This year’s holiday season may look more normal than the last, but virtual greetings and celebrations remain the go-to method for firms to communicate with both their teams and clients in lieu of traditional in-person gatherings.

The ongoing pandemic and the resurgence of COVID variants have continued to put a damper on our festivities. In years past we looked forward to year-end celebratory dinners with clients. Now those dinners are viewed as potential super-spreader events.

Is your law firm ready to pivot this holiday?  How will you wish your clients, prospects and referral sources good tidings in a year with such strife?

The traditional paper law firm card will ring hollow this year for a number of reasons:

• Your mailing list may not work, as many people are still not in the office to receive your card
• A stock message doesn’t fly in the age of COVID
• No one wants to pass around a card to sign

Even so, your firm can still use the holiday season as a meaningful touchpoint.  Here are a few tips:

1) Consider sending your personal holiday card to clients at home

• People are craving personal connections during these work-from-home times
• Photos of kids and pets are much more meaningful than a tried-really-hard-to-be-non-denominational stock card
• This plan has the bonus of forcing you to reach out to clients and prospects in advance to get their addresses
  • Use this as an opportunity to schedule a call or plan a Zoom for drinks to catch up
  • Save the addresses in your contacts for future follow-up

2) Ecards will need to strike the right tone

• The holidays are filled with emotions, and Q4 of 2021 will be an emotional rollercoaster as the country reflects on the ways COVID has continued to impact our lives and looks toward a hopefully brighter year ahead
• The messaging will be a fine line to walk, and this will be especially challenging at firms where card decisions are made by committee
• Consider a New Year’s card — everyone can agree that moving on from 2021 is a good thing

3) Rethink your client gifting strategy

• The same steaks or wine as last year may feel cold and perfunctory
• Consider something more personal or something that feels more relevant to the moment
• Be purposeful by choosing a local business instead of your traditional national vendor
• Find a vendor that includes a charity component with its production or profits
• If your client has children or pets, consider a gift the whole family can enjoy
  • A gingerbread kit for the kids and a seasonal cocktail for the adults
  • A year’s subscription to a family-friendly streaming service, such as Disney+
  • Gourmet cookies and dog biscuits for the canine-lovers
  • Meal-prep kits where everyone can help cook

One silver lining of this year is the opportunity to turn your holiday outreach into something more meaningful for both you and your clients. Perhaps the demise of the law firm holiday card isn’t such a bad thing after all.

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