Holiday texts for your group, sent on time.
Party invites, potluck sign-ups, gift drives, holiday hours and the New Year schedule. The holidays are the busiest messaging season of the year. Here’s how to plan it once, schedule it ahead, and enjoy the season, with templates you can copy.
In early November, write the season’s messages and schedule them. Collect party RSVPs by text with a live headcount, let people sign up for the potluck or the drive by replying, and send one text to everyone when the schedule changes. With SMSGO each person gets their own copy, by text or email.
Write it in November. Let it send itself.
- List the season’s momentsThe party, the drive, the schedule change, the closed days, the thank-you and the New Year kickoff.
- Write each message onceShort, clear, one text segment each. Use the templates below.
- Schedule themPick a date and time for each, so nothing depends on you remembering during the busiest weeks of the year.
- Let replies do the countingParty RSVPs and sign-ups come back as YES, YES +1 or a letter, and SMSGO keeps the count.
Holiday texts you can copy.
Each one fits in a single text segment (160 characters or less, no emoji), so it costs $0.03 per person by text. Swap in your own details.
Save the date: our holiday party is Saturday, Dec 12 at 6 PM at the Rivera home. Invite with RSVP coming Dec 1!
111 characters · 1 segmentYou're invited! Holiday party Sat Dec 12, 6 to 9 PM, 41 Oak Lane. Reply YES, YES +1 or NO so we know how much food to make.
123 characters · 1 segmentPotluck time! What are you bringing? A) Main dish B) Side C) Dessert D) Drinks. Reply with one letter.
102 characters · 1 segmentGift exchange: $20 limit, wrapped and unlabeled. Bring one to the party and take one home. Reply here with questions.
117 characters · 1 segmentHoliday food drive Saturday, 9 to noon. We need 12 volunteers to sort and pack. Reply YES if you can help!
106 characters · 1 segmentToy drive: drop new, unwrapped toys at the front office by Dec 11. Full list of ideas: smsgo.org/l/t8mz4q
105 characters · 1 segmentHoliday hours: open 9 to 3 on Dec 24, closed Dec 25 and Jan 1. Regular hours resume Jan 2. Happy holidays!
106 characters · 1 segmentNo practice Dec 21 to Jan 3. Enjoy the break! We're back Monday, Jan 4 at 6 PM. Happy holidays from the coaches.
112 characters · 1 segmentSnow update: tonight's holiday concert is moved to Thursday, same time, 7 PM. Tickets still count.
98 characters · 1 segmentReminder: the holiday party is tomorrow at 6! Bring a dish to share. Parking on Oak Lane and Elm St.
100 characters · 1 segmentThank you for an amazing year! 1,240 meals packed, 86 volunteers, and a lot of laughs. Happy holidays from all of us.
117 characters · 1 segmentHappy New Year! Our first meeting of 2027 is Thursday, Jan 7 at 7 in the library. New members welcome.
102 characters · 1 segmentTools that make the holidays easier.
The season is busy enough. Let these do the remembering and the counting.
Schedule the whole season
Write every message in one sitting and pick when each one sends. Repeat ones, like a weekly reminder, can repeat on their own.
Party RSVPs with a headcount
Guests reply YES, YES +1 or NO by text, or tap a button in the email. The count is live, so you know how much food to buy. Set a cap if the room is small.
Potluck and sign-ups
Send a quick poll: main, side or dessert. Or create an event with a Goal for the drive, and SMSGO tells everyone when you have enough volunteers.
Photos and links
Send a photo from the party for $0.04 per photo text, or a short link to the gift-drive page and see how many people tapped it.
Text or email
Grandparents on email, everyone else by text. One send reaches both, and RSVPs from both land in one count.
Last-minute changes from your phone
Snowed in? Text #all and your message to 240-786-1112, and everyone knows in a minute.
Every group has a holiday season.
A whole season for less than a gift card.
One-segment texts, everyone by text. Members who choose email cost $0.003 each.
$0.03 per text segment, carrier fees included. No subscription. Estimate your season.
Holiday texts people are glad to get.
Holiday texting questions.
When should I send holiday party invitations?
Send a save-the-date in early November and the invitation with RSVP about two weeks before the party. December calendars fill fast, so earlier is better.
How do I collect holiday party RSVPs by text?
Create an event in SMSGO and send the invitation. Guests reply YES, YES +1 or NO by text, or tap a button in the email version, and SMSGO keeps a live headcount. You can set a cap if space is limited, and nudge only the people who haven’t answered.
Can I schedule holiday messages in advance?
Yes. Write each message once and pick the date and time it sends. You can plan the whole season in one sitting.
How do I organize a potluck by text?
Send a poll with options like A) Main dish B) Side C) Dessert. People reply with one letter, by text or email, and the tally fills in live, so you can see whether you have too many desserts.
How do I tell customers about holiday hours?
Send one text to your customer list with the days you’re closed or have shorter hours, and when regular hours resume. Only text customers who asked to hear from you, and anyone can text STOP to opt out.
Do emoji cost more in holiday texts?
Yes. One emoji switches the whole text to a format that holds 70 characters per segment instead of 160, so a festive 100-character greeting becomes two segments. Keep emoji out of large sends to keep the cost down.
Can older relatives get the messages by email?
Yes. Each person chooses text or email, and one send reaches both. RSVPs from text and email land in the same count.
How much does holiday texting cost?
With SMSGO, a one-segment text is $0.03 per person. Six holiday texts to 80 people come to $14.40, email members cost $0.003 each, and there’s no monthly fee.
Where to next.
Get your holiday season ready.
Send us your list and we’ll import it free. Then schedule the season’s messages in one sitting.
Pay as you go · Text or email · Real support when you need it
