How to Write a Christmas Letter

‘Tis Christmas letter writing season. When holiday decorations pop up like mushrooms after a rain, you know it’s time to sharpen your pencils and replace your printer ink.

Structure

The first consideration for your annual Christmas letter is structure. Will you organize it by month? By family member? By uncomfortable obsession? Many Christmas letters highlight one activity or trip per month. One drawback of this approach is figuring out how to announce a change in relationship status. Would a casual mention of your ex’s new address under October highlights slip by unnoticed?

Organizing by family member is a common strategy. As long as you have something nice to say about each member of the family, this works well. Otherwise, apply spin as noted below. Remember, every cloud has a silver lining.

What about uncomfortable obsessions? What better place to share your passion for collecting bottle caps, sampling craft brews, or fashioning jewelry from turkey carcasses? No matter how you structure your Christmas letter, this is your opportunity to showcase the events of the past year.

Be Honest

Whether you structure your annual letter by month, family member, or obsession, be honest. No lying allowed. If you vacationed on the shores of a livestock pond, don’t say you spent the summer in Cancun. If your teen failed their driving test five times, don’t say they aced the test. And if your entrepreneurial skills selling turkey carcass jewelry don’t pan out, don’t lie about it.

Spin

On the other hand, your annual letter is a time to showcase accomplishments of the past year. A positive spin on a kernel of truth makes for exciting year-end reading. That weekend at the livestock pond? Were you wearing Bermuda shorts? Presto-a Bermuda vacation. Those failed driver’s tests? Brag that your teen batted 100. And that failed jewelry start-up? Everyone loves an environmentally friendly product with upscale potential.

No Favorites

Even-handedness is important in your Christmas letter. Mastering positive spin should allow you to highlight each family member. If you devote a glowing paragraph to your successful and accomplished child, you’ll have to fill an equal amount of space for the other kid. Remember, this annual missive is your family’s chance to shine. It’s easy to write about true highlights such as graduations, weddings, new babies, and successful potty training.  

But how do you spin some of life’s disappointments? Lost your job? Reframe it as exploring new opportunities. Divorce? The couple are strengthening bonds with extended family. Adult child evicted because they couldn’t pay the rent? Just say he’s seeking a simpler lifestyle. With loss, the possibilities are endless. It’s your job as the annual Christmas letter writer to find something nice to say about each family member.

Lots of Pics

No Christmas letter is complete without a raft of blurry photos. In this digital age, you can send unlimited photos at no cost. Who wouldn’t want to see twenty-four pictures of the baby eating mashed peaches? Or fifteen shots of sledding down a snowy bank? Who cares if the faces are out of focus?

I hope this post helps you write the perfect Christmas letter. Start with structure, be honest with just the right amount of spin, don’t leave anybody out no matter how hard you have to dig for that silver lining, and remember, a picture is worth a thousand words.