Pink Fairy Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 I've followed the Christmas letter threads with interest. Although I don't write them, I love receiving them and would be sad if people stopped sending them out just because some people don't care for them. So I'm wondering exactly what the ratio is between the groups of love 'em, hate 'em, don't care one way or the other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 I'm a take it or leave it kinda of gal. Some I read, some I don't. Some are funny, some are not. Some I like, some I don't. I can't think of any that I would miss if they stopped sending them. That sounds kinda mean, but if I'm only communicating with them once a year, we probably aren't that interested in maintaining a friendship. If we communicate more often than once a year, the Christmas letter is rather unnecessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovetobehome Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 I love them! I never write them, though. But I do love to read about what friends are doing...it helps us stay in touch, even if we really aren't. :-) I guess I am just happy to hear their news, whatever it is! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farmgirlinwv Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 Hate em. Never read one I liked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 I'm a take it or leave it kinda of gal. Some I read, some I don't. Some are funny, some are not. Some I like, some I don't. I can't think of any that I would miss if they stopped sending them. That sounds kinda mean, but if I'm only communicating with them once a year, we probably aren't that interested in maintaining a friendship. If we communicate more often than once a year, the Christmas letter is rather unnecessary. Since I started the other thread, I wanted to quickly pop in here. I am not going to be redundant since I agree with Daisy. Some letters are better than others and it really depends on who the sender is and what their goal is in writing the letter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newlifemom Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 Where's my "other"? :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usetoschool Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 Answered 'hate em' but only because they are mostly so boring and poorly written and come off sounding liking bragging. I like the concept in general and we do get some that are fun to read and have just the right amount of information. We don't send one because I am pretty sure it would be one of the boring, braggy ones. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pink Fairy Posted December 21, 2009 Author Share Posted December 21, 2009 Since I started the other thread, I wanted to quickly pop in here. I am not going to be redundant since I agree with Daisy. Some letters are better than others and it really depends on who the sender is and what their goal is in writing the letter. This is in response to *all* of the Christmas letter threads. I just want to see if people in the threads are representative of the board, or if only those with strong feelings about it are posting. Usually more people will vote in a poll than will respond in a thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pink Fairy Posted December 21, 2009 Author Share Posted December 21, 2009 Where's my "other"? :D There's always one troublemaker.... :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WTMindy Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 I like them and even enjoying the annual laughing at "that one" letter that is just OVER THE TOP with bragging. However, I do prefer shorter rather than longer-too much over one page and I start to lose a little interest. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 I usually love them because most of the ones I receive are witty, touching and sometimes downright hilarious. I have received some of the stereotypical brag letters that make me want to vomit, but the people who send them do that to me in real life as well:). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardening momma Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 You need to have a scale of 1-5 on your poll...I need to answer between "love 'em" and "take it or leave it". That would be a 2 if "love it" was 1 and "take it or leave it" was 3. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nukeswife Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 I love them, but we also live 1200 miles from family so other than the occasional email it's our only real glimpse into the lives of my nephews and niece. Unfortunately we're all so busy with day to day lives we don't get to keep in touch as often as we should. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy in Australia Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 I love 'em, too. I always read them with the thought that most people prefer to share only the good stuff and it's nice to keep up with what friends and family overseas are doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Natalieclare Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 I love reading them. I hate writing them. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 I love them and hope nobody quits sending them out simply due to the opinions of others... We also send them out (our 4th year this year) and I definitely don't plan to quit. I started sending them because I realized how much I liked reading those we receive and because it was too much time to hand write the same thing over and over and over... personal notes were being shorted due to the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funschooler5 Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 I voted "hate", but I wouldn't say that I hate reading them (I'm as curious as the next person), just that I hate the whole idea of them. I once wrote a fan letter to one of my favorite authors (Beverly Cleary). She sent me a copy of one of her promo sheets. At first, I was a little disappointed. It's not like I'd expected a personal response, or anything, but before I'd opened the I envelope I got a little excited. Then I flipped the page over. She'd written a short paragraph on the back, to me, talking about some of the things I'd written in my letter. I was thrilled. A couple of sentences is all it takes. Maybe if people wrote a little something at the bottom of their newsletters, it wouldn't feel so generic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marie in Oh Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 but I do not enjoy the ones that talk alot about the extended family (uncles, aunts, cousins, grandparents, etc) of friends as I typically don't know them. I like updates about friends and their kids. I like pictures, to hear about interests and accomplishments. I don't think it is bragging to tell if a child is doing well in school, or whose soccer team did great, etc. Ours is long as there are nine people to talk about. I am sure it could come off to some as bragging; however, the heart is really to share our lives in a page or two with people whom at one time were close friends that the miles now divide us. If that is bad, well, then so be it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 (edited) If there are pictures I'm happy, if it's just a list...Let's just say, I don't always read it. (My mind is remembering a list of games a friend's ds/20 year old plays on his beloved Playstation.:tongue_smilie:) Done well in a nice readable font with pictures, I'm there for you...Super tiny print is a letter written by your dog...Not so much.:001_huh: Imo...6 pages front and back is too much! Edited December 21, 2009 by Tammyla 6 pages is too much Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PineFarmMom Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 There was no "other" choice, so I'll explain. I have received a couple of Christmas letters that were side-splittingly funny because of their self-depreciating remarks and the obvious humor and fun that IS the family that sent them. They were so fun to read and dh and I loved them...one of the highlights of our season. If I was a Christmas letter sender, or if I had the ability to put together a really hysterical one, I would so do it. On the other hand, I have received a few Christmas letters that were so obviously meant to send the "bless you little people and aren't you thankful that our perfect family is sending you an update on our successful lives" type message. I'm not so much about those. Those are, at the most very annoying and at the least just boring. That's my take. I think the Christmas letter is one of those things that is difficult to do well, but when done well, they are a treasure!! :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FriedClams Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 I need an OTHER. I like the fun informative ones. Recaps are great. It's great to see pics of everyone's kids as they grow. I LOATHE the braggy ones. They make me want to vomit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanna Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 I *like* them (can't say I *love* them). I esp. like receiving them pics or not. I post them on the wall with poster-putty for my visitors to read as well. I only wrote them for about 2 yrs. I stopped after I discovered most folks weren't reading them and didn't care for them (what a relief, b/c what an arduous task it was to write them!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 Don't care one way or another. I figure if I only hear from the writer once a year, then maybe it is time to cut ties. Otherwise they really are no use. If we are friends, then I already know what's happening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 My mother's step mother continually misspells the names of children, gets their ages wrong and then attributes cute little stories that have nothing to do with them. Hers are the only Christmas letters that really irritate me. I mostly don't read them, the ones I get are from people I know :confused: I mean, I know them, I knew about all this stuff when it happened. For the most part they're pretty useless to me, insofaras, learning something new about the family that sent it out. I do see the effort that goes into them, though, and so they get taped into the card and hung along with it, so anyone curious can read them. Miss Manners believes they're terribly rude as they aren't in the least personal and instead make the reciever into something of a newsletter recipient. She notes also that most who get them already know what they say, and for the ones that are family and don't a handwritten letter is appropriate, or at least personalize the note by adding in recipient specific paragraphs and removing things you know they already know. All the same, she has a strong dislike of greeting cards in general, so take it with a grain of salt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyof4ks Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 I love reading Christmas letters! We live in a mobile town (army base and hospital are the biggest employers here), so I don't get to celebrate all of the milestones and accomplishments with all of my friends, so I love to get the letters and hear what they have been up to all year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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