This was originally published on the Write Anything blog a few years back.
Well, the New Year is approaching. December is generally a time to reflect back on the past year and make plans for the upcoming months. It’ll soon be time to wipe the slate clean, move past regrets and mistakes and gear up to jump new hurdles.
In the midst of all of this reflection, I can only think of one thing to write about – holiday letters. You know what I’m talking about, those letters you receive in your Christmas cards summarizing the past year for the such-and-such family. Do you write them? Have you ever considered writing them? What do you think about them?
I have one high school friend, whom I never talk to and haven’t seen since high school, who sends me a family letter with each card every Christmas. She’s done this for years. Even though I’ve never met her daughters, I feel like I know them as I watched them grow up via photographs. Her letters are always upbeat (almost impossibly so) and her family sounds … well, perfect. I can’t help but wonder if she hasn’t doctored the events just a bit.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for sugar-coating the truth, but don’t you wonder if “Susie decided to forego her cheerleading ambitions to pursue her retail dreams” doesn’t really translate into, “Susie tried out for cheerleader, and didn’t make it. She was then so depressed that we had to pry her sticky, nasty self off the couch, throw her into the shower and force her to get a job in the mall just to save her sanity and make us some extra money?”
I’ve always read her letters with a grain of salt. True, her family COULD be perfect. And if that’s true, then perhaps I am just a tad jealous. But being cursed blessed with an over active imagination, I tend to read between the lines. I have to admit, it’s been fun to read these letters and put my own spin on things.
After receiving this year’s letter from her, I decided to try my hand at this holiday letter-writing thing. I had never written anything like this in the past and certainly never to her but I thought, what the hay, I’ll give it a go. I kept it short and to the point and I’m being honest when I say, I didn’t stretch the truth or sweeten the iffy areas. I simply wrote about my job and hobbies, my husband’s new job and how much happier he is, the boys’ school success and their interests.
After writing all of this down, after penning the nitty-gritty of our lives, I realized – we really do have a great family. True, she may read between the lines, roll her eyes and poke fun at us, but that doesn’t bother me. Because what I wrote was true and honest. And I’m proud of the fact that my husband and I have done a pretty good job living this little thing we call life.
At the end of the letter, I gave her my email address and suggested we catch up sometime. I really would like to see, and talk, to her. I mailed that letter weeks ago. I still haven’t heard from her.
Now I’m paranoid. Being a newbie to this whole holiday letter-writing thing, I’m thinking maybe I committed some sort of unforgivable faux pas. Curious, I Googled tips for writing holiday letters. Here’s what I found:
1] Consider Your Readers
As you prepare to compose the letter, think about some of the people who will be reading it. If they were sitting here now at your kitchen table, what would you be talking about with Aunt Vera, your school buddy Lane, and your old neighbors in Seattle? Talk about some of those things in your letter.
2] Involve the Family
Invite the other members of your family to contribute, and don’t be too quick to censor or redirect their ideas. Sure, you may be dying to tell the world that your son made the honor roll, but if he’s more interested in recalling that diving catch he made in centerfield, let him tell it—and let him use his own words.
3] Enjoy Yourself
If the prospect of writing a holiday letter makes you groan, forget it. A letter that starts out as a duty is likely to be read as a chore. Have some fun writing the letter.
4] Don’t Use a Template
If a family newsletter is worth writing at all, it should sound like you and your family. Don’t fill in any blanks or imitate any models.
5] Avoid Boasting
Your newsletter really shouldn’t sound like an application for America’s Greatest Family Award. Don’t brag about your stock options, your kids’ straight A’s, or your flashy new company car. Be real. Mention setbacks as well as achievements. Above all else, don’t be afraid to poke fun at yourself.
6] Read It Aloud
As you prepare to revise and edit your letter, listen to make sure that the language is clear and direct. The letter should sound as if you’re speaking with good friends, not directing a business meeting.
7] Don’t Embarrass Anybody
Encourage everyone in the family to read the letter before you make copies. You might have heard wedding bells when you met Junior’s new girlfriend on Thanksgiving, but those bells may have been false alarms. What Junior may not yet have told you is that the perfect couple broke up last weekend.
8] Proofread
There’s no need to amuse your friends with unintentional writing errors. Misspelling “bowl” as “bowel,” for instance, is funny only if somebody else has made the mistake. So review your letter for standard grammar and correct spelling.
9] Keep It Short
Nobody, they say, ever criticized a speech because it ran too short. The same is true of the holiday newsletter. Stick to one page, or even a bit less. Leave space for a brief handwritten note and a personal signature. If you’re including the letter as an e-mail attachment, send each e-mail individually. Real friends don’t spam their friends.
10] Be Selective
Send the letter only to acquaintances who might really care about what you and your family have been up to this past year. Your old roommate in Australia and a recently retired co-worker? Fine. But the mail carrier and your son’s second-grade teacher? Go with a card (or, better yet, a gift card) instead.
Considering I skipped steps 4 – 7, I think I did a pretty good job. Will I write any more holiday letters? I honestly don’t think so. I think holiday letters are dangerously close to bragging and don’t we have blogs for that? 😀
Write From Karen 