The Art of Holiday Letter Writing
Guest Post by: Carrie Chen
Carrie is the VP for Marketing at Treetopia, the ultimate Christmas store for fun and funky artificial Christmas trees.
Sometimes, all people need for Christmas is a heartfelt letter. When I was younger, I remember feeling that Christmas didn’t officially start until I got holiday letters from my grandmother and aunts. In our family, we send out an annual holiday newsletter to relatives and friends. After several years of doing this, I believe we've mastered the art of holiday letter writing (even my kids!).
Here are three important things to remember when writing holiday letters:
WHO: Who do you want to send it to? Holiday letters are great for friends and family, but it may not be appropriate for your lawyer or dentist (unless you've cultivated a close relationship with them). Carefully choose who you want to update with the personal details of your life, as this can be too much information for some people. Realsimple.com suggests asking yourself this: Do you think you would want to get a holiday letter from this person? If the answer is no, they're probably not a good addition to your list.
WHAT: What should you include in the letter? This depends on the person receiving it, but a simple rule to avoid over-sharing is to segregate the people on your list into groups: family, close friends, distant friends and relatives. After this, you can decide on the kind of information you want to share with each. Update them about the milestones of your year. Another good idea is to ask your kids to write down their messages and put them in as "Sean's thoughts" or however you want to caption it.
HOW: Electronic or handwritten? Personally, I always go for handwritten cards. There’s just something about handwritten letters that tug at my heartstrings. I use recycled paper and make my own recyclable cards. However, if you prefer to send electronic letters and your loved ones are much more inclined to get those, please do so. (It's also more earth-friendly!) Don't forget to include a photo or two of the family; it can either be a candid photo or something taken by a professional.
Writing a holiday letter is easy as pumpkin pie when you know the how, what and who involved. Try these tips to be a holiday letter expert and send out cards that will truly be memorable.
Thank you, carrie--very helpful information!
I love receiving Christmas letters from family and friends in the mail. I'm sure all of you do too!
I love receiving Christmas letters from family and friends in the mail. I'm sure all of you do too!
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