Stay at Home Moms
barnwife
member
A Christmas letter question
barnwife
member
It appears that a lot of people on this board don't like receiving letters in their Christmas/holiday cards, so this seems like a good place to ask this.
What do you have against them? Is it because they are essentially bragging? I mean, isn't the point to let people know what's going on in your life? Of course people are going to include the big, exciting things. No one wants to read about how someone does 3 loads of laundry every day or washes the dishes.
FWIW, I love getting letters, especially from people that time/distance prevent us from seeing often. I like knowing what's gone on/going on in their lives. (Keep in mind that we are a FB free family.)
And if people don't want to read the letter we send (which I always do - my family would be offended if I didn't), I don't really care.
Just thought I'd ask as I don't understand the Christmas letter hate.
What do you have against them? Is it because they are essentially bragging? I mean, isn't the point to let people know what's going on in your life? Of course people are going to include the big, exciting things. No one wants to read about how someone does 3 loads of laundry every day or washes the dishes.
FWIW, I love getting letters, especially from people that time/distance prevent us from seeing often. I like knowing what's gone on/going on in their lives. (Keep in mind that we are a FB free family.)
And if people don't want to read the letter we send (which I always do - my family would be offended if I didn't), I don't really care.
Just thought I'd ask as I don't understand the Christmas letter hate.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: A Christmas letter question
I must be in the minority if everyone hates them, because I don't mind them.
I'm kind of ambiguous about them, but I certainly don't hate reading about people and their events in their life. I've gotten some that are really "braggy" but I've also gotten ones that are very short and sweet and not too elaborate. I would choose the latter if I were to write one.
I agree. This is why they bug me too.
We like to play "read between the lines" with them at CHristmas dinner. My brother is the best at that, he comes up with some hysterical stuff
Really, no one's life is as sickeningly perfect as these letters make them out to be and it's just eyeroll worthy. I have gotten a couple funny ones which I don't mind
DS 3.12.08
DD 7.11.09
DD 8.01.13
I don't mind them. There are some people that I roll my eyes at, and there are others that I look forward to their letters. I am on FB, but not everyone I get letters from are, so it's fun to see what is going on in their life. For the others of my friends that are on FB, there were things in their Christmas letters that were not on FB.
Growing up, there was a family that intentionally wrote silly letters, and to this day it is fun to read that family's letters. They also had a goofy picture too. Just fun.
Since my DH and I have been married (4 years), I haven't written one about us as I felt like I had nothing to write. "Gee...we go to work, and we come home, that's our life". This year, I will write one as our lives have changed quite a bit since our child arrived. It won't all be about what my child does. I find those letters annoying. It won't be written from the point of view of my son, either.
This is why I wish my family did letters. I think it would be so funny to pick them apart and read the "real" meanings of what our family members would write
What kind of letters do you get that are sickeningly perfect? I get plenty of letters every year and none are about a perfect life. They all include real life things like "kid is good but being a typical 3 year old and driving us crazy" type thing.
I do a letter every year too (well every year except the first year we were married because everyone knew the big thing that happened that year) and always include things that are normal or challenging in our year. I'm not writting things like "my 2 year old can read, write & play every piece of music that I put in front of her" it's more like "2 year old is a typical 2 year old. She loves these things and we love her". I do a brief blurb for every person in the family and then an overview of the year for things that don't fit into a specific person.
Daughter #1 - February 12, 2010
natural m/c March 11, 2011 at 8 1/2 weeks
Daughter #2 - January 11, 2012
Ectopic pregnancy discovered November 6, 2012 at 6 weeks
Daughter #3 - January 19, 2014
Started our exploration into the world of international adoption June 2012. We have no idea what this is going to look like but we are excited to find out!
I also think they are braggy and impersonal. I mean, I am the person who loves photo cards, which are also impersonal- but at least no one is trying to remind me for the 10th year in a row that they, in fact, have a PhD.
If people wanted to give me real information about them they'd call or e-mail or otherwise contact me personally. To me, Christmas cards are just a quick "I'm thinking of you" not a "Hey! Look at all of the things I accomplished this year!"
I don't really care if I get them. As others have said, DH and I tend to mock them. But that is our idea of quality time together:-)
I do enjoy making fun of them. My all time favorite was my now sister-in-law's when she was dating my husband's brother.
Her spin on events: What a whirlwind year, Al and I had our beautiful second child. It was the perfect age gap with our DD. Al was lucky to have the opportunity to work on his Masters. With some much needed time off of work, we were able to go a much needed vacation to reconnect.
Reality: She had one kid and met my BIL in November. In January, we met her and they announced their pregnancy. Baby was born in early August. She quit her job because it wasn't child friendly and my BIL was fired for missing too much work. Then they moved in with my MIL who provided free child care while they charged a trip on their credit card.
Yup this exactly. I looooove them.
We get one every year from our friends who are a little nutty. I love to hate it. One year they told us all about how much the wife was enjoying breastfeeding their first child.
I have gotten this exact letter.
I wouldn't mind, but they're always negative...and about me! Fill in every closely scrutinized parenting decision, and that's what she sends to 100 plus people.
I think we should create AE's, post our Christmas letter and then have everyone guess who we are.
DS 3.12.08
DD 7.11.09
DD 8.01.13
This for me!
We got a lot of them growing up and I always liked them. Usually ours were from college friends of my parents they only spoke to occasionally, friends that have moved away and we had a hard time staying in close contact with, or similar people. My mom still loves getting them because she doesn't use Facebook or email to keep in casual touch with people and this is her way of keeping up with people she's not close to (and has no real desire to be) but likes knowing what is happening in their lives because they used to be good friends before drifting away. Sometimes it is fun to just see what people are up to.
I DO dislike those. There was one family that sent out a 7 page extravaganza of how amazing they were. It was...special. Especially when you knew how miserable everyone in the family was. I am much more excited to read the short, nice ones that are clearly trying to just be a summary of what they did that year.
I think it's all in how the letter is written. IMO, I like getting them because we've got such a large social circle and let's face it, they're a great bathroom reader! More importantly, it's a chance to connect with people we don't get to see or have much contact with because of distance and many still don't have internet.
There's one that I'll miss getting though... A friend of ours passed away a few weeks ago. He was 100years old, only had one hand, and typed a Christmas letter every year until he was 98 and went into a nursing home that the letter was so thick it had to be sent in a manilla envelope (~16-18 pages, single spaced, typed by hand on a typewriter).. He kept writing them because when everyone he sent them to would ask him in September if he'd started on the letter yet and how much they legitimately loved being on "the list" to get one (some would call him up if they hadn't gotten one by mid-January to ask if he had decided to pack it up). I learned more about Minnesota history in his letters (he was a farmer and legislator until he retired in the 80's) than I ever could from a textbook. And yes, he even poked a little fun at himself telling people to use it as a "bathroom reader"!
Yeah I try to keep mine to one page single sided, so 3 pages would be a bit much really!
Daughter #1 - February 12, 2010
natural m/c March 11, 2011 at 8 1/2 weeks
Daughter #2 - January 11, 2012
Ectopic pregnancy discovered November 6, 2012 at 6 weeks
Daughter #3 - January 19, 2014
Started our exploration into the world of international adoption June 2012. We have no idea what this is going to look like but we are excited to find out!