With everyone prepping (= preparing) for the holiday season, we’ve put together a list of 12 holiday-related phrases that may come in handy as you wrap up your work for the year and settle into the festive spirit.

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1. Happy Holidays

This is the safest and most common holiday greeting in English. It works well when you don’t know which holidays someone celebrates — or when you want to stay neutral.

Example:

Happy Holidays, everyone!

In modern workplace English, this phrase is perfectly acceptable in emails, Slack, and even LinkedIn messages. However, there is another, more formal alternative.

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2. Season’s greetings

“Season’s greetings” is a more formal and polished holiday greeting. You’ll often see it in emails from leadership, official announcements, or client communication.

Example:

Season’s greetings. Thank you for your support and hard work this year.

This phrase works best at the beginning of a message and sets a professional tone. But what if you want to give a more specific and personalized greeting?

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3. Wishing you (a strong start to the new year)

A very common and simple phrase for holiday greetings, celebrations, and end-of-year messages.

Example:

Wishing you a wonderful holiday season and a strong start to the new year.

Common mistake:

Don’t use “I wish you…” in short greetings — it sounds more formal and less natural in quick messages.

❌ I wish you happy holidays.
✅ Wishing you happy holidays.

Winter holidays are a great time to slow down and take in the atmosphere around you. This is where the next phrase comes in handy.

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4. At this time of year

This phrase is used to refer generally to the current period. In the context of winter holidays, it’s often used to describe the overall vibe or mood.

Example:‍

It rarely snows here at this time of year.

At this time of year, you see people starting to decorate their homes.

As far as decorations go, you pretty much can’t talk about them without using this next phrase.

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5. Put up (decorations)

To “put up (some decorations or a Christmas tree)” means to decorate a space for the holidays.

Example:

We’ve started putting up decorations around the office.

Have you already put up a Christmas tree?

With holiday decorations going up everywhere, people start to look forward to taking some time to rest. This is where the next phrase comes in handy.

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6. Take some well-deserved time off

This phrase is used to recognize effort and encourage rest. “Well-deserved” is often used to show appreciation for someone’s hard work.

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Example:

Please take some well-deserved time off and recharge.

Of course, before you go on break, it’s important to set clear expectations and plans for the next year. The next phrase is perfect for doing just that.

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7. We’ll pick this up in the new year

This phrase sets clear expectations about timing. It means a task or conversation will resume after the holidays, without pressure.

Example:

‍We’ll pick this up in the new year once everyone is back.

When it comes to celebrating winter holidays, there is one thing everyone looks forward to the most.

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8. Spend time with loved ones

You’ll often see this phrase in holiday messages.

The phrase “loved ones” usually means close family and people you care deeply about (partners, children, parents, sometimes very close friends).

Example:

Wishing you a chance to relax and spend time with your loved ones.

Spending time with loved ones during the winter holidays is typically accompanied by eating lots of delicious food, going ice-skating, and unwrapping gifts.

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9. Get (someone) a gift / Go gift shopping

We often use these phrases when we talk about buying and giving gifts to someone.

Example:

I got my parents a really cool Christmas gift this year. Hope they like it!

My siblings and I plan on going gift shopping this weekend.

Going gift shopping isn’t the only thing people do right before the holidays. There’s a specific phrase you can use to describe this hectic (= very busy) period.

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10. In the lead-up to the holidays

The phrase “in the lead-up to” refers to the time before an event. Around the holidays, people use it to talk about any tasks or projects they have going on during this time.

Examples:

‍We’re trying to wrap up a few projects in the lead-up to the holidays.

I won’t have much availability in the lead-up to the holidays.

Finally, let’s round off this list with a few New Year-related phrases.

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11. Ring in the New Year

This means to celebrate the start of the new year.

Example:

I’ll be ringing in the New Year with family this year.

Throwing a big New Year’s party is a wonderful way to ring in the New Year.

And by the way…

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12. New Year vs. New Year’s

These two forms look very similar, but they are not interchangeable, and mixing them up is a common mistake.

“New Year” means the time period after January 1.

“New Year’s” is short for New Year’s Day. It’s the name of the holiday itself.

Examples:

I look forward to seeing you in the new year.

I have many plans for the new year.

We’re celebrating New Year’s with friends.

What are you doing for New Year’s?

If you’re planning to improve your English in the new year, there is no better way to do that than with our new English For Tech course.

Happy Holidays from English For IT™!