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How to write a Christmas letter
Gen Z Aggie: Here is my step-by-step approach to writing the best Christmas letters this holiday season.
4 Min Read
DELIVER CHEER: These are just a few of the Christmas cards that I received last year from friends, family and co-workers. Attached to many were letters that described their year. I urge you to keep the Christmas tradition of writing letters alive this season.Elizabeth Hodges
You head out to the mailbox on a crisp winter day and, to your surprise, there are letters from loved ones. This is a nice change of pace from the regular bills that accumulate in the mailbox. As you open the beautiful stationery, you see the bright and shining faces of a college friend’s family that you say you will catch up with soon. But life gets busy.
As you read on, you find out about the interesting things their family has been up to this year. Whether that is about a cool vacation they took or that their son won his baseball tournament, these yearly updates can be refreshing.
I think that the art of writing Christmas letters is slowly becoming extinct. This “old-school” form of communication can bring some extra holiday cheer at the end of the year.
If you are on our 200-plus Christmas letter mailing list, you know that I took over writing the family Christmas letter my senior year of high school. Trying to sum up everything that my family of six did during the year and not making the font in an unreadable size 8 is certainly a challenge. However, the calls that my family receives after people get their letters are a great way to stay in contact with those who might live a few states away.
The best part about writing to friends and family is that you do not need to be a published writer to send out a letter. These letters are all about being conversational and catching up with others that you might not see all the time.
How to write a Christmas letter
Writing a Christmas letter might seem like a daunting task, but I challenge you to open a document and just start writing about everything you did this year. Once you get started, the sentences seem to write themselves.
I consider myself a veteran of writing Christmas letters, as this will be my fifth year since I took the reins of the Hodges family Christmas letter. Here are some helpful tips that will help you kick-start the process.
Find the perfect stationery. One of my favorite parts of the Christmas letter process is scrolling through Amazon or local craft stores for beautifully designed paper.
Print out a card. Once the stationery has been secured, head over to where you print off photos and design a cute card with a family photo inserted into it. If you are like my family and are bad about getting family photos taken every year, try putting together a collage of photos from throughout the year. Most places will have templates you can insert photos into to make it super easy.
Make a list. When it comes time to writing the Christmas letter, it always helps me when I make a list of big accomplishments or events that happened for everyone throughout the year. These are things that I would want to make sure are in the letter. Some examples are graduations or weddings.
Have someone review the letter. Even as a journalist, I have my family read and re-read the Christmas letter to look for any mistakes. During this process, I may discover some different accomplishments that they want included or even some spelling mistakes. This reviewing process can make you more comfortable if you are nervous about sending out a letter.
Update mailing lists. Now that you have the Christmas card and letter put together, it is important to decide how many letters you are sending out. If you are unsure if they have a new address, it is always good to send someone a quick text for a current address. Make sure to save this list for next year to make it easier to update and send out letters.
Create labels for the envelope. Now that the letters and the cards are stuffed in all the envelopes and you have the addresses in line, print off labels to easily stick on. You can always write out every address, but if you do not want to have hand cramps and lower the chance for error, labels make this process even easier.
Now, you have all the tools to create a great Christmas letter and card to bring a smile to loved ones’ faces. Happy writing!
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