Ten Tips for Writing a Family Christmas Newsletter

The Christmas season is almost upon us and it's time to think about writing the yearly family Christmas newsletter. It's a great way to reach out to family and close friends you haven't seen lately and catch them up on what's going on in your life. It will also help to get you in the holiday mood. In this article, I will give you ten tips to help you write your own family Christmas newsletter.

Writing a Christmas Newsletter, Tip #1: Make a List and Check it Twice

You aren't exactly Santa Claus but it is a good idea to make a list of people to whom you will be sending your Christmas newsletter. Once you have your list made, check that list and ask yourself this question; who knows you well enough to care about what's been going on in your life over the past year? Your Christmas newsletter list and your Christmas card list are not necessarily one and the same. For example, you may send a Christmas card to the guy who takes care of your yard but he isn't going to be interested in whether or not little Sally played the lead role in the school play last Spring. So check your Christmas card list and your Christmas newsletter list and only send your Christmas newsletter to those people you know on a personal level.

Writing a Christmas Newsletter, Tip #2: Pick out Holiday Themed Paper

You can print your Christmas newsletter on plain white, red or green paper but why not pick out attractive and festive holiday stationery? It doesn't need to be expensive and it looks so much nicer than plain paper. It also sends a positive message to your Christmas newsletter recipients that you enjoy life and are happy with the Christmas season. That might be too much to ask of any Christmas stationery but it really does look nicer to send cheerful and colorful themed paper. You can find Christmas stationery at your local stationery or office supply store. You can also buy Christmas themed stationery online at MyExpression.com. They have nearly one hundred different holiday themed designs for $8.95 per one hundred sheets.

Writing a Christmas Newsletter, Tip #3: Design Your Christmas Newsletter

It's decision time. You will need to choose a program to use to write your Christmas newsletter. Once you've decided what program to use, then you need to decide on font style, size and layout. The best length for a Christmas newsletter is less than two pages with two pages being the absolute maximum. Christmas newsletters need to be both easy to read and not too long otherwise people will just toss them out without reading. Whatever you do, don't use a small size font so you can get your entire Christmas newsletter printed on one page.

Writing a Christmas Newsletter, Tip #4: Add a Picture and/or a Family Recipe

Find a picture that prints clearly of you and your family to add to your Christmas newsletter. Since you will be sending your Christmas newsletter to those who know you personally, a current picture of the family is a great personal touch. You can also add your favorite holiday recipe to your Christmas newsletter. If you are well known for a special holiday dish, add that particular recipe. It's a good way to keep family recipes alive in the family.

Writing a Christmas Newsletter, Tip #5: Tell a Family Story

Sometimes family history gets lost in our everyday lives. It seems that people just don't have time to sit around and tell stories about when grandma met grandpa, for example. Then one day both grandma and grandpa are gone and no one remembers the funny story about grandma's little brother who was jealous of grandpa. And how on their first date, little brother held his lizard up to grandma's nose and the lizard got scared and bit her nose then wouldn't let go. Add an old family story to your Christmas newsletters each year and people just may keep them and add them to their family history folder. Plus it's a great conversation starter around the table on Christmas day.

Writing a Christmas Newsletter, Tip #6: Tell the Truth but...

Don't lie in your Christmas newsletter. It isn't realistic (or true) to talk about how perfect you and your children and your life are. But you also don't want to tell the plain unvarnished truth and write about your operation, financial troubles, the re-possessed car or the lice outbreak. Go for the middle ground and tell the truth without bragging and if you do mention something bad that happened to you, don't dwell on it. For example, go ahead and say that you had surgery but don't mention how long and horrible recovery was when your incision got infected and the dressing had to be changed every day for two months. Keep your tone friendly and conversational as if you are talking straight to the person reading it.

Writing a Christmas Newsletter, Tip #7: Avoid Preaching, Insults, Secrets or Sales Pitches

It is true that Christmas is a time of celebrating the birth of Jesus for Christians. But most people will not appreciate it if you preach at them in your Christmas newsletter (or at any other time either really). If you are a Christian and you want to mention religious matters, keep it personal without being preachy.

It is never a good idea to put anyone down in your Christmas newsletter. It is best to avoid putting down people for any reason at all such as their religious or political beliefs, weight, gender identity or job for example. And if you know any family secrets, don't ever share them in a Christmas newsletter unless you have permission from the person to whom the secret belongs.

Avoid telling people about your Avon, Tupperware or Amway business. A Christmas newsletter is not the place for it. Perhaps you can give them a Christmas present that is sold by the company you now work for and have your sales catalogs laying all over the house when they come over but keep it out of the family Christmas newsletter. The Christmas newsletter is also not the place to tell everyone about the fundraiser that little Sally's school is having either.

Writing a Christmas Newsletter, Tip #8: Pick the Highlights of Your Year

It would be incredibly difficult to include your family's lives for one entire year and condense it into one or two pages. Go for the highlights from your year. What was important to you or made you feel good inside? Who was born? Did you get a new pet? Did your special needs grandson start using words in sentences? Hopefully you will be able to pick special moments or very important accomplishments from the year and share them in your Christmas newsletter. If you are not sure what to include, ask your family for help. It is a family Christmas newsletter after all. You can have a family meeting and have each family member tell you what they want to include about themselves in the family Christmas newsletter.

If you would like to write about your year in story form, check out the instant Christmas letter generator here. They're hilarious, fun and free. You add your family highlights to the boxes and they are added to the form letter creating a personalized story for you.

Writing a Christmas Newsletter, Tip #9: Add a Personal Handwritten Note

Add a small personal handwritten note to each and every newsletter that goes to family or close friends. It doesn't have to be more than just a few words such as "Can't wait to see you at Christmas" or simply "I love you" and your name but try to add a personal touch. That way they know that you were actually thinking of them at the moment you wrote them a note.

Writing a Christmas Newsletter, Tip #10: Use Christmas Stamps

You've chosen Christmas themed stationery for your Christmas newsletter; how about a Christmas themed envelope? If you think the envelope is too much, how about using a Christmas stamp to mail it? The US Post Office sells Christmas themed postage stamps every year. It's all part of making your Christmas newsletter attractive and appealing to the person who is receiving it.

So now that you've finished writing your Christmas newsletter; why not just e-mail it to people? People like getting them in the mail at Christmastime and reading them because it's a great way to catch up on people's lives. It is a personal touch and those aren't as common in today's technologically advanced world. There may be some people you can e-mail a copy of the Christmas newsletter too but it is so much more personal to get a copy in the regular mail. It's also a wonderful way to wish everyone a Happy Holiday season.