How to Write a Holiday Newsletter

The Holiday Season can be too busy and often stressful, but this easy approach to composing that annual newsletter is fun and will help you keep in touch with old friends. I have found year after year that the more I send out, the more I get in return. If you are not comfortable with Word or a publishing software, the first time you do this can be more time consuming. But once you do it, you can use your format the next year to produce a fun and highly anticipated newsletter.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Word or other publishing software that you are comfortable with.
• 8 or 9 digital photos.

1. One of the most fun parts of this exercise is going through the photos you have taken over the past year. You get the opportunity to relive some of the fun family moments.
2. Pick eight or nine of your favorite photos. This will give you the inspiration for writing. It's a great way to alleviate writer's block. Pick one or two photos for each family member, and a family group photo if you have it.
3. Place the family group photo towards top of the newsletter with a greeting from your family, something like 'It's been another wonderful year filled with many blessings!'
4. Add your other photos with a small paragraph for each one. Always be positive, fun and upbeat. Avoid illnesses and other downer topics. It's tempting to included these things, but I promise, if you keep it happy, your friends will always look forward to your newsletter and be disapointed if they don't get one.
5. Write each small paragraph in a different font. It gives the newsletter a dynamic, playful feel. Try to choose a font that is appropriate for the paragraph. For example, the Matura font is great for a paragraph about your kid's Karate lessons, and Playbill works well for a paragraph about the school play.
6. Add some color with free pictures and borders off the internet. If your kids are little, have them draw something and use your scanner to add it to the newsletter.
7. Brag a little. It's fun. And don't forget to include a paragraph about yourself!

Tips & Warnings

• Print the newsletter and keep it in a binder. It's an easy way to keep a little history that the kids will appreciate when they grow up.
• Keep all the newsletters you receive in the same binder. It's fun to review over the years.
• Copy your newsletter to a CD and let Kinko's do the printing. It seems expensive, but probably not that much more than buying your own paper and ink. And the quality will be much better.