Save-the-Date Christmas Cards: Send Both in One Mailing

Yes, one card can be both your Christmas card and your save-the-date. Put the photo and "Save the Date" on the front, the names, season and city on the back, plus one holiday line. Send it only to people you will invite. To arrive by December 24, order by December 14, 2026.

TL;DR

• It works, with one rule. Everyone who gets the combined card must get a wedding invitation later. The rest of your Christmas list gets a plain holiday card.
• Two lists, one photo. Same picture, two headlines, two small orders.
• December is good timing for most 2027 weddings.
• Order by December 14, 2026 for arrival by December 24. After December 17, send it as a New Year's card.
• $1.99 a card on 10 or more, printed, stamped and mailed for you. No envelopes, no stamps, no minimum.

Is it okay to combine a Christmas card and a save-the-date?

Yes, with one condition about who receives it. A save-the-date is a heads-up, not the invitation, and the Emily Post Institute says it doesn't have to match the rest of your wedding stationery. A holiday card with the news on it is the same idea in a seasonal wrapper. Checked October 30, 2026.

The one firm rule is about the guest list. The same Emily Post page says "any guest who receives a save-the-date must receive a wedding invitation." A holiday card that carries the date is a save-the-date, so it follows the rule. That is the whole catch, and it shapes how you build the list:

If you are unsure about someone, they go on the holiday list. You can always invite them later. You can't un-send a save-the-date.

When should save-the-dates go out?

Four to six months before the wedding is the usual answer, and earlier is fine. Zola's guide calls four to six months the standard rule of thumb, says to send them earlier for a destination wedding, and says to send them as soon as you have booked a venue and settled on a date. The Emily Post Institute's three-to-six-months checklist lists save-the-date notices with the note "(or earlier)". Both checked October 30, 2026.

Here is how a December mailing fits a 2027 wedding:

Holiday dates are a popular travel time, so guests who live far away will be glad to see your date before they plan next year.

What goes on the front and back?

The front says what the card is. The back carries the details and one holiday line. A save-the-date that looks only like a Christmas greeting gets filed with the greetings, so lead with the news.

Front. A photo of the two of you, with "SAVE THE DATE" as the headline. On ShipNote's photo designs (Classic, Polaroid, Magazine, Split and Framed) the headline is free text up to 24 characters, so you can also type "WE'RE GETTING MARRIED" or "HOLD THE DATE". If you want the season on the front, "MERRY CHRISTMAS" is 15 characters and fits too. Pick one job for the headline and let the back do the other.

Back. ShipNote's default save-the-date back reads your names, the date, the place and "Invitation to follow", and you can edit all of it. For this card, change it to something like:

Elena & Sam are getting married Summer 2027, Austin, Texas Invitation to follow Merry Christmas from both of us

Put a real date on yours if you have one. If you only have a season, say the season and promise the invitation. The back also prints the recipient's address, a real stamp and your return address. A postcard needs no envelope.

How do you send both in 15 minutes?

Make two small lists, then run the same steps twice. Start with your wedding guest list, whether that is an export from your registry site, a spreadsheet or a pasted group text. Split it in two.

Then repeat for the second list with the holiday occasion. The photo can stay the same.

How do you handle the people who aren't invited?

Send them a plain holiday card with the same photo and a different headline. The guests who are not on the wedding list still deserve your Christmas card, and they will never know there were two versions.

Start the second order with the holiday occasion, use the same photo, and type "MERRY CHRISTMAS" or "HAPPY HOLIDAYS" as the headline. Write a short note on the back with no wedding news at all. For your own list-keeping, our Christmas card list template helps you sort who goes where.

Separate orders also keep things simple. There is no minimum, so a list of 12 close relatives and a list of 90 other people are each fine, and each is priced at $1.99 a card on 10 or more.

What does it cost?

$1.99 a card on 10 or more, all in. That covers printing, the stamp and mailing. One card is $2.49. There are no envelopes to buy and no account to create.

Households matter: send one card per household, not one per person. Zola's guide says every household on the guest list should receive a save-the-date rather than every individual guest.

What is the last day to order for Christmas?

For arrival by December 24, order by December 14, 2026. We mail the next business day after you order, and cards arrive in 4-7 business days. USPS does not deliver on Christmas Day.

The USPS holiday shipping dates page, checked October 30, 2026, lists Thursday, December 17 as the recommended date to send First-Class Mail in the contiguous U.S. for delivery before December 25. After that, the honest answer is to change the plan: a New Year's card with the same front and back still does both jobs, and USPS does not deliver on New Year's Day, so a late one simply arrives in early January. At checkout, under Delivery, choose "Choose a later mail date", then "On a date I choose", and pick any weekday up to 90 days out. That lets you build the cards today and mail them on December 28.

For USPS's own day-by-day holiday calendar, see our holiday mail delays tool.

Should the card feel like a Christmas card or a save-the-date?

Make it a card people keep. A few choices that help:

• Use a real photo of the two of you. Guests keep photo cards on the fridge, and that is where a date should live.
• Keep the holiday line short. One sentence. The date is the news.
• Don't hide the date. Put the season or the date on the back where it can be read in one glance, and promise the invitation.
• Say "Invitation to follow." It tells people the card is not the invitation and that they will be hearing from you.
• Skip registry details. A save-the-date is not the place for them.

For a plain save-the-date without the holiday angle, see our guide to save the date postcards, or start from the save-the-date page.

Frequently asked questions

Can you send a save-the-date with your Christmas card?

Yes. One card can do both jobs, as long as everyone who gets it will also get a wedding invitation. The Emily Post Institute says any guest who receives a save-the-date must receive an invitation, so send the combined card only to people on your guest list.

When should save-the-dates go out?

Zola's rule of thumb is four to six months before the wedding, earlier for a destination wedding. The Emily Post Institute puts them in its three-to-six-month checklist, with a note to send them earlier if needed. A December mailing fits a spring or early summer wedding squarely and a later one comfortably.

What is the last day to order so cards arrive by Christmas?

Order by December 14, 2026 for arrival by December 24. We mail the next business day after you order, and cards arrive in 4-7 business days. Orders placed after that may still arrive in time, but it is not promised. After December 17, send it as a New Year's card.

What about people who are not invited to the wedding?

Send them a plain holiday card instead. Use the same photo with a different headline, such as Merry Christmas, and make it a separate order from your save-the-date list.

Can I type my own headline?

On the photo designs (Classic, Polaroid, Magazine, Split and Framed), yes, up to 24 characters. "SAVE THE DATE" is 13 and "MERRY CHRISTMAS" is 15. The typeset save-the-date design has a fixed "Save the Date" headline.

How much does it cost to mail them?

$1.99 a card on 10 or more. That includes printing, the stamp and mailing, and there is no minimum order. One card is $2.49.

Related reading

• Save the date postcards: spend less, land on the fridge covers the postcard format on its own.
• Does Zola mail save-the-dates? explains what Zola does and doesn't do for your list.
• Zola vs The Knot wedding registry compares the two sites where most guest lists live.