Category Archives: Friends & Get togethers

As much as people will tell you that Christmas letters are old-fashioned are should be replaced with e-cards and Facebook messages, don’t believe them!  I think everyone enjoys going to their mailbox during the holiday season and receiving cards, letters, and photos from all over the country from friends and relatives.  We love wall papering our fridge in December with photos and we have saved every single Christmas letter from friends and family since 2003!

I realize not everyone likes to write.  Putting together a Christmas letter might give you the same anxiety you received when your English teacher asked you to write in your creative writing journal on a topic of her choosing.  You don’t have to be a published author.  Here are few tips from me–a very amateur writer–but who loves a good Christmas letter.

1)  Start with a good lead.  In this age of texting, Twitter, and Facebook statuses, we all have short attention spans.  People read the first few sentences of an article and if it doesn’t pull them in–they move on.  Not to say they are going to junk your Christmas letter.  However, they will be enticed by some interesting beginning words.  Start with a story, a good quote, or something sentimental.  Avoid clichés like “Where did the time go?” or “It’s that time of year to write the typical Christmas letter.”

2)  Keep it short.  One page maybe two at the most is a good length.  Don’t tell your life story.  Write a memoir instead.  Write your first draft without being too concerned about length.  Then go back and cut out the least important parts.

3)  Don’t say negative things about your spouse/kids!  If your six-year-old is struggling in spelling or eight year old scored zero goals in soccer or your twelve-year-old has a crush on the principal’s daughter–don’t say it in a Christmas letter!  You think you would never do it, I know!  Sometimes we resort to teasing to create humor.  Often we don’t realize we look kind of silly and usually lose respect from the ones we love.

4)  Don’t let it read like a grid.  Writing what you did each month of the year is a great idea.  I have written many Christmas letters with this type of theme.  But make sure it doesn’t read like, “And then we did this…and then we went here.”  It helps to use different verbs and keep sentences to the point.

5)  Keep it real.  Some people criticize letters because they can be…well…a little fake.  You had a great year, really?  Didn’t you lose your job?  Unless you are sending a letter to just a close select few, don’t go into detail about your problems.  Share what happened especially if it was significant (someone dying, husband serving in Afghanistan, being diagnosed with a disease…).  You could even thank your friends for their support and prayers.  Think about it. If you send a Christmas letter to your old college roommate and your only contact is the annual Christmas letter, do they need to know this?  Ask yourself:  Why do they need to know this if I didn’t tell them when I was going through it?

And if you really don’t want to write the annual Christmas letter, ask someone else to do it!  One year we got a family letter written by the twelve-year-old in the family and it was precious.   Or have each family member write a paragraph.  Just make it fun!

Posted by artoornstra in Friends & Get togethers Tags: anxiety, Bible, blogging, creating memories, family time, friendship, holidays, kid's activities, preschoolers, relationship with God, travel