When addressing an entire family use the family's last name preceded by “The.” For example, “The Smiths.” Use professional titles when appropriate. Always use professional titles when addressing members of the clergy, elected officials, doctors or those who have earned their Ph. D.
For a casual and friendly salutation, list each of their first names, while a more formal letter could address a family using titles like "Ms." or Mr." For a simple solution, address the family as a collective group by writing their last name and then "family" after it.
Rule #2: You never need an apostrophe when signing or addressing cards. (Apostrophes imply possession, which isn't what you're trying to do. You're simply naming them in the plural.) These rules mean you should write out any last name in full, whether Williams or Garcia, and simply tack something onto the end.
We would write "Dear Smith family". "Dear *Smith's family" means "family belonging to somebody named Smith".
The Smiths is plural for "Smith" and means there is more than one person named Smith and the invitation is from them all. When in doubt, we like to use "The Smith Family". The Smith's (with an apostrophe before the s) is the possessive of "Smith" and indicates one person ownership.
Unlike singular possessives, which take an apostrophe followed by an S, plural possessives take an apostrophe alone. So if you're going to the home of the Smiths, you're going to the Smiths' house. If you're going to visit the Williamses, that would be at the Williamses' house.
The Rules for (Correctly) Pluralizing Your Last Name
Unless you want to make your last name possessive, there aren't any circumstances where you would need to add an apostrophe.
You usually make family names plural by adding an “s” to the end. However, if the name ends in "s," “x,” "z," “ch,” or “sh,” you usually add an “es” instead (but there are exceptions). The plural of “mother-in-law” is “mothers-in-law.” The plural of “Mister” is ““Messieurs,” which is abbreviated “Messrs.”
Address the invite to “ The Armstrong Family.” This implies that you will be inviting the whole family and that all family members (children included) are invited to both the ceremony and reception. If using an outer and an inner envelope! You only need to address the adults on the outer mailing envelope.
When you write about your family, use the present tense and write in short, clear sentences. Identify all of your family members by name and discuss where your family members live. Use “brother, sister, mother, father, uncle, aunt, cousin, etc” to identify your family members.
When addressing an entire family use the family's last name preceded by “The.” For example, “The Smiths.” Use professional titles when appropriate. Always use professional titles when addressing members of the clergy, elected officials, doctors or those who have earned their Ph. D.
When addressing a married couple or couple with different last names, it's best to list the person to whom you're closest to first on the outer and inner envelopes. If you know each one as well as the other, you may write them in alphabetical order.
For most names, add an -s to make them plural. For names that end in ch, s, sh, x, and z, add -es to make them plural. *There is an exception to this rule: If your last name ends in ch but is pronounced with a hard /k/ sound, like the word monarch, add only an -s rather than -es.
Names are proper nouns, which become plurals the same way that other nouns do: add the letter -s for most names (“the Johnsons,” “the Websters”) or add -es if the name ends in s or z (“the Joneses,” “the Martinezes”).
If you're planning on signing your Christmas card from the whole family, pay attention to how you order the names. Traditionally, the husband's name is first, followed by the wife's. After that, each child's name is added in the order of their birth.
When signing Christmas cards or other greeting cards from the entire family, the father's name should appear first, followed by the mother's and then the children's. The children's names should be in order from oldest to youngest.
If a name is singular but ends in an “s,” you always add an apostrophe after the name to show possession, but you can also add another “s” after the apostrophe if you prefer (e.g., Jess' office OR Jess's office). If the name is plural, simply add an apostrophe at the end to show possession (e.g., the Jones' new baby).
If your last name is Johnson and you want to send a card from your family, simply add an "s": The Johnsons ("Merry Christmas from the Johnsons!"). Only use an apostrophe when you want to make a name possessive. ("From The Smith's" is always wrong, but "The party is at the Smiths' house" is correct.)
When making your last name plural, you don't need to add an apostrophe! The apostrophe makes the name possessive. The last letter of your last name will determine if you add an “-s” or an “-es”. If your last name ends in -s, -z, -ch, -sh, or -x, you add -es to your last name to make it plural.
Don't use an apostrophe to make your last name plural. Apostrophes can be used to show possession—à la the Smithsʼ house or Tim Johnsonʼs pad— but they don't indicate there's more than one person in your family.