Christmas Table Name Cards: Ideas, Wording And Seating

We design and print cards and prints in the UK and post them first class. We don't print place cards to order - everything below is free to copy, whether you make your own or buy the card that goes with the occasion.

Christmas dinner is the one meal a year where seating is political. A name card settles it before anyone walks in and nobody has to be the person who says it out loud.

Here are ideas using things already in the house, plus the seating rules that keep the day calm.

Ideas from what's already in the house

• Write names on baubles in white pen and hang one off each glass.
• A cinnamon stick tied to a folded card with string. The table smells of it all afternoon.
• Name written on a satsuma in marker, sat on the plate. Children love these and eat them.
• A sprig of holly through a slit in a folded card.
• Names on gift tags tied round the napkin ring.
• Write on the cracker itself and skip the card entirely.

Funny name cards for family

• Give everyone their job title: Chief Gravy Officer, Head of Sprouts, Director of Naps.
• Last year's worst cracker joke printed on the back of each card.
• Everyone's name as they're saved in your phone.
• A prediction for the day under each name - 'asleep by 4pm' is usually accurate.

Seating that keeps the peace

• Split the two who always argue. One at each end, both feel important.
• Put the person who's cooking nearest the kitchen door.
• Children together at one end, not scattered among adults who want to talk.
• Anyone hard of hearing away from the music and never at the far corner.
• Guests who don't know the family sit next to the chattiest person there.

Shop Christmas cards

Prints that suit a laid table

A5, A4 and A3 art prints, drawn in house and printed in the UK.

How to write it so it lands

• Make them on Christmas Eve with whoever's around. It's a decent job for restless children.
• Write bigger than you think - candles and low winter light hide small writing.
• Keep one spare set; a plan always changes on the day.

Where to shop next

• Place cards: the complete guide
• Wedding place cards
• Thanksgiving and dinner party place cards
• How to make name place cards
• Place card wording and etiquette
• Free printables
• Wall art and prints
• All guides
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Birthday cards for kids
• Wedding cards

Frequently asked questions

How do you make Christmas place cards?

Fold 300gsm card to 90 x 55mm, write the name large, then add one seasonal thing - holly, a cinnamon stick, a gift tag or a satsuma on the plate.

Do you need name cards for Christmas dinner?

For eight or more, they help. They stop the shuffle at the door and let you split whoever needs splitting without saying so.

What do you write on a Christmas name card?

First names, written big. If the family likes a laugh, give everyone a job title instead - Chief Gravy Officer works every year.