The guest list is taking shape and the menu is coming together, so it’s time to send your Christmas dinner invitations. They can go out long before the Christmas decorations are hung, and finding the right design is easier than you think. Our digital Christmas dinner invitations come with animated envelopes, editable wording and fonts, and built-in RSVP tracking, so you can set the tone for your celebration and manage your guest list all in one place. If you would rather guests not see who else is invited, our guide to keeping a holiday party guest list private explains the settings.
To help you spread the word, choose a design that matches your celebratory vibe. Are you serving a family-friendly meal? A cozy invitation with traditional holiday motifs fits nicely. Planning a later, adults-only dinner that opens with cocktails and festive party food? A more formal invitation will help you set the tone.
In this guide, we’ll share some of our favorite designs and walk you through what to say in a Christmas dinner invitation.
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Get started10 Christmas Dinner Invitation Designs
When selecting an invitation design, think about the style and tone of the Christmas dinner you’re hosting:
- For classic holiday charm: Rich greenery, holly, poinsettias, and subtle snowflakes are timeless symbols that make guests feel the warmth of the holiday season.
- For festive and playful: Bright reds, greens, candy cane stripes, Santa hats, and jingle bell-inspired motifs bring cheerful energy, perfect for potluck or buffet-style gatherings.
- For elegant and sophisticated: Metallic-look and embossed-style effects with minimalist or script fonts suit a more formal, seated dinner party.
Below, you’ll find a variety of Christmas dinner invitation options, from formal to cozy. With these online invitation templates, you can edit the wording and fonts and choose from the color options each design offers. Some custom artwork or color changes may require a paid design service. You can also browse our Christmas card collection or the holiday party invitations for artwork you like. If you choose a greeting-card design, set the mailing type to Invitation before sending so you can collect RSVPs.
1. Bubbly and Snow Invitation
Toast to the season with this glamorous bubbly invitation. Glittering gold bubbles and delicate snowflakes suit a dressy Christmas dinner that opens with evening cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, and the same design carries a Christmas brunch if you’re hosting earlier in the day instead.
2. Festive Plate Invitation
Bring a touch of timeless charm to your holiday table with this classy dinner plate invitation. Adorned with holly, berries, and gold pine branches on a scalloped cream background, it has a vintage feel that works beautifully for a family dinner and sets the stage for a warm Christmas celebration.
3. Eat, Drink, Be Merry Invitation
Set the tone for a dressy holiday gathering with this charming dinner invitation. The velvet-look background, hand-drawn winter foliage, and subtle metallic-look accents suit an intimate, seated Christmas dinner party.
4. Martini or Two Invitation
Raise a glass to the season with this elegant, modern Christmas invitation, with its festive martini illustration and red script lettering. It suits a dinner that begins with drinks, and works just as well for a holiday cocktail party, striking a sophisticated yet playful tone.
5. O, Tannenbaum Invitation
Celebrate the season with this sparkling Christmas tree invitation. Silver glitter-effect dots form the tree on a white textured background, a polished, understated look for a holiday dinner table.
6. Festive Geometric Tree Invitation
This jewel-toned Christmas dinner invitation evokes a festive feel without leaning into the standard red and green palette. The geometric tree is built from jewel tones and topped with a gold star, a clean, contemporary look for a more upscale Christmas dinner with friends or family.
7. Dashing Through the Snow Invitation
Bright watercolor details capture the joy of the holiday season with this classic Christmas invitation. A stack of wrapped gifts piled on a red vintage car, wreath hung on the back, suits a casual family dinner and carries over to a livelier cocktail party just as easily. Its playful charm sets a warm, welcoming tone.
8. Vintage Christmas Invitation
This 1960s-inspired Christmas cheer invitation brings retro holiday charm to your celebration. Hand-drawn ornaments, a swan, and a nutcracker in pink, gold, and white on a dark background create a nostalgic, playful vibe, with a cheerful Christmas scene on the back.
9. Christmas Sapling Invitation
This charming dinner invitation captures the cozy feeling of a small, simple Christmas. A watercolor tree sapling and hand-painted berries give it a quiet, handmade warmth. It’s a lovely choice for an intimate dinner with family or close friends.
10. Ornament Overload Invitation
Bring a little of the season’s warmth to your table with this handcrafted Christmas dinner invitation and its colorful, hand-illustrated tree trimmed with ribbons, tinsel, and ornaments. Made for a cozy holiday meal with family and friends, its textured-paper look and animated envelope reveal add nostalgic charm.
What Do You Say in a Christmas Dinner Invitation?
A Christmas dinner invitation, whether you send it as a Greenvelope digital invitation or print it, should tell guests what the evening is and give them everything they need to arrive in the right place at the right time. Whether you’re hosting a formal Christmas dinner party or a cozy evening with family by the fire, work through this short checklist:
- Who is hosting: The name or names your guests will recognize.
- The occasion: Say “Christmas Eve dinner,” “Christmas Day dinner,” or simply “Christmas dinner.”
- Date and location: The calendar date and the full address, including the venue name if applicable.
