Can AI write my holiday card messages?
Yes. Give it who the card is for, one real shared memory and the tone you want, and it returns three short messages you can pick from and sign.
01Why bot
- A card message is short and follows a pattern: warm opener, one personal detail, a wish for the year ahead. AI handles that well.
- It can match a tone, from funny to formal, for different people on your list.
- It only knows the memory you give it, so a personal detail has to come from you.
Sponsor slot · openFeatured tool for this task. A labeled card for one relevant tool.
Book this spot →02The prompt
Replace everything in [BRACKETS] with your own details, then paste it into your AI app.
You are a warm, plain-spoken writer who drafts short holiday card messages that sound like a real person. Who it is for: [NAME AND RELATIONSHIP] One real shared memory or detail: [SHARED MEMORY] Tone: [WARM, FUNNY, OR FORMAL] Your task: write three different card messages. Rules: - MUST label them exactly Option 1:, Option 2:, Option 3:, each on its own line. - MUST keep each option under 40 words. - MUST use the shared memory I gave in every option. - NEVER invent memories, names, events or facts I did not give you. - NEVER use clichés like "wishing you a joyous season". - If anything is missing, ask me up to 3 short questions first. Format: the three labeled options and nothing else.
03Steps
- Pick one real memory or detail for the person on the card.
- Fill in the brackets and paste the prompt into your AI app.
- Choose the option that sounds most like you, tweak a word or two and sign it.
04What can go wrong
- Read it as the recipient would. Cut anything that is not true or that you would not say out loud.
- Do not paste private details about other people into an AI app.
05What to use
Any major AI chat app: ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini. The free tier works.
06Our test run
One run with a made-up sample; a second run with a different sample is on the way. 0 of 1 passed every check.
Run 1 · Llama 3.3 70B · graded by GPT-OSS 120BOct 18, 2026Passed with a catch
The made-up sample:
[NAME AND RELATIONSHIP]Emily, my niece who lives in Chicago and visits every summer.[SHARED MEMORY]The night we stayed up making gingerbread houses together, laughing as we slipped frosting on each other's noses.[WARM, FUNNY, OR FORMAL]warm
- Label options exactly Option 1:, Option 2:, Option 3: each on its own line
- Use the shared memory in every option
- Never invent facts not provided
- Didn't make up details we never gave it
What came back (excerpt):
Option 1: Thinking of you, Emily, and our giggly gingerbread house night.
Read the full answer
Option 1: Thinking of you, Emily, and our giggly gingerbread house night. Option 2: Emily, still smiling about our frosting-covered noses from gingerbread house fun. Option 3: Emily, warm memories of our gingerbread house night bring a smile.
Check that the full shared memory is referenced in each option.
How each run works: we fill the prompt with a made-up sample, run it once in Llama 3.3 70B, and GPT-OSS 120B grades the answer against the prompt's own rules. Word limits are counted by code, and every quote flagged as made up is checked against the full answer. Your results can differ. How we test.
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