Christmas "Brag" letters

[Swalphin]

Does anyone else get one or two of these a holiday season? I do and am always surprised how perfect some folks are.

 

[Handbag Lady]

Does anyone else get one or two of these a holiday season? I do and am always surprised how perfect some folks are.

Amazing, isn't it? I LOVE the truthful ones "... grandma still farts, Junior knocked up his girlfriend, and we're three months behind on our rent. Merry Christmas!"

 

[mamacatnv]

I personally love Christmas letters - Brag away, we are all proud of our families, kids, promotions, accomplishments etc....
It does not bug me at all

 

[Swalphin]

Amazing, isn't it? I LOVE the truthful ones "... grandma still farts, Junior knocked up his girlfriend, and we're three months behind on our rent. Merry Christmas!"

I wold love for once to get a really funny (truthful) one, I made the mistake of opening one this morning. I knew I shouldn't but did anyway. I really need to buy a lotto ticket with this person they seemed to have the most charmed life.

 

[Swalphin]

I personally love Christmas letters - Brag away, we are all proud of our families, kids, promotions, accomplishments etc....
It does not bug me at all

I guess I feel my close friends and family members share the ups and downs on a daily/weekly basis. These letters seemed to be the "spam" of holiday cards, sent out to anyone these people have encountered over their lives.

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

Some are annoying, some aren't.

The most annoying one we get is from DH's former friend's ex-wife LOL and her current husband. They have no children, and don't want any. So it's a bragfest about themselves. They are college professors, and both took sabbaticals to travel at the same time one year. They commented in their letter that they were the envy of everyone they knew.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

I enjoy them & never compare our family to the other family, so it doesn't matter to me what they write. It's what they want to share with me that's important. I like reading about the good stuff happening in someone's life and am not interested in the negative (why would they want to share that, anyway?) unless they would like prayers, words of encouragement, etc.

After reading the negative comments on the DIS about these letters I stopped writing newsy letters a couple of years ago, and so many Christmas cards last year told me they missed catching up on my family, so this year I'm back to writing a bit of what's been going on in our lives to my friends & family.

(um, yeah... I haven't opened the cards this year yet, let alone sent any... I'll do that this weekend.

 

[Swalphin]

Some are annoying, some aren't.

The most annoying one we get is from DH's former friend's ex-wife LOL and her current husband. They have no children, and don't want any. So it's a bragfest about themselves. They are college professors, and both took sabbaticals to travel at the same time one year. They commented in their letter that they were the envy of everyone they knew.

Exactly, who are they trying to convince sometimes I think themselves.

 

[Swalphin]

I enjoy them & never compare our family to the other family, so it doesn't matter to me what they write. It's what they want to share with me that's important. I like reading about the good stuff happening in someone's life and am not interested in the negative (why would they want to share that, anyway?) unless they would like prayers, words of encouragement, etc.

After reading the negative comments on the DIS about these letters I stopped writing newsy letters a couple of years ago, and so many Christmas cards last year told me they missed catching up on my family, so this year I'm back to writing a bit of what's been going on in our lives to my friends & family.

(um, yeah... I haven't opened the cards this year yet, let alone sent any... I'll do that this weekend.

I like to hear nice things as well, it just seems some of the letters can go a little overboard. I get 2 a year every year that stand out as disproportionately blessed.

 

[mamacatnv]

I guess I feel my close friends and family members share the ups and downs on a daily/weekly basis. These letters seemed to be the "spam" of holiday cards, sent out to anyone these people have encountered over their lives.

I never get them from close friends that I talk to often. I get them from people I knew many years ago, when our son was little and we lived on another area. I enjoy catching up with them and their kids annually since I don't necessarily do it often.

I also get a few from people I knew when I was growing up, old neighbors, friends of my parents etc. Again, I don't talk to these people regularly and I like the fact that they still think of me.

