How to Write a Creative Christmas Letter

Now is the time to start thinking about writing a Christmas Newsletter to mail to friends and family this Christmas season. Several years back, our local paper had a contest asking for readers to send in their favorite Christmas newsletter. Up to that point, I hadn't thought much about the creativity factor in my annual review. However, when I saw some of the winning submissions to the newspaper's contest, I realized it was time for my Christmas newsletter to go to the next level.

One of the entries was a multiple choice quiz, cleverly worded so that each question revealed interesting information about the husband and wife who sent the letter. It was so unique; I decided I would copy the idea for my own family's Christmas Newsletter. It was a big hit. I got feedback from several people who just loved the idea, and one who asked if she could use it for her family newsletter the next year.

That was the beginning of my creative journey in Christmas newsletter writing. Each year had to be new and exciting. I started thinking in October to come up with ideas. I searched the internet for different ideas. What follows are examples of creative letters I have received and written, as well as a few that will no doubt be the formats for future Christmas letters.

1. Multiple Choice Quiz: As mentioned above, this was the idea that started my on my quest for the creative Christmas letter. Here is an example of a question that could be part of the body of the letter:

During Robert and Afton's trip to Kauai this year, which of the following made Afton miss her children? (Mark all that apply)
a. clouds e. shave ice
b. dolphins f. gift shops
c. kayaking g. the hotel pool
d. other vacationing couples h. all of the above
with children

Correct answer, h, all of the above. Actually, there were a fe things that made me NOT miss my children. Most of all the fact that I knew he was having a blast staying with his cousins and Aunt and Uncle. But the hike up to the Na Pali look out, along the narrow ridge of the cliffs with a 4000 foot drip into the Kalalau Valley would not have been as pleasant or likely very safe with the kids.

This question, the answers and the explanation all give lots of information about a trip to Hawaii in an unusual and creative way. In my opinion this is much more interesting than simply writing it out in letter form.

2. Alternate Perspective: I once wrote a letter from the perspective of my 3 year old son. I wrote about our world as he might see it. It was a fun way to share the various things we'd been up to through out the year, but in a unique way.

Another idea is to write your letter from a pet's perspective. A family dog or cat could have some really interesting things to say about your family, if they could verbalize thoughts. Why not give them a voice in your family newsletter?

If you have a child old enough to write, why not let him or her write your letter, or at least part of it. Assign each member of the family to write their own portion for a really unique perspective on your past year.

3. Menu: I can't take credit for this idea. An ingenious friend put this clever Christmas Newsletter together. Using an 81/2 by 11 inch folded piece of paper, the menu has a cover with a the family "restaurant" name and the "year" of the menu. There were cute "dishes" in the Appetizers, Entrees, Whine List, and Desserts categories. A few examples of dishes include:

Cloverdale Shrimp A conglomeration of 15 high energy shrimp. Served with glue, scissors and crayons. (Junior is attending Cloverdale preschool three days a week and loving it.)

Chlorine Chicken Pool-boiled chicken. (Junior had his first swim lessons this year. He started off great, then became a "chicken".)

Soaked S'mores Camp-style s'mores soaked in fresh Virginia rainwater. (The annual Father-son camp-out was deluged by rain this year. It really separated the men from the boys. Dad and Junior were among the men who stuck it out.)

This Christmas letter blew me away and I would have borrowed the idea if I thought I could have pulled it of as well as my friend did. I love the way the information is all there in each food item. A mental picture is painted when I read, "Soaked S'mores" as opposed to "It rained on the camp-out."

No matter what kind of Christmas letter you write this year, make sure to save a copy for yourself. A three ring binder and some inexpensive page protectors are an easy way to keep what will literally become a record of your family's history. For a more "deluxe" version, put each of your letters in a scrapbook along with several holiday pictures. With a little effort and creativity, your annual Christmas newsletter will be a joy for others to receive and a delight for you and your family to reflect on.