How to Write an Annual Christmas Letter

The holidays bring lots of traditions. If one of yours is writing and sending out an annual family update letter, your beloved friends and family will thank you for taking a few minutes to read this article before you pick up the pen.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• pen and paper
• Mood music and celebratory beverage of choice optional

1. Get in the mood. Watch a sappy Christmas movie, put on some holiday music, heat up some mulled cider, enjoy a glass of wine. Your state of mind can easily come through your letter in between the lines, so do what you have to do to find a happy place before you pick up a pen.

2. Choose your greeting.
   * Most letters start with "Dear friends and family" but you can go with whatever fits your style and describes your intended audience.

3. Write a general opening paragraph.
   * Describe your holiday plans, and what you are looking forward to about the season. "As the snow falls, the magic of Christmas is everywhere...." to set the tone of the rest of the letter
   * Indicate that this is a family update letter. "2007 was an exciting year for all of us..."
   * If this is your first annual letter, state that - and add why you are doing it. If this is already a tradition, you can write something like "Every year we look forward to reflecting back on the year and sharing our adventures with all of you!"

4. Write a paragraph about each person in your home/family.
   * What did each of you accomplish at work, at home, at church, in your personal life? Don't bore your readers with your resume here - try and show your personality through what you select to include. "John finished his first-ever 10K race this summer!", "Sarah enjoys volunteering at the school P.T.A."
   * If you have kids, write about what they like to do. Everyone knows what school is like - what do YOUR kids enjoy about it? You can lump kids into one paragraph if you are worried about length. When you mention their sports and activities, try to add some color: "Alex endured a bit of a fashion crisis when he was placed on the PURPLE team in T-ball this fall!"

5. Write a group highlights paragraph.
   After you've included some specifics about each person, tie it together with a paragraph about your major family activities over the year. (Usually your summer vacation, any home improvement projects, a new home/car - things that you might have taken out a loan or saved cash for)

6. Write your closing paragraph.
   * Comment on your general good health, or other good fortune you've enjoyed this year, and wish the same for your readers
   * If there have been significant births or deaths in your circle, you can comment on this "We are thinking loving thoughts for our many friends and family who will be celebrating this first Christmas with the memory of a loved one who was lost this past year."

7. Choose a closing.
   * "All our love" - "Warm regards" - "Ciao!" - whatever your style

Tips & Warnings

• Keep it positive - lots of people on your holiday card list only hear from you once a year. A negative impression might just last until next year!
• Keep the humor general - be funny but don't offend Grandma or your Uncle the ordained priest.
• If you have pets, include them in the update!
• If you've suffered illness or injury this year, it's OK to share that in your letter. Just be sure to keep it neutral or positive if you can.
• If you had a really bad year and just can't find anything good to say, it's OK to abandon ship and not write a letter at all this year.
• Keep length to one page, and keep your font size 12 points or greater. It is highly likely that your letter will arrive in a pile of other holiday mail.