Christmas Letters - Some Ideas for 2011

Welcome!  We hope to make that holiday task less of a chore and spend more time relaxing this festive season!

We have all received memorable humorous Christmas letters and would certainly like ours to be interesting to read for our friends and family this holiday season. 

It's especially great way to keep up with distant friends - for some, it's the only news you'll hear from them each year - and it's a great tradition to keep in touch!

Ideas for Writing Your Christmas Letters

I love the holidays!

I love all that baking, shopping, wrapping gifts, finding and decorating the tree and I love writing my Christmas letter and hearing from friends and relatives from all over the United States and in other parts of the world.

Don't let it become a chore; here are some tips to make it fun.

10 Tips For Writing Your Christmas Letter

1. Write your Christmas letter with a friend, your spouse, or your sister.  It's more fun when you share memories and laugh and cry about the year that's gone by.  Drink cocoa and have some cookies while you work.
2. Use a computer so that you can make corrections and revisions easily.  Don't forget to run the spell checker to make sure that your letter is perfectly spelt.  However, if you're not using the latest technology, a hand-written letter is always wonderful to receive.  Be sure someone proof reads it before it's sent.
3. Use special holiday paper that can be purchased at most office supply stores.  Or you can use colored paper and add pictures and borders (red/green or red/gold can be effective combinations).  You can even buy pre-cut cards shaped as Christmas trees!  Use a pretty font and dress the letter up with some bold type or Christmas stickers.
4. Start your Christmas letter with holiday wishes and questions about your friends' and relatives' health and well-being.  Tell everyone you miss them.
5. Next, describe your year.  Don't brag!  Both happy and sad events should be included.  Include any major milestones - birthdays, graduations, weddings. Tell a cute story or two.  Let the kids write their own bit, if they're old enough.  Keep it under two pages!
6. Then, send more wishes for wonderful holidays and a Happy New Year
7. Sign your letter by hand
8. Use a decorated or colored envelope - you can add a seasonal stamp or if you're into rubber stamping, you can hand decorate your envelopes with special stamps
9. Include recent family pictures
10. Mail it early - this means you can save on postage and be one of the first to arrive

So, grab a friend, heat up some cocoa, and start writing!

FAQ - your questions

But I hate letter-writing ...

You could set up a website or blog with your latest photos on - why not use the letter to get people to join you on one of the many social networking sites, so that it's not another year until you find out what's happening with them.  This way, next year, all you'll need to send is a simple card!

Should I email it?

Whilst there's no reason why not, it could get lost in the spam and there's something better about sending something through the holiday post.

Thanks for visiting - best wishes for the festive season.