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As we continue to navigate our lives during the pandemic, our work lives continue to be disrupted in ways big and small. Are you and your co-workers back in the office now, or has your company decided to wait until 2022? Maybe your company has chosen to bring in only part of your team on certain days. Regardless, it’s safe to say that as 2021 comes to a close, many of us don’t have the luxury of getting the usual group photo for the annual company holiday card. That doesn’t mean you can’t send your best wishes to customers and clients this holiday season. Whether that means you need to collect employees’ selfies holding up signs of greetings or whether you need to coordinate a group photo on Zoom, time must be on your side to pull this off. Here is some guidance on how to craft your holiday message now, giving your team time to assemble, however that may look this year, before the rush.

See what others have done. My manager, Angela Dickson, does a great job of setting aside holiday messages she likes from other associations and businesses to use as examples. Ask yourself, what worked for them? What can you improve on, or adapt for 2021’s special circumstances? How can you put your company’s signature on it? Last year, FGIA created a greeting in the form of a video from our team. Everyone recorded their own part remotely from their home offices.

Pick a creative direction. Whether you want your holiday message to be on brand with your company’s color scheme or you opt for popular holiday tones, put some thought into the visual aesthetic. Ask for cooperation from your team and clearly communicate your vision to get a cohesive look. When it comes to messaging, you might keep it simple with “Happy Holidays from our team!” Or you might use this setting to be a little more inventive. If you choose the latter, think about what you want to highlight most from what your company or organization has accomplished this year, like a new product line launch or the measures you took to keep your employees safe at work.

Acknowledge the weirdness that has been 2021. A lot of us are in the same boat, for better or for worse. You might make mention of this, whether it is explicit (“It’s been an unusual year!”) or implicit, like including an image of a team member in a mask or wearing gloves.

What are your plans for your company’s end-of-the-year card? Let us know in the comments!