Jennifer in MI Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 I LOVE them!! I love receiving them and love writing ours. This year ours is a page with each person's picture with bullet points next to them saying what they've been up to. The back side of the letter is full of pictures with captions. It sums up our year well. I just spent the last six hours going through ALL of the Christmas pictures we've received since we got married. I just could never figure out what to do with them. I didn't have the heart to throw them away. I love looking through them! So, I organized them and put them into an album. Each family has a page with all their pictures in order - with room to expand. I'm really proud of myself! So, if you send me a picture/letter, it'll get filed into our massive Christmas book and I'll treasure it forever! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LynnG in Arizona Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 I LOVE them!! I love receiving them and love writing ours. This year ours is a page with each person's picture with bullet points next to them saying what they've been up to. The back side of the letter is full of pictures with captions. It sums up our year well. I just spent the last six hours going through ALL of the Christmas pictures we've received since we got married. I just could never figure out what to do with them. I didn't have the heart to throw them away. I love looking through them! So, I organized them and put them into an album. Each family has a page with all their pictures in order - with room to expand. I'm really proud of myself! So, if you send me a picture/letter, it'll get filed into our massive Christmas book and I'll treasure it forever! Ohhh . . . I love your spirit! :D It's genuinely surprising to me what a polarizing topic this is, because I honestly treasure the letters and pictures we receive, and save them from year to year. I would be honored to end up in your album! After reading through this thread, I discussed the topic with my husband at length this morning. We acknowledge that some portion of our Christmas letter recipients (5%? 50%? We honestly don't know.) probably will not like receiving our letter for various reasons. And we're just going to keep sending them out with goodwill, in the hopes that the majority of our recipients will receive them as the loving (albeit mass-produced) greeting that we intend them to be. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIch elle Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 Nope - don't write one and never have. I like living the simple life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rwjx2khsmj Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 Put me in the "love them" catagory. I don't have the energy to keep up with friends/family that are scattered far and wide on a daily basis (even on Facebook) nor do I expect them to know what's going on with me day by day. I love getting the letters and catching a glimpse of people who have shared our lives in one way or another. I hope the people who receive my letter and card each year feel the same (or at least some of them do). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peek a Boo Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 To me, if I have to send a letter covering everything we did in the last year with or without pictures because we have not been in touch in the last year and this letter is the only way you will know what has been going on in my life...well, I guess we really aren't that important in each other's lives. If I really cared about you and you really cared about me then we would keep in touch by some form or another more than once a year. That's too bad. Life can be so busy and different for so many people that your idea of "must not care" may be more about "we've been so busy, why haven't YOU stepped up to help keep lines of communication open?? what's so tough about piopping a simple newsletter in th mail once a year or so?" Not everyone else has time to take from their busy life to keep up with ME, but they may sincerely like to hear what is happening with our family every once in a while. just because I don't follow the plight of specific orphans in a third-world country via some other company's very public website doesn't mean i don't care. But i do like to get that once a year reminder of all the other people out there, even if I don't send them a donation. I'm still not on FB or myspace. I have my hands full with a couple discussion boards and email. I hafta admit -- when my sil sent a newsletter that was 6 paragraphs long, with one paragraph about THEM, one about HIM, and FOUR about her, I found that to be a bit unbalanced, lol! I don't mind the newsletter thing -- updates are great, even if they ARE just once a year. And I tend to like the hard copy version too. all that to say that I've only done a quick family-update note once.......;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 ? Do you not like hearing from other people AT ALL? That belongs in the confessions thread. :lol: Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 I think it's quite a US thing because I've only ever got them from friends in the US and never from Australian/New Zealanders. Long may it NOT be an acceptable form of Christmas card here.In the days before we blogged and I did send a Christmas letter it was always full of photos and in a personally written card. I'm not a fan of Christmas cards, especially when I receive the crappy ones. Ok, if I'm the person you care about least, don't send me one at all! (It's not just where I come from, is it? Everyone else understands the hierarchy of Christmas cards?) Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tex-mex Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 (edited) That's too bad. Life can be so busy and different for so many people that your idea of "must not care" may be more about "we've been so busy, why haven't YOU stepped up to help keep lines of communication open?? what's so tough about piopping a simple newsletter in th mail once a year or so?" Not everyone else has time to take from their busy life to keep up with ME, but they may sincerely like to hear what is happening with our family every once in a while. just because I don't follow the plight of specific orphans in a third-world country via some other company's very public website doesn't mean i don't care. But i do like to get that once a year reminder of all the other people out there, even if I don't send them a donation. I'm still not on FB or myspace. I have my hands full with a couple discussion boards and email. I hafta admit -- when my sil sent a newsletter that was 6 paragraphs long, with one paragraph about THEM, one about HIM, and FOUR about her, I found that to be a bit unbalanced, lol! I don't mind the newsletter thing -- updates are great, even if they ARE just once a year. And I tend to like the hard copy version too. all that to say that I've only done a quick family-update note once.......;) Very nicely stated. I agree. My two sisters barely have a roof over their heads and are on govt assistance -- one is developmentally disabled and mentally ill and they live 2000 miles away. One I have not spoken to in years. The other doesn't own a telephone. We write to each other via snail mail. My oldest sister (who is very fragile and childlike) LOVES to see her nephew's photos and a brief update that is upbeat. Ironically, I heard from my middle sister a few weeks ago (other post) and she even said she appreciated keeping updated on how we are doing. I have no clue how she is doing, tho'. I also keep thinking of Great Aunt Edna in another state who doesn't like talking on the telephone and writes to us via old fashioned snail mail. She remembers my birthday (and I am not even a blood relation) every year. She never married nor had children and lives alone. Heck yeah, I'm giving her a full color (yearly) Christmas letter with lotsa photos of my kid to brighten up her day. Good grief. Ladies, let's try to not be so self-righteous and realize not all of our relatives or friends are cyber savvy to read our "blogs" (Um hello? Is not a blog the same thing as a Christmas Card -- you are talking about YOURSELF.), emails, or be a FB friend. Yet they do care about us and most we only hear from once a year via the Christmas card. :confused: Edited December 6, 2009 by tex-mex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tex-mex Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 (edited) I could have written your post. You captured perfectly the way I feel about both sending and receiving Christmas letters/ pictures. We are a military family who have moved regularly. Part of being a military family is becoming extremely close with a family, and then moving away from one another and drifting apart over time. We no longer are in frequent contact with these families, but we sincerely love them and are genuinely happy to receive annual updates from them. I have been told that people feel the same about our Christmas letter and picture. I do admit to cringing now every time I go to the effort, wondering if any of our recipients feel contemptuous and judgmental toward the update which I prepared with genuine love. :( Yes, I know in a perfect world my letter would have been handwritten . . . but that's just sadly not going to happen. And you know what they say about perfect being the enemy of good, right? Lynn, Don't feel bad... people do appreciate your actions. Ya know, about the OP... years ago, as a newlywed, I would painstakingly write a personal note on every Christmas card and decorate the envelope. When we had a child, I used to hand ink the (photo glued onto) handdrawn cardstock frame -- back then, we had 75+ people on our list. One year I recall over 100 cards were sent out as we were missionaries at the time and had numerous supporters along with family and friends. (Not including formal letters to thank churches for their support.) Nowadays, our list is slimmed down to 30 (whew) of only friends and family who do not live near us - and only 10 of them email, call or FB us regularily - I send them the annual letter. But ironically, this year I may only send a card as money is tight to even buy reprints of photos, printer cartridge ink or xeroxing. (I'm still reeling over how expensive stamps are. lol But I did buy the card set at 75% off last Jan 2009 -- only 3.99 for 40 cards.) Yet, I feel guilty just sending a card with a signature on it. I feel I have to write a message at the very least. :confused: But honestly, I don't have time for that type of writing. Edited December 6, 2009 by tex-mex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 (It's not just where I come from, is it? Everyone else understands the hierarchy of Christmas cards?) Rosie Sort of like the hierarchy of Valentine's cards when we were in school? :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 Good grief. Ladies, let's try to not be so self-righteous and realize not all of our relatives or friends are cyber savvy to read our "blogs" (Um hello? Is not a blog the same thing as a Christmas Card -- you are talking about YOURSELF.), emails, or be a FB friend. Yet they do care about us and most we only hear from once a year via the Christmas card. :confused: I think we're talking about apples & oranges. First of all this wasn't about cards but about the annual family newsletter - these are not cards and are not letters. I LOVE receiving real letters, preferably hand written but I have an older relative who types as handwriting is hard on the hands for this person. This is a REAL correspondence. Christmas newsletters are not letters. They're like club bulletins, or charity and church newsletters. They're kind of generic and impersonal & um, mass produced. And your bolded part - I'm sorry but EVERY Christmas newsletter I've ever read has been "talking about yourself". They are just as self-absorbed as many blogs are (and I blog so I can say that! :D) Some pp mentioned that Christmas correspondence used to be about wishing other people well, sharing the love & perhaps catching up on a bit of news, but now it's all about "what I did this year!", signed with the obligatory "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year". Anyway. They're not the worst things in the world. Don't sweat it. If you like sending them out, go crazy (& give the post office something to do; they're losing revenue fast each year). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 Sort of like the hierarchy of Valentine's cards when we were in school? :D We don't do Valentine cards over here, but I imagine so :) Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msjones Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 I enjoy the Christmas letters, be they mass-produced, handwritten, or a pretty card. There is no tradition that pleases everyone. One can complain about or be offended by just about anything. Likewise, one can enjoy or be touched by just about anything. Of course, some of those letters come across as arrogant. And some of them are charming and funny. I like to think that people do the best they can. I think you've got to take the good with the bad, and do the best you can to enjoy the traditions of our current culture. Some day I imagine I'll be a little old lady wishing for the days when my mailbox was full of those Christmas letters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Sherry Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 One year I did a Christmas letter, but that's the only time I've done one. There were a couple of things I wanted to tell all of our relatives that live across the county that year without writing 20 separate letters. I do enjoy receiving them. One person has sent me a newsletter that is about 5 or 6 pages long , written on both sides of the paper. I stopped reading them because they are full of very boring, mundane details that I am not interested in, including complaints about his exwife. The complaints about his exwife are the main reason I stopped sending him Christmas cards and stopped reading his letters. I don't want to be a Christmas letter Scrooge, but I don't want to read a Christmas letter that slanders someones ex. :001_huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nd293 Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 Am I the only one that does NOT write one? I don't get the point of them. If a person is a part of your life then they should already know what is going on in your life. If you have to write a letter to someone to tell them what has happened in your life over the last YEAR then they are not really in your life, are they? :001_huh: I get so annoyed when I receive a Christmas letter from someone who hasn't bothered to write to me all year! I always appreciate a quick note that implies "we're not close anymore, but I value the role you once played in my life", but I really hate having to wade through 6 pages of details about people who don't have much place in my thoughts or life. That's all about them and and says nothing about their relationship with me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patchfire Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 I've considered doing a Christmas letter as an overall satire. Background: We are estranged from most of dh's family; their decision, but I am not overly distressed about it. They, along with part of my family, are extremely competitive. Everything must be compared and someone else is found to be "better," well, then, better get cracking tearing it down! With that in mind, I have seriously considered doing one of these. All true events, just worded extra-special. I keep stopping myself by reminding myself not to stoop to their level. Some days it's hard! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 I love getting Christmas letters from people. In fact, I'm always very disappointed in getting just a card without a letter. There are a lot of people in my life who I still care about, but it's just hard to keep in touch. I love hearing about where they're working, what their kids are doing, etc. I send an annual letter and family picture and hope I'm not offending people by doing so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pink Fairy Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 I've considered doing a Christmas letter as an overall satire. Background: We are estranged from most of dh's family; their decision, but I am not overly distressed about it. They, along with part of my family, are extremely competitive. Everything must be compared and someone else is found to be "better," well, then, better get cracking tearing it down! With that in mind, I have seriously considered doing one of these. All true events, just worded extra-special. I keep stopping myself by reminding myself not to stoop to their level. Some days it's hard! :lol: Wouldn't it be therapeutic for you to write the letter just to post it for us to read and enjoy? Come on! You know you want to...:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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