Stop Adding Apostrophes! How To Pluralize Last Names on Holiday Cards
- Steve Gamel
- 21 minutes ago
- 3 min read
You know the rule. It's been beaten into your head time and time again by teachers, friends, and even family. And yet, you still mess up—on every holiday card ... every ... single ... year. It's gotten so bad that the constant reminders from grammar nerds like me to resist using an apostrophe to pluralize last names must be getting pretty old.
Honestly, though … stop making the mistake, and grammar nerds everywhere will finally relax!
Pluralizing Last Names on Holiday Cards Doesn't Have To Be This Hard, Folks!
Pluralizing your last name doesn't require an apostrophe, folks! It's as simple as that. These flubs tend to pop up more during the holidays, as families rush to get their Christmas cards in the mail on time. They don't think anything of it when they write, "Merry Christmas from the Henderson's!" But the truth is, they've added an apostrophe when it shouldn't be there.
It's grammatically incorrect ... on so many levels!
Adding an apostrophe to your last name is only needed if you are making your last name possessive. For example, "That is the Gamels' house on the corner." I get it; not including an apostrophe in your last name can feel AND look weird on holiday cards. But it is absolutely correct to avoid it when the intent is to pluralize your last name!
With all of this said, there are variations to pluralizing last names depending on how your last name is spelled. Here is a nifty chart I found years ago that perfectly spells out how to pluralize last names on holiday cards.
Below are a few examples to help you pluralize last names on holiday cards correctly:
* Melton (The Meltons)
* Bonner (The Bonners)
* Ault (The Aults)
* Jones (The Joneses)
* Burch (The Burches)
* Gonzalez (The Gonzalezes)
* Maddox (The Maddoxes)
* Mathney (The Mathneys)
* Gamel (The Gamels)
* Ash (The Ashes)
The cool part is that if you're still confused or can't get over the fact that it looks weird to write your last name that way, simply write around it ...
"Happy Holidays from The Gamel Family."
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STEVE GAMEL is the President & Owner of Edit This®, a writing and editing services company in Denton, TX. He is also the author of Write Like You Mean It: Mastering Your Passion For The Written Word. Steve handles anything involving the written word. Give him a call today to help give your business a clear voice.
