Holiday card list template for your clients
A holiday card list is the mailing list of names and addresses your cards go to, kept in a spreadsheet with one row per card. Download our template below, add your clients' names and mailing addresses, and check the addresses before you print.
The file has the headings and three sample rows to replace. In Excel, open it with Data, then From Text/CSV, and set the ZIP column to Text so the zeros stay.
What goes in each column
The template has columns for First name, Name, Company, Address, Address 2, City, State and ZIP. It works as a Christmas card list too. The Company column is for clients you mail at work.
| Column | What goes in it | Example |
|---|---|---|
| First name | The name after "Dear". For a couple, use both first names. | Maria |
| Name | The full name for the address | Maria Lopez |
| Company | The business name, if the card goes to an office | Acme Dental |
| Address | Street number and street, with any suite or apartment at the end | 500 Main St STE 200 |
| Address 2 | Leave it empty, and put the suite or apartment at the end of the Address line | (empty) |
| City | City or town | Austin |
| State | Two-letter code | TX |
| ZIP | Five digits, or ZIP+4, stored as text | 78701 |
Give the first name its own column. The card opens with it, and a spreadsheet can't reliably split it from a full name such as "Dr. Maria Lopez". For an office with no contact name, leave First name empty and put a role such as Front Desk in the Name column. Our holiday card order page greets a role as written, as in "Dear Front Desk,".
For what to write at the bottom of each card, see how to sign business holiday cards.
Who to send client holiday cards to
Start with clients you worked with this year and last year. Add the people who sent you business, such as referral partners, and any suppliers you want to thank. Leave off anyone who has asked you not to contact them.
Send one card per household or office. If two people at the same company both work with you, put both names on one card to the office.
Check the names and addresses before you print
Remove duplicate rows
If you merged contacts from more than one place, the same person may be on your mailing list twice. In Excel, select the rows, choose Data, then Remove Duplicates, and tick the Name and Address columns. This deletes the duplicates for good, so copy the sheet first. Then sort by address and scan for pairs Excel missed, such as "Sam Shah" and "Samir Shah" at the same street address.
Keep the zeros in ZIP codes
Excel removes leading zeros from numbers, so the ZIP code 02110 turns into 2110. Before you type or paste ZIP codes, select the column, press Ctrl+1 and choose Text on the Number tab. To open a CSV file, use Data, then From Text/CSV, open the data in the Query Editor, and set the ZIP column's data type to Text. Formatting the column after the zeros are gone won't bring them back, so check a few ZIP codes that should start with 0.
Include the suite or apartment number
The Postal Service requires the unit number on mail to any address that has one, and prefers it at the end of the street line. Type it after the street, as in 500 Main St STE 200, using the USPS abbreviations such as APT, STE, UNIT, FL and RM.
Use two-letter state codes
Write states with the Postal Service's two-letter codes, such as IL, MA and TX. Puerto Rico is PR. Military mail overseas uses AA, AE or AP.
Update clients who moved
After someone files a change of address, the Postal Service generally forwards their First-Class Mail for 12 months. From month 13 to month 18 it sends the mail back to the sender with the new address. After that, it sends it back with the reason it couldn't be delivered. A card to a client who moved more than a year ago usually won't reach them. Update the addresses you know have changed, and check any card that came back last year.
Mailing list ready? Paste it into our order page. We print each card with "Dear" and the first name and mail it First-Class for $2.99 a card with postage (as of November 2026). Our list check puts back ZIP zeros a spreadsheet dropped and leaves out a row that repeats an earlier name and address. We leave out addresses we can't mail, and you aren't charged for them.
Make your cardsQuestions
Why do ZIP codes lose their leading zeros in Excel?
Excel reads a ZIP code as a number and removes leading zeros, so 02110 becomes 2110. Format the ZIP column as Text before you type or paste, or set it to Text when you import a CSV file.
Where does the apartment or suite number go?
At the end of the street line, as in 500 Main St STE 200. The Postal Service requires the unit number on mail to an address that has one, and prefers it at the end of the street line.
How do I add a couple to the mailing list?
Use one row with both names. Put Sam and Priya Shah in the Name column and Sam and Priya in the First name column, so the card opens "Dear Sam and Priya,".
Can I keep the mailing list in Google Sheets or Numbers?
Yes. Copy the rows from Google Sheets, Numbers or Excel, with the template's headings in the first row, and paste them into our order page. You don't need to save a CSV file first.
Sources
The pages we read for this guide.
- USPS Postal Explorer, "Publication 28, 213 Secondary Address Unit Designators"
- USPS Postal Explorer, "Publication 28, Appendix B"
- USPS Postal Explorer, "Domestic Mail Manual, 507 Mailer Services"
- Microsoft Support, "Keeping leading zeros and large numbers"
- Microsoft Support, "Filter for unique values or remove duplicate values"