a question on British etiquette

[rhubarbodendron]

I urgently need help with one of my Christmas cards:

How does one properly address a letter to a whole British family? Let's call them Miller.
Would it be "the Miller family, x-road, y-town" or "the Millers" or something totally different?

They are very nice people and I would like to leave a good impression and not make a faux pas.
This is exactly the stuff you don't learn at school or find in dictionaries, so that as a foreigner you're practically bound to do it wrong.

Please help!
(I'm also curious if there are differences in letter-adressing etiquette between GB and USA)

 

[Pingfah]

Do you mean how to address the envelope, or how to write the card?

If the former just put:

Mr & Mrs Miller
X Road
Y Town.

They aren't going to read the envelope or care about it anyway. They will appreciate the sentiment as long as you make sure the card gets there.

 

[rhubarbodendron]

mainly the envelope. In the card "dear Miller family" would be in order, I think. Right?

 

[Pingfah]

See edit above.

And for the card, yes, that would be fine. If you know their first names, then use those instead though.

 

[Roger Wilco]

I'm not British, but I think either "Miller Family" or "Mr. and Mrs. Miller" would be fine on the envelope.

 

[rhubarbodendron]

wow, you are quick!

Would Mr & Mrs include the children as well? I mean to address all of them.

 

[Pingfah]

Don't worry about addressing the kids on the envelope, just address it to the parents. It is purely to make it get there, nothing more. Put the kids inside the card.

 

[rhubarbodendron]

*giggle* - sorry, I was just envisioning literally putting the kids inside the card.

Thanks for the help! I'm off to the post office now.
(and I think I'll have Cornish Pasties for supper today - shouldn't have looked at your profile, I guess )

 

[dauntless]

Don't worry about addressing the kids on the envelope, just address it to the parents. It is purely to make it get there, nothing more. Put the kids inside the card.

Pretty big card if the kids fit in it too.

Anyway, you'll also need the postcode - if you go on the British Royal Mail postcode finder and type in the house number, street name and town, you should be able to find that.

 

[Gil T.Azell]

I'm not British, but I think either "Miller Family" or "Mr. and Mrs. Miller" would be fine on the envelope.

Or Mr. and Mrs. Miller & Family.
with the address on the envelope would seem appropriate.

 

[RoJoHen]

I feel like this is not as complicated as you are making it.

 

[captcalhoun]

it isn't.

 

[Holdfast]

it isn't.

+1

No-one much cares these days.

However, if the OP wants to be ultra-traditional, I was taught at school that the correct format for a married couple is:

Mr & Mrs <man's christian name> <surname>

If he has an honorific:

Dr & Mrs <man's christian name> <surname>

If they both have honorifics:

Dr <man's full name> & Dr <woman's full name>

If they're an unmarried couple, I believe you follow the rule for honorifics, but place the woman's name first, but I don't think I was ever actually taught that at school (Unmarried couples? Shocking! Not for tender young children to know about! )

 

[SmoothieX]

I'm a mister, she's a doctor, and we have two different names. If the mail gets there I don't care if they address us as Captain Pooface and Lady Cockgoblin.

 

[RoJoHen]

Lady Cockgoblin.

I feel like she might care if her mail was addressed like this.

 

[Holdfast]

I'm a mister, she's a doctor, and we have two different names. If the mail gets there I don't care if they address us as Captain Pooface and Lady Cockgoblin.

With your appropriate titles, and making a few assumptions on the initials, that should probably read: Mr I. M. A. Pooface & Dr I. L. V. Cockgoblin...

 

[scotpens]

I feel like this is not as complicated as you are making it.

It isn't.

Unless you’re addressing mail to a member of the peerage.

 

[captcalhoun]

which most people in every day life don't.

 

[AFEK ESLCAFE W]

I've personally found Brits that I've encountered in my life to be very sensitive when it comes to addressing proper titles and such to the point of smirking agitation if you are even off by a period.

 

[Pingfah]

I've personally found Brits that I've encountered in my life to be very sensitive when it comes to addressing proper titles and such to the point of smirking agitation if you are even off by a period.

You may just be a jerk magnet then, because nobody I know could give a shit, and I bet I know a lot more Brits than you.