Google+ Southern Newlywed: Tips for Writing a Christmas Letter - Southern Weddings

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When I was growing up, one of my very favorite activities of the Christmas season was reading the cards and newsletters sent to our family (all kept in a basket on the kitchen table!). My Dad was in the military, so we had a far-flung collection of family and friends, and in the days before social media, the annual Christmas letter was one of our only ways to catch up with many of them. Of course, my family sent a letter, too, and I can remember at least one long evening each December where we’d pass the stack of 250 or so around and around the table as each family member added his or her signature at the bottom.

With the Christmas newsletter such a beloved part of my childhood, it was a no-brainer that I’d begin creating my own the year John and I got married. I know some of y’all might think a yearly letter is a little outdated in the age of constant social media updates, but I love that it gives us a chance to sort through our year’s adventures and milestones and sift the best to the top. Plus, we send our letter to family and friends of all ages, and many of them do not follow us on social media!

Having now written three letters myself (and read countless others!), I humbly consider myself to be a bit of an expert on the topic. I’m sharing my best tips today in case you’re inspired to write your own!

Our Christmas letter from last year!

1. Don’t brag. Y’all know the ones — the letters that may refer to brilliant children, extravagant purchases, or luxurious vacations. While some of these things might need to be mentioned, there is a way to do so without coming across as obnoxious! I find using a light, grateful tone and occasionally poking fun at ourselves helps :)

2. Keep it simple and personal. Similarly, the best way to keep your letter from sounding braggy is to edit, edit, and edit some more. Don’t mention every vacation, achievement, or hobby — instead, highlight one that was most memorable or meaningful and include some detail on WHY. That will help humanize and frame the good stuff! What was your favorite experience on your vacation? What are you loving about your new job? What was the best moment of your wedding?

3. Go big, and very small. I think some of the most interesting letters not only include the big moments of the year, but the very tiniest, too — the types of things that you’d know about if you sat down for coffee every day. Of course, you can’t include them all, but including one or two will make your letter uniquely you and more memorable. Tell loved ones about the best book you read that year, the food you tried for the first time at the Fair, or how you learned to wire a light and successfully switched out a pendant without electrocuting yourself.

4. Keep your audience in mind. Our Christmas letter gets sent to friends our age, our aunts and uncles, the parents of childhood friends, our grandparents, and everyone in between. Keep each of those faces in mind as you sit down to write – what can you say that will bring a smile to those specific faces? And, if you’re like us, remember that for some, this will be your only communication of the year. Remember to include the basics when relevant: how old your baby is, what your jobs are, where you live, etc.

5. Sound like yourself. There’s no need to use big words or puffed-up sentence structure — write like you speak, just with a little more polish! Again, picture your favorite aunt or college friend, and write to her.

6. Don’t be afraid to get creative. In the future, when we need more space for multiple children, I imagine we’ll write a more a traditional newsletter. For now, though, a more succinct and graphic-based design works well for our family. If a poem, top ten list, or series of illustrations feels more authentic for you than a standard letter, then by all means, go for it!

7. Edit, edit, edit. Again. This goes for length (no more than a page!), subject matter, and (my personal favorite!) grammar. Write a draft, then set it aside for a few days before taking a second look with fresh eyes. And before you send anything to print, have your husband or a friend look it over for errors!

8. Remember the reason for writing. This is almost like having a “mini mission” for your letter. For our family, it’s important that our letter not be all about us – we want to share our joy at Christmas at the birth of our Savior, and we want to remind our people just how much we love them. So, we’re not afraid to get sentimental or “real.” It’s good to be very clear about how much you love and appreciate people sometimes, even if you think they already know it!

9. Add a personal touch. Assuming you’re not handwriting your Christmas letter for all 100 loved ones, take the time to write a short personal note or, at the least, a signature, at the bottom of each one.

I would love to hear: do you write a Christmas or holiday letter to go with your card? Did your family growing up? Do you love reading the letters of others as much as I do? :)

emily Written with love by Emily
4 Comments
  1. avatar Skylar Albritton reply

    Love this, Emily! Great advice for providing loved ones with an easily readable snapshot of your life! Do you use a service to create your newsletter?

    • avatar Emily reply

      Thank you so much, Skylar! I design mine in Illustrator and print it through UPrinting, but Minted also has some neat options for creating a newsletter-style, graphic card!

  2. avatar Anna reply

    What a fun idea! I definitely agree it is important to write a small note at the bottom. We make it a fun event out of it…kind of a date night : good music, christmas lights on, fun hot chocolate! It is fun to be reminded how grateful we are for friends/family around the country!

  3. avatar Lisa reply

    I love the Thomas family newsletters!! Love these tips and can’t wait to see this year’s :)

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