 |
| King Willem-Alexander & Queen Maxima's Christmas Reply from 2015, 2016 & 2017. |
The Royals absolutely love to get letters and cards from the public, and Christmas is no different!
Writing for the 1st time?
If you are writing to the Royals for the 1st time (or want a refresher on the basics) check out our "How To" tab. This post will only cover the specifics for Christmas 2018.
When to start writing?
My feeling is Christmas letters and cards should arrive no more than a month before Christmas (i.e. after November 25th). So I usually start writing mid/late November.
You don't want to start writing too early. As it can affect what you get in reply. (Same with being too late.) If they don't have the Christmas reply printed when they opening your letter, the office staff may just send you some generic reply, as they don't want mail stacking up in the office, given that they already hundreds a day.
Send by Date?
It is always hard to choose a "Send by Date" to recommend to you all. When you should send your letters varies from country to country, where you are sending it to, the type of mail (economy, standard, first class, priority, etc.), if it is a standard size envelope, etc.
Our general recommended Send by Date is: Saturday, December 8th!
To find the exact "send by date" for you, check out your national postal service's website. Some of you may need to send your letter earlier, while others will have more time.
Remember during the Christmas season, it often takes longer for mail to arrive.
What if I miss the Dec 8th send by date?
That is perfectly okay. Feel free to continue sending your letters/cards after this date, it just may not arrive by Christmas. And that is fine.
If you are sending your letter after Christmas, I would re-focus it a little and wish them a Happy New Year and 2019. I think at the lastest you can write until the end of the first week January.
Addresses?
You can find all the addresses for the Royals under our "Addresses" tab.
Note: A lot of Monarchies outside Europe are not Christian and don't celebrate Christmas. If you wanted to write to them, I would figure out what it is they are celebrating this time of year, or just send them good wishes for the season/new years.
What if I don't celebrate Christmas?
Don't worry! You can still send the Royals a Holiday/ Winter Season/ New Years letter or card, whatever it is you are celebrating this season. Be aware, however, most royals send out pre-made cards, that aren't personalize for each person, so their reply may thank you for your Christmas wishes.
What to write?
I very often get asked this question. The answer is, write whatever you feel like writing about. There is no one right answer. As long as you are being respectful and thoughtful, it is hard to go wrong.
For Christmas you could mention things like:
- Some event in 2018 that was particularly meaningful to you
- or a cause, royal visit or tour, etc.
- Royal wedding, baby/pregnancy announcement, etc.
- What you are most excited for in 2019
- How this royal has inspired you
- What you admire about the royal family
- December or January birthdays/anniversaries
- etc.
We have some sample letters/card to the Royal on the "How To" tab.
Royals get thousands of Christmas cards and letters each year, full of well-wishes and hopes for the coming year. Unfortunately, most are unable to send out personal responses. Responses vary greatly across the different royals. Most respond with a pre-made thank you, and the response will usually be sent sometime in January, or February (December if you are lucky! March if you are unlucky! & possibly longer for Clarence House). There are sadly some royals don't send replies or don't reply to everyone who writes.
But do remember that it takes them a while to answer everyone. So people may get their replies weeks or months apart.
You can check out my replies from past Christmases here. And more on average response time here.
Back to Christmas - Main Page
