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Post by ericanaysha on Dec 28, 2014 13:32:04 GMT -5
I don't send a letter. I've only ever had one friend send a yearly letter and she's a single gal. I liked reading about her adventures in schooling and her career.  She stopped sending hers a couple years ago. |
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bookie
Oldies but Goodies
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Post by bookie on Dec 28, 2014 13:34:33 GMT -5
I think i've only gotten one-from the same person every year. There's isn't bragging-because they have had "rough" family situations...but it is over sharing...sometimes I just don't want to know all that!
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mom2jak
Oldies but Goodies
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Post by mom2jak on Dec 28, 2014 16:15:37 GMT -5
My life is entirely too boring to write a cmas letter although I did them when the kids were at home.
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jdpudge
Oldies but Goodies
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Post by jdpudge on Dec 28, 2014 17:33:21 GMT -5
We send one every 2-4 years... just b/c we don't get to visit with "everybody" every year and this is intended to just let people know what we've been up to. I like to think we mention milestone accomplishments without bragging specifics (DS1 "did well" on his ___) without it coming across as snobbish.
That said, I find the letters I receive tend to reflect the personalities of the authors that write them. There's a friend of my mother's that is a braggart by nature, and her Christ-mas letter is no different. An aunt of mine (whose kids are grown, so she doesn't send them anymore) always talked about "how busy they were"... but that's the way she talks when we visit with her.
I tend to chalk it up to, "They're not trying to offend, just 'catch people up' the best way they know how'... especially people they don't see much in their day to day lives.
Personally, I LOVE receiving them... but I'm not on Fb, so this is a nice, "more personal" way for me to keep up with people I really would like to keep up with. |
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Post by kidsandpets on Dec 28, 2014 17:34:31 GMT -5
Not mine. Everyone has their own likes and dislikes. And every family has their own Christmas traditions. If you dislike Christmas letters, that's ok. It doesn't bother me. The "bragging" thing sort of makes me laugh actually. We don't generally have "big" things - outside of the times of when we were expecting a child, had a child or had moved (and maybe our trip to Alaska last year), we live a pretty quiet, "unexciting" life. This year as I was doing our letter this year I kind of wondered what I was going to write - not much really was happening. But as I started to write, I discovered that despite the difficulties and uncertainty, God did good things and helped us to have good times. I hope that in some form, that came across in my words. Anyway, I am not bothered by anything you said. (And I hope I didn't guilt-trip you into reading the letter I posted! I didn't mean to if I did!) We are just all different. Shannon, you totally did not guilt trip me into reading your Christmas letter. Those kinds of letters I do enjoy. It just seems like a lot of the ones I get are from people I only hear from at Christmas and it seems a lot of them seem to be trying to portray what I call "Facebook life." In other words, this public image where everything is like a Pottery Barn ad. Of course, I realize people are going to share their highlights for the most part and not their bad days, but some letters (like yours) seem authentic and some just seem, I don't know, plastic-y. I personally have issues with people being fake. I guess that is why I don't - in general - like Christmas letters, but I do realize that that is just happens to be my experience. Maybe if you all sent me YOUR Christmas letters, I'd change my mind!  I wouldn't like "fakey" letters either. Madre mentioned something similar. Highlights and not lowlights are one thing. But if it doesn't reflect real life... That would bug me too. |
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Post by Flautista on Dec 29, 2014 8:39:24 GMT -5
I personally really dislike the family Christmas letter. They are really difficult to do well without coming across like you are bragging or listing all your accomplishments. I think an individual letter is much better or even a phone call. Just for kicks, I've always thought it would be funny to send out a Christmas letter that said something like "We are all doing well. Hubby is celebrating his 10th month of unemployment after losing his last job due to an unfortunate misunderstanding. Those trips to Vegas last year really were part of his job. We were so pleased that Junior was able to get out of JDC to celebrate Thanksgiving with us. Unfortunately, due to his entrepreneurial spirit, he was back in and unable to join us for Christmas. We have high hopes he'll be home by Valentine's day as he was only caught with a small amount this time." :giggle: I wouldn't worry about it and just send a card with a handwritten note. I have been so tempted to send just that kind of newsletter outlining DH's 11th year of unemployment, our lack of funds for trips that others enjoy, homeschooling on a shoe string, about to be w/o a church home again, the financial stress that also puts stress on our marriage and so much more. That's the snarky side of me. I've never failed to be amazed at how God has provided all these years. Maybe one year I'll just do a brief Dickensian-type newsletter: "It was the best of times; it was the worst of times." One year we got a newsletter from my aunt. She listed very person who had attended the 50th anniversary party for her and her DH, except for her deceased brother's (my dad, iow) family. My sister, mom, and I were there. Oh, well. That's the danger of listing people by name; you're going to miss someone. |
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BC
Oldies but Goodies
"For all Your goodness I will keep on singing, ten thousand reasons for my heart to find."
Posts: 1,169
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Post by BC on Dec 30, 2014 10:25:23 GMT -5
We don't get a lot of them, but there are some who do it every year, and, those are the ones that we typically receive.
I typically like reading them. Especially one family. I wish that they'd adopt us, so that we could be in their family. They impress me, not really with all of the stuff they did and do, but with their hearts. Since childhood, I've always craved that type of family. I hope that I'm doing a decent enough job of creating that type of family, at least somewhat, for my own home. They are a couple of generations ahead of us, and I really look up to them, and appreciate their example.
One family sends a "top 10" list for each person. Those are kind of cute. They include the animals too. I can't bring myself to read the animals top 10 lists. This year they had six animals on it. They only have four people in their family, so most of the letter was the animals top 10 lists, lol. I barely have enough time to read through the people. I don't think that I've ever read their animal's lists. Don't tell Sparky. :giggle:
I've never done a Christmas letter. I like reading them, but it's not really my personality to write one. I'd rather not draw that much attention to myself. They are probably good keepsakes for those who do them though. A year-in-review kind of thing for all of those years.
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Laney
Mod Squad 
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Post by Laney on Dec 30, 2014 23:37:29 GMT -5
Wow - I had no idea how many of you sent letters. Now I feel badly that I said I didn't like them (embarrassed). But honestly, the ones I've always gotten (well, about 90% of them) were basically Junior just got a perfect ACT score, scored the winning touch down for the state championship and was voted class president; and then we went to Bali and then we got a big raise. Oh and just an aside - I won the Nobel Peace Prize and my husband was voted man of the year type of letters. I'm sure all of you guys have great letters. I think we know the same people!!!! We only see 2 a year and they are pretty much exactly like this! I've never been a fan of them. |
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She stopped sending hers a couple years ago.
