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Holiday letters can be a great way to spread Christmas cheer to your family and friendsso why is it that so many of them are long, tedious and boring?

With a little imagination you can create a Christmas greeting that is unique, informative and entertaining - all at the same time. Use the following format to create a letter that is sure to stand out:

2008 - By the Numbers

9 is the age of Zoey, our youngest, who is in the 4th grade. Hard to believe she's that old already. She still loves dance class, swimming and singing in her school's choir.

2000 is the number of hours Tommy logged playing video games. (That might be a slight
exaggeration.) He's in the 5th grade and enjoys swimming, baseball, tennis and golf.
He plays the trombone, too, but doesn't exactly enjoy that.

5:40 was Jack's best mile time in crosscountry this past fall. He's in 7th grade this year and is looking forward to running with the track team this spring.

1800 is the number of miles Linda moved for her new job. :-( She works at an audio post-production studio in Burbank and loves living in L.A.

372 Warren Street in Duluth has been Ryan's address for the past 3 years. He's worked at Sears about that long, too. He plans to change his address and his job in 2009 after he graduates from MSU.

1 is the number of trips Cindy made to L.A. to visit Linda. It's also the grade she's teaching at Lincoln School this year.

200 is the number of games of golf Ron played this year. (That might also be a bit of an exaggeration.) He'd probably say it's the number of hours he works each month (and wouldnt be too far off).

We can't even count all the good wishes this Christmas greeting sends your way. May you and yours have a happy and blessed new year in 2009!

The Nelsons
Ron, Cindy, Linda, Ryan, Jack, Tommy and Zoey

This was my Christmas letter from 2005. (I have changed the names and dates to protect the innocent and no-so innocent.) Simply substitute a number for each member of your family followed by a sentence or two that sums up their activities of the previous year. Be sure to include the family pet (number of new tricks he/she mastered, number of pups in her last litter, etc.), also, if you have one.

Experiment with different fonts to make the numbers stand out. You could also cut numbers from ads, newspapers, and magazines to use in the letter for a more graphic look.

I trimmed around family photos and spaced them out in the margins of an 8 x 11 inch paper. I pasted the text in the middle of the paper.

Those of you who are tech savvy will find it quite simple to combine photos and text in a document. You can print out the letter and photocopy it or attach it to an email message. This will enable you to share your holiday greetings without ever having to buy a stamp.

If you prefer to send your Christmas letter the traditional snail-mail way, you can make color copies and then simply fold the letter into thirds. Seal the folded letter with a holiday sticker and address it - no envelope necessary.

Learn more about this author, Cindy Viesselman.
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