It seems the holiday newsletter has come to stay. Despite jokes and regular references in popular culture to those “darned holiday newsletters,” the holiday letter has come to be an accepted and expected compliment (or alternative) to the holiday card. Putting together an annual holiday newsletter need not be a painful drudge, and there are ways to avoid the common pitfalls that make your letter an annoyance or the family laughing stock. Try some of these ideas to create a treasured and original holiday newsletter…
Begin your newsletter like a writer would begin construction of a story – consider who’s point of view your newsletter will be from, and what sort of things will be included. Even you are just a one-person household, you can write a clever story about your past-year’s activities. I have read clever holiday letters written from the point of view of the family pet, or a new baby. It takes a fine hand, however, to keep these letters clever and not trite. If you have several people in the household, consider letting each person have a column or section to write about their own highlights. Think about whether you’d like to give an overview of the entire year or just hit some of the major high points – perhaps a big vacation, or a change in the family or a new job.
If you can include photos, consider doing so. Most families have the capability to add digital photos or scanned photos with their computers. You might want to use one family-style photo or several smaller photos of the year’s events.
Your computer desktop publishing software (Office, Appleworks, etc.) has newsletter and document templates that work wonderfully for putting together a classy and well-designed holiday letter. You can choose a single page, or multiple pages if you have a big family or you’ve had a busy year. With a template, you can insert photos and copy into the pre-designated area and the letter will look like it was created by a professional!
You can also purchase holiday letterhead at your office supply store. By formatting your letter to fit within the designs and borders, you simply print the letter off onto the special paper and it looks festive and fabulous. Photos can be a concern if you use darkly colored letterhead paper, however, so you may want to experiment and see what looks best.
In thinking about what to include in your holiday letter that would be interesting and entertaining, try to think beyond the ordinary, “this is what we did this year.” Some fun ideas might be to include a play list of the family’s current favorite songs. A review of a movie or play you’ve seen, a “top ten” list of vacation mishaps. A little humor and creativity will be a welcome touch and help your letter stand out!
If you have had some major changes, a death, or other significant event in the past year, it is perfectly fine to include that in your letter. A little corner of memoriam for someone who has passed away or an acknowledgement to a difficult transition are quite appropriate for the letter. Often, holiday letters are simply a glowing glossy version of family life and don’t give a very human portrayal of the family or individuals they are meant to represent. Including details of a “real year” (as long as it doesn’t become a total downer!) will also make your letter a true document of your life.
These are just a few ideas to get you started as you sit down to create this year’s holiday letter. You might like to get started a little early so you can work on it slowly and have time to make changes and edits – just as if you were creating a newsletter for a club or organization. By discovering the true “voice” of your family or household, your holiday letter will be a genuine gift to share with family