 

[mamacatnv]

I like to hear nice things as well, it just seems some of the letters can go a little overboard. I get 2 a year every year that stand out as disproportionately blessed.

we all "know" someone like that

 

[KAMLEM]

There was just a thread about this recently, it got pretty heated:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2604851

 

[Swalphin]

I did not realize there was another thread , I just opened this one letter and felt ugh, why did I open it. Don't want to start anything at all, I had no idea. Merry Chrstmas to all.

 

[daisyduck123]

We get some every year. I don't read them at all. I just fold each one back up, put it back in the envelope, & leave it on the counter for DH. I don't know if he reads them or not.

 

[punkin]

Well, what do you expect people to write? I mean these letters are specifically written to brag. I get one from a fairly close cousin whom I speak to often. Somehow she never mentioned her son's addictions, nor her financial problems in the letter. Everything is hunky dory in her life if you read the letter. Now talking to her on the phone or in person is a whole other story.

 

[Kimberly]

My aunt and her husband send them out every year to every known member of my family. They used to write things about me and my siblings in them, but not since I asked them not to. Usually they're filled with the nonesense that you would talk to them about, and I end up just throwing them away.

 

[ZephyrHawk]

I'd rather have an exciting "brag" letter than the ones my extended family sends out. They are snore-fests. Really, the most interesting thing you did all year was go to Cincinnati? Honestly?

They actually make me feel pretty good about my life.

 

[mickeymedic]

My parents send one out every year. It is usually a pleasant summary of memorable highlights (and lowlights) of the year. Mom likes to talk about her pet projects (always working on something on the house), her grandchildren (all my sister's kids...I don't have any) and usually picks one thing to add about my sister and me. Some years the letter bugs me...comes off too braggy - or worse yet makes it sound like my sister and all her kids are the greatest thing in the world and DH and I are barely a foot note. Other years she writes it so that it is charming and informative. She writes about things that were significant to her...and most of the time the relevence is obvious. This year, though, she might be starting to show her age. I burst out laughing out loud as I read it due to an instance of TMI. After a nice sentence or two about their lovely vacation rental down south, she says that she went to Urgent Care for a UTI. Then in the next sentence she's talking about visiting family throughout the country. I had to ask her...really? You thought we all wanted to know about your UTI? So now I look forward to the letters purely for the entertainment standpoint. And the pictures. They actually always include great pictures of everyone they have visited...so even if I don't get to see some of my extended family members, at least I get to see a current picture.

 

[Butwhyistherumgone?]

I dont do the letters but one year my mom decided she would do one because a lot of things went on that year she wanted to share ( or brag which ever you perfer )
Great letter telling all the stuff the kids and grandkids had done though the year.....then she got to the part about her and my dad. She put how she had an abnormal pap smear and the doc had told my dad if he didnt quit smoking he could die soon. You know just the kind of things you really dont want to know
Still cracks me up that she sent this to people!

 

[Butwhyistherumgone?]

My parents send one out every year. It is usually a pleasant summary of memorable highlights (and lowlights) of the year. Mom likes to talk about her pet projects (always working on something on the house), her grandchildren (all my sister's kids...I don't have any) and usually picks one thing to add about my sister and me. Some years the letter bugs me...comes off too braggy - or worse yet makes it sound like my sister and all her kids are the greatest thing in the world and DH and I are barely a foot note. Other years she writes it so that it is charming and informative. She writes about things that were significant to her...and most of the time the relevence is obvious. This year, though, she might be starting to show her age. I burst out laughing out loud as I read it due to an instance of TMI. After a nice sentence or two about their lovely vacation rental down south, she says that she went to Urgent Care for a UTI. Then in the next sentence she's talking about visiting family throughout the country. I had to ask her...really? You thought we all wanted to know about your UTI? So now I look forward to the letters purely for the entertainment standpoint. And the pictures. They actually always include great pictures of everyone they have visited...so even if I don't get to see some of my extended family members, at least I get to see a current picture.

too funny! See my post about my mom !