10 Best Replies When Someone Says “Happy Holidays”

When it’s the holiday season, the amount of “happy holidays” you receive in emails will increase ten-fold. It’s important to be polite and friendly in a professional environment, so you should know how to reply if you were to receive emails like this at work.

The best replies are “happy holidays to you too,” “thank you,” and “same to you.” You don’t have to overcomplicate these things. Simply turning the good fortunes or wishes around on the person is a great way of remaining formal and polite in your email reply.

Happy Holidays To You Too

“Happy holidays to you too” works well. It allows you to keep things simple by repeating the message. Including “too” at the end is a great way to show that you want to return the same message to the person who originally wished it to you.

• Dear sir,
• Happy holidays to you too! I hope you have the best time when you’re out there.
• Kind regards.
• Dan

• Dear ma’am,
• I look forward to seeing you again soon after the winter break.
• Happy holidays to you too,
• Steve

• Dear sir,
• Happy holidays to you too! I hope you have a great time with your family.
• All the best,
• Kate

Thank You

“Thank you” is another great choice that allows you to keep things simple. A lot of people overcomplicate messages like this, and it ends up sounding strange when they come up with really weird messages that make no sense.

“Thank you” is a formal way of appreciating someone’s message or accepting their kind words. You can’t go wrong with it, and you don’t often need to return the message to them (though it is encouraged).

• Dear sir,
• Thank you for your kind wishes. I hope you have a great time away this winter.
• All the best from me,
• Dane

• Dear ma’am,
• I look forward to hearing what you get up to when we all return to work.
• Thank you,
• Mary

• Dear ma’am,
• Thank you. I hope you enjoy your holidays as well. I hear it’s going to be a sunny one!
• My best,
• Sarah

Same To You

“Same to you” is a great choice that allows you to return someone’s “happy holidays” email. You can keep it nice and simple when you’re doing this, and the “thank you” is usually implied. You don’t always need to include “thank you” to show thanks.

“Same to you” means that you’re returning the wish of “happy holidays” to “you.” In this case, “you” is whoever sent you the email that includes the good wishes in the first place.

• Hey Martin,
• Same to you! I look forward to hearing all about what you did over the holidays.
• Kind regards,
• Mr. Tomkins

• Dear Storm,
• Same to you! I will keep in touch when I know more about what’s happening.
• See you again soon,
• Walker

• Dear Mr. Farraday,
• Same to you! Thank you for getting in touch. I’ll be sure to update you when I’m ready to come back.
• All the best,
• Melissa

And To You

“And to you” is a synonym of “same to you.” You can use “and” or “same” when you want to try and turn the happy message around on someone. “And” is a bit more formal than “same,” so it could be a more suitable choice in a formal email format.

• Dear Paul,
• Thank you! And to you, of course! I hope you have the best time while you’re away.
• My regards,
• Yuri

• Dear Mr. Gear,
• And to you! I hope you have the best time. You’ve been talking about how excited you are for so long.
• I’ll see you around,
• Mrs. Freeman

• Dear Miss Plinth,
• And to you. I will be sure to get these projects done over the next three weeks.
• Best wishes,
• Lewis

You Too!

“You too” is a simple response that you can use to reply to almost any positive statement. It works well when someone has wished you well, and it implies that you want to return the message to them and for them to experience the same positive energy.

“You too” can mean “thank you, you too” or “happy holidays too.” It depends on which one is more suited to the current context you’re working with.

• Dear Mike,
• You too! I’m looking forward to doing all sorts of things in my new venture.
• See you soon,
• Chris

• Hey Michelle,
• You too! I hope you have the best holiday. You deserve a real break from this place.
• George

• Dear Alex,
• You too! I’m glad you emailed me before I left the office. Now, I know there are some things to clear up.
• All the best,
• Pablo

Happy Holidays To You And Yours

“Happy holidays to you and yours” is a great one if you know that someone is close with their family. “Yours” usually implies family members, either children, parents, or any other family members that you know someone might spend the holiday with.

The implication with a phrase like this is that you know someone is going to spend time with their family. If they’ve told you about their plans, it might be good to use this one.

• Dear Mr. Redford,
• I look forward to catching up with you after the festivities have subsided.
• Happy holidays to you and yours,
• Travis

• Dear Mrs. Jenkins,
• Thank you for your kind words. I hope you have a great time while you’re away.
• Happy holidays to you and yours,
• Abbie

• Dear Nathan,
• I’m glad you messaged me about this. Thank you for the update. I’ll work on it over the break.
• Happy holidays to you and yours,
• Fred

Many Happy Returns

“Many happy returns” isn’t always used as a responsive statement. It can work well, but a lot of people associate it more with a birthday wish rather than a general reply to “happy holidays.”

Still, the “returns” portion of the phrase is what works best here. It allows you to “return” the positivity and well wishes to the person who is speaking to you.

• Dear Craig,
• Many happy returns to you! The next three weeks won’t be the same without you here.
• Kind regards,
• Julie

• Dear Mr. Smythe,
• Many happy returns to you as well! I look forward to catching up after the break is over.
• Thank you,
• Mary

• Hey Suzanna,
• Many happy returns! I hear you had the best time while you were away. I can’t wait to hear about it.
• Kind regards,
• Jack

Thanks, Best Wishes

“Thanks, best wishes” is a simple response that works well on email. It’s another choice that allows you to either start your main email with it or sign off the email, depending on where you think it’s more natural.

“Thanks” is always going to help out when you’re looking for a polite way to accept someone’s kind words. You can’t go wrong with it, though some people would argue it’s a bit more informal compared to “thank you.”

“Best wishes” is a bit better as a closer on an email rather than a replying phrase. Still, it’s worth remembering that this is a good option you can use.

• Hey Marge,
• Thanks, best wishes to you too. I hope you enjoy yourself as much as you can.
• Kind regards,
• Dean

• Dear ma’am,
• Of course. I’ll make sure to get as much of this done as possible.
• Thanks, best wishes to you,
• Steve

• Dear Mrs. Walters,
• Thanks, and best wishes to you. I hope you have as much fun as you’re praying for!
• All the best,
• Sam

Back At You

“Back at you” is an informal phrase you can use. If you’re going to include it in an email, make sure you’re doing so when you’re speaking with someone who doesn’t mind informal or colloquial language.

You can even get away with using this one toward a superior, as long as that superior doesn’t mind informal or relaxed tones in emails. It’s always best to double-check before committing to a more informal phrase like this, though.

• Hey Mike,
• Back at you! I can’t wait to share all of these awesome times with you.
• See you soon,
• Allan

• Dear sir,
• Back at you. I will be sure to keep you updated over the winter break.
• Thank you,
• Tom

• Dear Mr. Smith,
• Back at you, of course! I hope you have the best time out there with your family.
• My best,
• Paul

Likewise

“Likewise” is a decent response, and it’s worth having in your arsenal if you like the sound of it. The only issue is that some people think it sounds a bit robotic or forced. It doesn’t always sound like you care or want to return the “happy holidays” wish.

We only recommend using this one if you can’t think of anything better. There are definitely options on this list that will work much better than what “likewise” might be able to help you with.

• Dear Tom,
• Likewise! I hope you’re going to make the most of all the time away.
• Kind regards,
• Daniel

• Dear Pete,
• Likewise! I’m sure you’ll find plenty of things to do on your vacation.
• Sincerely,
• Jade

• Hey Martin,
• Likewise! I look forward to hearing from you again soon to learn more about this.
• Kindest regards,
• Dana

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