We’ve all seen them—Christmas family newsletters in which the kids all have straight-A grades and perfect smiles (no need for braces!)…the husband got promoted (three times, no less!)…the wife was elected president of the garden club (as well as the PTA!)…the family adopted a new dog—already housebroken!
And that family trip to Hawaii was just so AWESOME!
Just on and on and on.
Bah, humbug.
As a writer, I’ve prepared my share of newsletters—hopefully, not as awful as the one just described. And I’ve seen my share of newsletters, too. Some are really well done. Others, not so much.
For many of us—particularly those who don’t use social media (and there are some)—the Christmas family newsletter is how we stay in touch. We can summarize our year that was for those we’ve not seen, while offering season’s greetings.
To reach out, and say so much in one gesture, is hard to beat. Yet it can easily be overdone. People often dread receiving those notes because everything is so incredibly, unbelievably perfect.
It doesn’t have to be this way. A well-written Christmas family newsletter can share your good news while not coming across as braggadocio.
Follow these tips when preparing your Christmas newsletter:
- Tailor your content to your audience. Not everyone gets all the inside jokes and references.
- Keep it brief. Limit it to no more than one page.
- Make it skim-able. More smaller paragraphs, fewer long ones, make your note easier to read.
- Keep it balanced. Maybe your housebroken dog drinks your eggnog when you’re not watching.
- Include a picture. Let your family and friends see you.
- Handwrite a personal greeting on each note. Show that you’re thinking of your recipient specifically.
- Remember the season.
On the last point, I’ll follow my own advice here. Merry Christmas to you and yours!
