Small Gestures, Big Impact: Where Holiday Cards Fit in a Law Firm’s Strategy

Every fall, like clockwork, law firm marketers hear the same refrain from busy partners: “Do we really need to do a holiday card this year?” 

It’s tempting to trim the tradition. After all, your lawyers are billing hours, juggling client demands and prepping for year-end — who has time to pick paper stock or sign 500 cards?

But holiday cards aren’t about stationery or seasonal cheer. They’re about relationships and awareness marketing. They remind clients, referral sources, peers and prospects that your firm is present, relevant and human. 

Done right, they’re not just greetings — they’re soft-touch brand ambassadors.

A well-crafted holiday card communicates your firm’s culture, personality and core values — the qualities that keep your firm top of mind when a client, referral source or alum is deciding who to call — in ways a closing letter or pitch deck never will. 

It’s less “look at our practice groups” and more “we’re the kind of people you want in your corner.” Skip the card, and your silence risks sending another message: you didn’t make our list.

Why a Hallmark Box Won’t Cut it

We’ve all briefly considered a shortcut: someone orders a bulk box of generic Hallmark cards, circulates them for signatures (half illegible, some missing entirely), and mails them out with all the warmth of an invoice.

The problem is generic cards don’t build relationships. They’re transactional, forgettable and don’t reinforce your brand, culture or value as a trusted advisor. They’re a check-the-box gesture.

By contrast, a branded holiday card feels intentional. It reflects your firm’s culture, values, and attention to detail. In a profession built on trust, credibility and reputation, that matters.

Paper or Pixels: Choosing Your Format

One of the first decisions is format: print card or eCard. Each has strengths and tradeoffs:

Printed cards

• These are tangible, tactile and long-lasting. They can sit on a desk or mantel, visible for weeks.
• Signals quality with luxurious paper stock or premium finishes like foil stamping or wax seals.
• Allows for handwritten notes or signatures — yes, scribbles still count.
• Stands out in a world drowning in email.

The trade-off? You’ll need to confirm mailing addresses — a task made tricky by hybrid or remote office environments. And you’ll need to start early enough to dodge printer and post office backlogs.

eCards

Here’s where clarity matters: the eCard itself is an email invitation to click through. The magic doesn’t live inside the email (no, your inbox can’t play music or stream video). Instead, the email launches recipients to a landing page, where you can:

• Showcase your greeting immediately in an interactive and easy-to-share format
• Include animated greetings
• Click through to a landing page that hosts video content and bonus extras like downloadable PDFs and digital wallpapers
• Ensure delivery is nearly instant and shareable with no printing or postage costs

The trade-off? You’ll be competing for attention in inboxes that are typically overflowing with marketing messages this time of year. This format also provides limited opportunities for personalization compared to a handwritten note.

Avoiding the December Dash: Timing Matters

It’s easy to think you have more time than you actually do — and to not want to think about gingerbread and cocoa until after you’ve at least sipped your first pumpkin spice latte of the year. 

But here’s the reality: If you haven’t started thinking about your holiday approach by Labor Day, you risk getting left out in the cold. 

Wait until after Halloween, and all of a sudden you’re scrambling because you’ve lost a week to Thanksgiving, your printer has multi-week backlogs and your deadline isn’t December 25 — it’s about two weeks earlier, before your key clients begin packing up for holiday season PTO.

Here’s a smarter approach to save you hassle and heartache:

• Think in September: Think about what format — paper or digital — makes sense for your firm. Talk strategy and creative direction with your marketing partner. 
• See in October: Review and provide feedback on designs and messaging to make sure it evokes your vision and brand essence. 
• Approve in November: Once you approve artwork, there’s still production work that must be completed to ensure seamless delivery — for printed cards, that means printing and mailing, for digital cards, that means building the design in your CRM and finalizing the mailing list. 
• Send in early December: Enjoy the gift you’ve given yourself and watch your cards delightfully deliver season’s greetings with joy and without panic.

How Much Tinsel Are We Talking?

Budgets can feel a little Grinch-y, but let’s unwrap the numbers. Holiday campaigns aren’t one-size-fits-all. For reference, here’s what our team at Rep Ink typically advises clients to expect:

Printed card: 8–12 creative hours (plus production costs like printing and postage)

Digital or animated eCard: 8–12 creative hours

Multi-channel campaign (ecard + landing page + social graphics): 20–30 creative hours

Rich media campaign (video + multiple channels): 50+ creative hours

The range depends on scope, but here’s the takeaway: even the most elaborate holiday campaign is a fraction of your marketing spend — and the goodwill return lasts long past the season.

Design Tone and Feel: Hitting the Right Notes

Here’s the good news: you don’t have to design your holiday card. That’s the designer’s job!

A strong designer generally isn’t looking for prescriptive direction — things like, “make it red, add a snowflake, put a wreath in the corner.” In fact, going that route can actually limit the creativity of your design.

What they do need is a sense of tone and vibe. Do you want the card to feel festive or heartfelt? Playful or polished? Classic or modern? That’s the level of input that helps align the design with your brand.

And if you don’t know — that’s fine, too. Your design team can walk you through examples, weigh the pros and cons of different approaches and help you zero in on the direction that fits your firm best.

Think of it this way: your role is to know if your brand’s culture, priorities and perception call for something bold or something delicate. A strong creative team can handle the sommelier part — recommending the perfect pairing and making sure it’s served up just right.

Why Holiday Cards Are the Gift That Keeps on Giving

In law, relationships drive business. Referrals, repeat clients, alumni networks — they hinge on connection and trust. A thoughtful holiday card is a small but powerful signal: we value you, we remember you, we celebrate with you.

A holiday card isn’t going to win your next case. But it can be the gentle nudge that reminds a client, this is a firm I trust, and these are people I want to keep working with.

And in a season when inboxes overflow and mailboxes brim, your card is one more chance to stand out — not with a hard sell, but with a warm reminder.

For law firms, where reputation is currency, a branded holiday card is more than a nicety. It’s a competitive edge.

So don’t skip it. Don’t phone it in. And don’t wait until December panic sets in. Start early, plan strategically and give your network the kind of holiday card that earns a spot on the mantel — not the recycling bin.

Want to know more about creating holiday cards that sleigh? Pour the hot cocoa, and let’s chat.