As I (and many others) often do, I was over visiting Busy Mom, and she had a post about those insipidly long, horrendously boring, “Family Christmas Letter”.
I mean seriously, if you are going to attempt to keep people up to date on you and your family, start a blog. Write it down while it is still fresh in your mind, and share it… then.
Now, I will admit that I am quite imetuous, and may be overreacting a tad, but I have never quite understood them. (Can it really just be me?) If I really cared about you, I would have kept touch over the past year (or if you had followed the advise above you I would have read your blog) , so I would already know everything in the letter… if not, then what makes you think I am going to carve out the time to read about it now? Honestly.
On a separate Christmas “tradition” that people either love or hate… the “child” Christmas Card. Back when I was a single lad, I was never a big fan of the “Here is my kid as a Christmas card” thing. Then of course life happens, and suddenly I find myself having done nothing but use my child as a Christmas card. I started to ponder this again this year, and threw out some feelers to family members to get some input. I swear, I thought my mother was going to lose her mind at the thought of not getting a LatteGirl Christmas card. So once again we relented, and have the “Child Card.”
So what do you think… or do? Do you turn your children into Christmas Cards every year? Is this just a cheap way out of sending some photos to family members (I read this somewhere, I just don’t remember where)? Do you like GETTING them? (I admit, I now actually do enjoy receiving them, and seeing neices, nephews and friends kids growing up). What do you think?
I am one of the dreaded “child card” people… Sigh…
I’m like you, I like getting them, but when I was single, I didn’t really get it..
my parents receive some outrageously horrific brag letters from friends, we insist my mother send cards EARLY to people she hasn’t seen in decades, just because we HAVe to read the brag letter.
I just dropped the letter this year in favor the blog. I included a one paragraph note directing them online. You would not believe the people who called me to complain.
We’re opting for the picture card next year. I think it’s a nice way of being personal without having to write notes in the cards.
I send picture cards because I figure, if I don’t love you enough to update you on my life often, all you really need to know is that my kids are alive, have all of their limbs, and are damn cute.
A couple years ago I wrote an extremely snarky Christmas Letter on my blog and it has been my most popular post ever since. But I feel bad for all the people who find my blog by Googling “How to write a Christmas Letter” and then find my sick take on it. Tee hee.
I love getting them, but I stressed over doing them myself so many years that I decided to just let myself off the hook. Holidays are hard enough for me.
And, tuna girl, you know I’m going to have to go google now.
That sounds kind of nasty.
I would never write one, but I like reading the letters. They range from very sweet to total lies. I didn’t understand before I had children, but now I always do a Christmas photo card. I love getting them, too. I use the regular cards for crafts after a year but I keep the photo cards forever to compare the faces over the years.
Not only did we do it. We printed it using Target’s service and they liked it so much they asked if they could add us to their sample book…now, maybe that do that with everyone but I still found it complimentary.
As for the letters, I have always had mixed feelings on the Christmas letter; however, in a similar vein I have been wanting to write a family newsletter periodically…maybe monthly or quarterly…for the members of the family that are not so close or the ones that do not use the Internet. I think that would build stronger bonds and create connections where they are weak or non-existent.
I HATE the Christmas letter – and I hate that my mother-in-law tried to throw down the “Christmas letter” guilt trip on me every year. I WILL NOT ever write one. SO THERE.
On the kid as a card thing, I never care about that one way or another… as long as others don’t care one way or another if they get pics of my dog and cat in return
I don’t care if I get a single Christmas card or not. It’s 2006 and snail mial is pretty outdated, most probably send an email.
We talk about doing some elaborate card every year but never end up doing it. I assume friends know what your children look like and don’t need a special card for that.
Just call me the Grinch