Write a Christmas or Holiday Letter
Use a Sample Template & Theme to Add Impact to Your Greeting
Oct 13, 2009
Once Halloween is over, start getting to work on your Christmas letter sample. Many people write dull, trite and lifeless journals of their family's doings over the past year. They may include reports of a baby's first tooth erupting, a grade schooler's favorite TV show, or an adult's business trips. While these items may seem newsworthy to a close relative, chances are significant that this person already knows about the tooth, the show and the trips!
Furthermore, a casual acquaintance who reads these "newsworthy" items will be either bored, wonder why they've been included in the mailing, or think that the newsletter is too self-promoting. Instead of creating a greeting that's begging to be recycled, use a thematic format to create an enjoyable read for your friends. Follow the guidelines below for some clever, easy and quick ideas to implement and a sample Christmas letter template to add spark to this holiday chore!
KISS: Keep It Short, Sweetie!
Believe it or not, most people are NOT that interested in all the details of your previous year. So take this chance to present only the highlights of your family’s year. Be brutal in editing and use Suite 101’s guidelines which indicate that most readers lose interest after approximately 400 words. You can choose to allocate these lines to individual family members, to themes such as work, vacation and family, or to the seasons of the year (spring, summer, fall, winter).
While it may initially seem harsh to your extended family members and relatives, keep the letter focused only on your immediate family. This piece of literature is not the place to thank people for visiting you or to elaborate on Aunt Mary’s gallbladder surgery. With this strict guideline, you will avoid the inevitable hurt feelings and ill will experienced by accidentally including one set of grandparents in the letter and omitting the other!
Give It a Theme
While incorporating an original theme like the seasonal catalogs do would be really neat, not everyone is that clever. However, feel free to borrow some proven spunk from others. Consider creating a Top Ten List of your doings (borrowed from David Letterman’s show), a TV Guide-style listing of your year’s highlights, or a faux elementary school report card with “comments from the teacher” about the year’s adventures.
Other themes that can be used very effectively for a holiday greeting are inspired by video games, popular music, current events, or even a rewrite of a well known poem or song. Christmas letter paper, a sample holiday letter or a Christmas letter template can also help you in your endeavor.
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