- Meal format: Let guests know whether you’re serving a seated dinner, buffet, or potluck, and include menu details if helpful.
- Arrival and dinner times, where they differ: Give both when drinks or appetizers come first. One time is enough when guests arrive and sit down together.
- RSVP deadline and method: How to reply and by when.
- Who is invited: Name the guests, or say that children or partners are included.
- Only when it applies: Attire for a retro, formal, or themed dinner like an ugly sweater party; a dietary question; and anything you’d like guests to bring.
An end time can also help guests plan, especially if they have a service or another family gathering afterward.
Greenvelope makes it easy to put all of this into one invitation. Guests RSVP from the card itself, with an ad-free guest experience, so your replies and your guest list stay together instead of scattering across inboxes, and our guide to how to send holiday party invitations online walks you through the process, from choosing the design to exporting the final headcount for whoever is cooking. If you also offer a phone number or email address for replies, record those responses in your guest list by hand, since they don’t enter the tracker on their own.
Christmas Eve Dinner Invitation Wording Examples
The three Christmas Eve dinner invitation wording examples below are written as complete Greenvelope invitations, where guests reply through the invitation’s built-in RSVP. Every detail in them is illustrative: the host names, dates, times, menus, addresses, and reply instructions are all stand-ins for your own, not just the fields in square brackets. To adapt one for Christmas Day or any other December dinner, change the occasion line, the date, the arrival and dinner times, the RSVP deadline, and the optional activity if you have one.
Family Christmas Eve Dinner, Children Welcome
An early seating, a clear finish time, and a dietary question that covers everyone make this version easy for families to say yes to.
Christmas Eve Dinner at the Alvarez Home
Maria and Luis Alvarez invite your family to join ours for Christmas Eve dinner.
December 24
Join us at 4:00 p.m. for cocoa and appetizers; dinner will be served at 5:00 p.m.
We’ll wrap up by 8:00 p.m. so the little ones can get home for bedtime.
[Street address], [City, State]
Children are welcome. Ham, sides, and dessert are on us. Please tell us about any allergies or dietary needs in your party when you reply.
RSVP by December 10 on this invitation, and let us know how many adults and children to expect. Any questions, text Maria at [phone number].
Pair it with the Dashing Through the Snow invitation by Colin Cowie (number 7 above): its bright watercolor artwork reads as playful and warm, which suits a table with children at it.
Adults-Only Formal Seated Dinner
Traditional phrasing like “request the pleasure of your company” and a spelled-out date are options for a formal invitation rather than requirements, and the logistics stay just as complete as in a casual note.
Daniel and Priya Shah
request the pleasure of your company
at Christmas Eve dinner
the twenty-fourth of December
Cocktails at six o’clock in the evening
Dinner will be served at seven o’clock
[Street address], [City, State]
Black tie optional
This is an evening for adults.
A four-course menu will be served. Kindly note any dietary needs with your reply.
The favor of a reply is requested by the fourteenth of December on this invitation. For questions, write to Priya at [email address].
Pair it with the Eat, Drink, Be Merry invitation by Hooray Creative (number 3 above): the metallic-look script on a deep red velvet-look background carries the formality of a cocktails-first evening.
Small Dinner With an Optional Evening Activity
If you’re planning a church service, a walk to see holiday lights, or a movie after dinner, make clear that joining is optional. Ask guests to indicate whether they’ll join only if you need a headcount.
Christmas Eve Dinner With the Kellers
Maggie and Tom Keller invite you to a small Christmas Eve dinner.
December 24
Come at 4:30 p.m. Dinner will be served at 5:00 p.m., and we expect to finish by 7:30 p.m.
[Street address], [City, State]
Please choose a vegetarian main or salmon when you RSVP.
Optional afterward: a walk to the 8:30 p.m. candlelight service at [venue name]. Come along or head home after dinner, whichever suits your evening.
Please reply for dinner by December 11 on this invitation. If it’s easier to call, Maggie is at [phone number].
Pair it with the Christmas Sapling invitation by Noonday Design (number 9 above): its quiet watercolor sapling suits a short dinner for a few close friends.
How to Clarify Who’s Invited
Add one of these lines after your reply details, choosing the one that actually matches your guest list:
- Named guests only: “This invitation is for [guest names]. We’re keeping the table small this year, so we aren’t able to add extra seats.”
- Families welcome: “We’d love to celebrate with [names of invited adults and children]. Please let us know which of you will be attending so we can set a place for everyone.”
If only some members of a household are invited, name those guests individually instead.
Send Your Christmas Dinner Invitation
Choose a design that suits your evening, personalize the dinner details, and send it with Greenvelope’s animated envelope and built-in RSVP tracking, so your replies and your guest list stay in one place.
Browse our Christmas cards and holiday greeting cards for the rest of the season, too. For more lines to borrow, from Christmas Eve dinners to potlucks and office parties, our holiday party invitation wording guide has copy-ready examples for every December format. When your wording is ready, pick your design from our Christmas dinner invitations and send it.
