Those "family" bragging Christmas newsletters

[rparmfamily]

I did a letter last year because we have a lot of extended family that we aren't in regular contact with. I don't think it's braggy, I hardly talk about my kids, it's more about the move, DH deployed,etc.

 

[DVCajun]

I'm always surprised at the things that will offend some, while being perfectly acceptable to others. I didn't think the letter in the OP was bragging -- in fact, I thought the closing line was clever and an attempt to inject some humor and humility into their obvious pride about their children.

Honestly, I think I'll just keep my mouth shut about my children's accomplishments, or anything our family did this year, especially if it was really cool -- perhaps I'll just omit Christmas cards from my to-do list entirely, so as to avoid offending the sensitive. It's safer.

 

[Costumesaremylife]

I send a letter, but I don't send it to people I communicate with regularly. Why would I? I send it to my relatives and friends I see rarely because of distance but want to keep in contact with. I did send it to a friend one year that only lives an hour away. She realized I was writing one and requested it. I haven't sent it to her again though. I see her several times a year, she doesn't need the letter.

I don't think I brag, but then again I didn't know some people might think the fact that my kids go to school and that we have jobs is bragging!

That makes sense, but they sent the letter to someone who they see exactly the same amount of time. We both live here and the letter writers don't, so when they come up we all hang out together.

 

[Deb & Bill]

We get a Christmas letter from a woman who was friends with my husband's sister in high school. Why we get this every year, I'll never know. But I start to look forward to it because I just have to when I start to read it. This year's letter was three pages long, single spaced, about a 6 pt font (if not smaller).

One entire paragraph about the daughter's successful swim team year, including times, medals, etc and all the family members who went to the meets.

They are planning a WDW trip this year and I am worried that my SIL will tell them that we are the Disney fans in the family and we can help them plan their trip.

 

[jwann]

I happen to be a fan of these letters. I always try to make ours creative, funny, and only one sheet of paper with normal font. For those of you who like to write them here are some of the formats I've done over the last few years:

*one year we got a new kitten and I wrote the entire letter from the perspecitve of the cat

*the year that Who Wants to be a Millionnare Play It closed down, I wrote the letter in Who's Wants...question form. I would even write like "you say B., is that your final answer....yes, you're right we did..yadda yadda. I even added a few life lines into the letter.

*this year, with the presidential election, I paired the entire family up (including pets) into various presidential "tickets" each with a description of their positions on various issues while hitting highlights of the year. On one ticket, I reported that the vice-presidential candidate (our cat) was a controvertial choice because she hadn't been thoroughly "vet"ted but that she brought foriegn-policy experience as she reported with a paw wave and a wink that she could see Tennessee from our house.

*One particularly busy year, I pretended that letter was an attraction description of the various "rides" at "Six Flags over Murray"(the town we live in). I included the pre-teen rollercoaster, etc.

If anyone wants to see these because they could be adapted for other families, just PM me....

 

[JulyGirl]

I can almost tolerate brag letters. It's the TMI ones that get me. One of my mom's friends provides detailed accounts of her not-so-great relationship with her son. The opening paragraph started with something like, "Greg still refuses to spend the holidays with us and it breaks our hearts, especially since we lent him a considerable amount of money last year." Another filled us in on every medication they were taking, as well as a complete list of illnesses suffered throughout the year (urinary tract infections, irratable bowel syndrome, pink eye). Why do I need to know this?

 

[Caradana]

I rather liked that letter that the OP posted ... I thought that family sounded reasonably likable, it was short and sweet, and it's great that the college-aged daughter is into philanthropy.

 

[Angelhalo]

Sorry but my feeling is that if we are family or friends and close enough to share Christmas cards etc then we should be up to date on what is happening in each others lives-not need a brag rag once a year to "keep up"

I completely disagree. I have friends who I don't get to talk to that often at all, but it doesn't mean I love them any less or that I don't care what is going on in their lives. I enjoy their letters and never take them as bragging.

 

[aprilgail2]

I happen to be a fan of these letters. I always try to make ours creative, funny, and only one sheet of paper with normal font. For those of you who like to write them here are some of the formats I've done over the last few years:

*one year we got a new kitten and I wrote the entire letter from the perspecitve of the cat

*the year that Who Wants to be a Millionnare Play It closed down, I wrote the letter in Who's Wants...question form. I would even write like "you say B., is that your final answer....yes, you're right we did..yadda yadda. I even added a few life lines into the letter.

*this year, with the presidential election, I paired the entire family up (including pets) into various presidential "tickets" each with a description of their positions on various issues while hitting highlights of the year. On one ticket, I reported that the vice-presidential candidate (our cat) was a controvertial choice because she hadn't been thoroughly "vet"ted but that she brought foriegn-policy experience as she reported with a paw wave and a wink that she could see Tennessee from our house.

