Etiquette
How to address a Christmas card envelope
The Hale Family or The Hales both work for a household with one shared last name. To pluralize the last name itself, add S for most names, Hale becomes Hales, or ES for names ending in X, S, Z, CH, or SH, so Jones becomes Joneses and Walsh becomes Walshes. Never add an apostrophe. An apostrophe makes a name possessive, not plural, so The Hale's is always incorrect on a card addressed to the whole family.
Checked July 30, 2026/6 min read
Written by Claire PostReviewed against USPS Publication 28
What is on this page6 sections
More Christmas cards get one specific detail wrong than almost anything else on this site: the apostrophe. “The Hale’s” shows up on countless envelopes every December, and it is backwards. An apostrophe means something belongs to the Hales. It does not mean the card is for the Hale family.
The actual rule is simple English pluralization, just applied to a surname instead of an ordinary noun, and it has exactly one exception worth remembering: names ending in X, S, Z, CH, or SH need ES instead of a plain S.
Step by step
Add S to pluralize most last names
Hale becomes Hales, Reyes becomes Reyeses only if it already ends in the right letter, most names just take a plain S.
THE HALES1420 N BROADWAYDENVER CO 80202CorrectA standard last name, pluralized correctly. Add ES for names ending in X, S, Z, CH, or SH
Jones becomes Joneses, Walsh becomes Walshes, Gomez becomes Gomezes, Fox becomes Foxes. A plain S would be unpronounceable or simply wrong for these endings.
THE WALSHES1420 N BROADWAYDENVER CO 80202CorrectA last name ending in SH, correctly pluralized with ES. Never use an apostrophe to pluralize a name
An apostrophe makes a name possessive, as in "the Hale's house." It does not make a name plural. "The Hale's" on a card addressed to the whole family is always incorrect.
THE HALE'S1420 N BROADWAYDENVER CO 80202What was writtenThe apostrophe mistake. This says something belongs to the Hales, not that the card is for the Hale family. Use The [Name] Family as a safe alternative when pluralizing feels awkward
The Hale Family sidesteps the pluralization question entirely and works for any last name, no exceptions to remember.
Match the household to its actual naming situation
A shared last name, two different last names, or a blended family with three or more each need their own approach. See the family addressing guide for the fuller breakdown, since a Christmas card follows the same logic as any other family envelope.
Quick reference
| Last name ends in | Add | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Most letters | S | Hale to Hales |
| X | ES | Fox to Foxes |
| S | ES | Jones to Joneses |
| Z | ES | Gomez to Gomezes |
| CH | ES | French to Frenches |
| SH | ES | Walsh to Walshes |
| Any name, avoid the question | Use "The [Name] Family" instead | The Hale Family |
Special cases
The rule above covers most people. Here is what changes for the rest.
How do I address a Christmas card to a blended family with two different last names?
The Hale and Chen Family, or The Hale-Chen Family if they use a combined household name, both work. See the family addressing guide for the fuller range of blended-family options, including households with three or more distinct last names.
Is it ever correct to use an apostrophe on a family Christmas card?
Only if you are specifically indicating possession, such as "The Hales' annual card" used in a sentence, which is a different thing entirely from addressing an envelope to the family. On the envelope itself, addressed to the household, there is no correct use for an apostrophe.
What if the family last name already ends in an S and adding ES sounds strange to me?
It is correct regardless of how it sounds if you are not used to hearing it. Jones becomes Joneses, Adams becomes Adamses. If it still feels awkward, The Jones Family or The Adams Family avoids the pluralization entirely and is equally correct.
Key terms on this page
- Pluralization
- Making a last name refer to the whole family rather than one person, done by adding S or ES depending on the ending, never an apostrophe.
- Possessive apostrophe
- An apostrophe used to show ownership, as in "the Hales' house." Not used when simply addressing a card to a family.
- Collective family name
- A phrase like The Hale Family that refers to the whole household without needing to pluralize the last name at all.