During what time of the year is it appropriate to close semi-formal written conversation with "Season's Greetings"?
Obviously sometime around December 25th, but how much in advance and how much past this date?
Or isn't it ever?
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2 Answers
Generally speaking, in the US it's appropriate from roughly now (Dec 7) through Jan 2 or so. Usually by about the 7th of January folks are tired enough of the Christmas season that they don't really care to hear it.
When I worked in the centre of the British Civil Service as long ago as the 1970s, there was a form of correspondence between one ministry and another that was formally known as 'semi-official'. The practice then was to end a semi-official letter with some reference to seasonal greetings
- if it was the last letter you expected to send to that person before the Christmas holiday, and
- if you were writing to someone to whom you wrote fairly frequently.
No such pleasantry could be included in an official letter, because that would have to end with the words:'I am, Sir, your obedient servant...'. (I swear I did not make that up: I have actually signed such letters.)
It is now very many years since I have seen any reference to seasons greetings in business correspondence.
