Let’s face it: most family newsletters are a wee bit tiresome. Okay, they're boring. And some can be downright smug and self-absorbed. Most letters--but never, we imagine, our own.
A holiday newsletter doesn’t have to be silly or tedious. One that’s brief, thoughtfully composed, and marked by a sense of humor can be a charming way of staying in touch with distant friends.
There are no Official Rules for writing holiday letters--thank goodness. The secret to composing a good letter is to write from the head as well as the heart and to keep your readers in mind. Here are a few suggestions to help you do just that.
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.
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 daughter made the honor roll, but if she's more interested in recalling that last-minute goal she scored in a soccer game, let her tell it—and let her use her own words.
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.
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