*One particularly busy year, I pretended that letter was an attraction description of the various "rides" at "Six Flags over Murray"(the town we live in). I included the pre-teen rollercoaster, etc.

If anyone wants to see these because they could be adapted for other families, just PM me....

Are you serious? You are just joking right?

 

[GothTink]

OP, that letter wasn't very braggy to me. Now the letter we receive from DH's aunt every year (this year topping out at TEN PAGES of how great her family is and how we can all change our lives so we can be great like them too)...that's a bragging letter.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Are you serious? You are just joking right?

I was thinking the exact same thing. Creative writing gone astray.

 

[mum4jenn]

I LIKED the ideas that jwann posted...I would like to read a creative letter like that. Humor is much easier to endure if you have to get a generic letter every year.

 

[daisax]

*one year we got a new kitten and I wrote the entire letter from the perspecitve of the cat

That was a skit on SNL a couple of weeks ago... and not in a good way!

A local talk show host reads bad Christmas newsletters every year and gives prizes. This year one of the winners started with a detailed account of MIL's visit in March, and didn't mention Dad's DEATH until page 4. Others detailed almost weekly what the 4 year old was up to -- who she had playdates with, when she went swimming... it was detailed to extremes you couldn't imagine. Obviously Mom kept a dayplanner of every single activity the child did all year and included 75% of them in the newsletter. Almost none of them were anything that most people would consider remotely out of the ordinary behavior for a 4 year old, but this kid is destined to be a special snowflake.

My sister used to get a great one from a friend. They were always weird, full of environmental advice and medical advice. Then she lost a baby and the next few newsletters were chock full of gory details and then "How I Coped" details. I'm not talking about mentioning the loss, or the pain of the loss -- I'm talking about really explicit details of personal mourning and creative ways she was finding to deal with it. Grief is an intensely personal thing, and if she found unorthodox ways of dealing with it, and they helped, that's wonderful, but the Christmas newsletter probably isn't the place to describe the elaborate Valentine's Day/St. Patrick's Day/4th of July decorations on the baby's grave.

 

[Perkins5]

The one I received this year has a word scramble on it. It has a couple of sentences describing what happed and then you have to unscramble what the word is. I'm sorry but I do not have time to do this. I'm all for letting family know what's going on in their lives, but my life is too busy to unscramble words.

 

[FSUDisneyGirl]

I like these. I love reading them about extended family that I may not see too often. My fave, though, is from the mom of one of my childhood friends...without fail it is FULL of bad grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Not "one or two obscure words," but "slapyouinthefacethesewordsarenotspelledcorrectly" kind of words....makes me laugh every year.

 

[jwann]

Are you serious? You are just joking right?

I was thinking the exact same thing. Creative writing gone astray

Ah yes, now I remember why I usually don't post on the community board....

These letters are actually quite funny and I am able to work-in our families activities and accomplishments in a creative way without sounding too braggy. I often have people call and tell me how much they enjoyed that year's letter. I have no idea why you would think I was joking or why that would be creative writing gone astray.

 

[MeghansMommy]

Ah yes, now I remember why I usually don't post on the community board....

These letters are actually quite funny and I am able to work-in our families activities and accomplishments in a creative way without sounding too braggy. I often have people call and tell me how much they enjoyed that year's letter. I have no idea why you would think I was joking or why that would be creative writing gone astray.

I think it's a great idea. I love creative letters. I'd love to read them.

We only got one letter this year amongst the many cards we received and it was HILARIOUS. I really enjoyed reading it.

I don't mind the bragging letters either. I like to know what's going on with people.

 

[TroyE]

I think it is all about how you write the letter, the tone and knowing your families. I have a sister who would love a letter like this, but I also have a brother and his wife with no kids, so they could care less as that is not where they are in their lives.

Ah yes, now I remember why I usually don't post on the community board....

These letters are actually quite funny and I am able to work-in our families activities and accomplishments in a creative way without sounding too braggy. I often have people call and tell me how much they enjoyed that year's letter. I have no idea why you would think I was joking or why that would be creative writing gone astray.

 

[pittypat]

We actually got a Christmas DVD from a family member, filled with "our year in photos". While I was mildly interested in what they had been up to, I got really annoyed with the the photos from their FOUR vacations (including the Bahamas, New York and Colorado), followed by the photos of financial charts showing what a "difficult year" it had been for them. Puh-leez!

 

[stahshee]

We don't get any of those. I like the letters we get except for one. The people go on and on about their cat. Yeah, whatever.