Things You'll Need:
- a creative way of looking at things
-
Step 1
Gather your material. Look at your calendar to jog your memory for dates and activities; scan any newsy emails you may have written throughout the year; grill your family for their memories; or glance over the year’s photos to get ideas. Make a note of any interesting, humorous, or momentous events you come across.
-
Step 2
Too many letters read like a bullet list of “Where We Went This Year,” or “What Sports Our Kids Are Involved In.” While you certainly want to include these events, use a particular memory to describe them creatively. Instead of writing, “In June we went camping and had a lot of fun,” write, “During our camping trip in June, the girls decided to fill people’s sleeping bags with pinecones. When the older kids discovered this, they tied the girls’ tent zipper shut and hid their shoes!” This gives a more descriptive and interesting picture of your trip than saying, “it was fun.”
-
Step 3
Besides the list of “momentous” things that happened this year, include everyday things, humorously described, for a letter that people will enjoy reading. These personal touches make your letter stand out from the stacks of Christmas letters.
-
Step 4
Decide how to organize your information. Will you write chronologically from January to December, or allot a paragraph or two for each person in your family? I have organized our Christmas letters by person, by month, by season, and once--I still get comments about this letter--with a word and a paragraph for every letter of the alphabet. (I almost forgot U, but caught the omission in time!)
-
Step 5
Plan an opening paragraph. Write about the reason Christmas is important. Tell of the trouble you had writing your letter. Describe the holiday mood of your home. Write a closing paragraph that finishes the thought begun in the opening. This gives your letter a sense of continuity from beginning to end.
-
Step 6
Check your draft for spelling, grammar, and clarity. Avoid too many exclamation points; your letter should convey enthusiasm by its wording, not by the overuse of certain punctuation marks. Have someone read it over with a red pencil to check for mistakes or sections that need to be worded more clearly.
