Blended families. How do you refer to yourselves on Xmas cards and invitations etc

[Anonymous]

Sounds silly but when I receive a card signed
THE NELSON FAMILY

it stings a little because my family has different last names. I kept my maiden name and kids have ex dhs.

[Anonymous]

The friends I have who have done this combine the names. Smith and Jones are Smones, etc.

[Anonymous]

We just write "The Smith-Jones Family."

[Anonymous]

How about you just write:

"Love Mindy, John, and Jenny" and leave the last name off.

On the return label it can be your first name/last name. The kids aren't mailing it out.

[Anonymous]

Whose friends are they? I don’t always know the last name of the other half of the couple - if I’m sending a card to my old boss John Jones, I may never have known that his wife went by Jane Smith.

I do try to do my best when I know, but I have a limited amount mental energy to expend trying to remember who goes by whose name, who goes professionally by one and privately by another, who created a hybrid name or who hyphenated in which order. NO ONE cares as much as you do and unless you know they’re trying to disrespect you, be happy you got some cards.

[Anonymous]

Yup first names

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sounds silly but when I receive a card signed
THE NELSON FAMILY

it stings a little because my family has different last names. I kept my maiden name and kids have ex dhs.

I'm confused. Are people addressing the cards to you as "the 'your actual last name which is your maiden name' family" or "the 'ex husbands last name/childrens last name family'"? If people who know you are addressing cards to you with the wrong last name, that is bizarre.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds silly but when I receive a card signed
THE NELSON FAMILY

it stings a little because my family has different last names. I kept my maiden name and kids have ex dhs.

I'm confused. Are people addressing the cards to you as "the 'your actual last name which is your maiden name' family" or "the 'ex husbands last name/childrens last name family'"? If people who know you are addressing cards to you with the wrong last name, that is bizarre.

I think you misread the post. I said ‘signed’ THE NELSONS not ‘addressed to’…

But in fact, there are 3 last names in my blended family because I remarried. And when people address things to us, they never get our last names all correct. It’s really not a big deal overall, but sometimes when I see a family breezily signing THE NELSONS to their Xmas card or whatever, I am reminded of one of the many hiccups of having a blended family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We just write "The Smith-Jones Family."

We have 3 last names

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds silly but when I receive a card signed
THE NELSON FAMILY

it stings a little because my family has different last names. I kept my maiden name and kids have ex dhs.

I'm confused. Are people addressing the cards to you as "the 'your actual last name which is your maiden name' family" or "the 'ex husbands last name/childrens last name family'"? If people who know you are addressing cards to you with the wrong last name, that is bizarre.

I think you misread the post. I said ‘signed’ THE NELSONS not ‘addressed to’…

But in fact, there are 3 last names in my blended family because I remarried. And when people address things to us, they never get our last names all correct. It’s really not a big deal overall, but sometimes when I see a family breezily signing THE NELSONS to their Xmas card or whatever, I am reminded of one of the many hiccups of having a blended family.

You can’t expect them to write all three last names come on

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds silly but when I receive a card signed
THE NELSON FAMILY

it stings a little because my family has different last names. I kept my maiden name and kids have ex dhs.

I'm confused. Are people addressing the cards to you as "the 'your actual last name which is your maiden name' family" or "the 'ex husbands last name/childrens last name family'"? If people who know you are addressing cards to you with the wrong last name, that is bizarre.

I think you misread the post. I said ‘signed’ THE NELSONS not ‘addressed to’…

But in fact, there are 3 last names in my blended family because I remarried. And when people address things to us, they never get our last names all correct. It’s really not a big deal overall, but sometimes when I see a family breezily signing THE NELSONS to their Xmas card or whatever, I am reminded of one of the many hiccups of having a blended family.

You should have given your kids your last name, but too late now. Guess you’ll have to take your new husbands last name.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We just write "The Smith-Jones Family."

We have 3 last names

"The Smith-Jones-Garcia Family."

[Anonymous]

Are people still sending cards in 2026!?
This won’t be an issue in 5 years.

[Anonymous]

I kept my last name while my kids have my husbands last name (frankly because it’s easier to spell and pronounce). Sometimes I use Nelson Family, sometimes I’ll just do first names, sometimes I’ll write out all the last names. Depends on what looks better on the layout.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds silly but when I receive a card signed
THE NELSON FAMILY

it stings a little because my family has different last names. I kept my maiden name and kids have ex dhs.

I'm confused. Are people addressing the cards to you as "the 'your actual last name which is your maiden name' family" or "the 'ex husbands last name/childrens last name family'"? If people who know you are addressing cards to you with the wrong last name, that is bizarre.

No - last names isn’t really a conversation.

If family friends know my husband is Lyle smith and the kids are Layla and Lyle Jr smith, they assume his wife is Mrs Smith.

And most kids’ friends and teachers address the mom as Mrs. <Kids last name>