safe, order by Nov 11.
No stamp in the house? You can send a postcard to anyone in the US from your phone, Grandma included.
Already planning December? The same idea works for Christmas card messages, sorted the same way.
If the table you're missing is your parents' or grandparents', these long-distance grandparent ideas help the rest of the year.
Frequently asked questions
- What do you write in a Thanksgiving card?
- Their name, one specific thing you're thankful for, and a warm sign-off. "Happy Thanksgiving, Carol. Thank you for saving us a seat every year. Love, Dan." That's a whole card.
- What is a short Thanksgiving message?
- "Happy Thanksgiving. Grateful for you." or "Wishing you a full table and a full heart." Add their name and it reads as personal, not generic.
- How do you thank a Thanksgiving host in a card?
- Thank them for having you, name one dish or moment, and keep it to two sentences. "Thank you for having us. I'm still thinking about that stuffing."
- What do you write in a Thanksgiving card to someone who is grieving?
- Don't ask them to feel thankful. Say you're thinking of them and name the person if you knew them: "Remembering your mom's pecan pie with you today. Sending love."
- What Bible verse is good for a Thanksgiving card?
- Psalm 107:1, "O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good," and 1 Thessalonians 5:18, "In every thing give thanks," are short enough for any card.
