by Susan Hibberd

Created on: December 06, 2009

If you are sending Christmas cards to people you aren't going to see over the Christmas period, it is always nice to include a letter.

The length of the letter and the contents will depend on who you are sending it to, and your relationship with them.

Whether you are writing to your Mother who has decided to spend Christmas abroad, an old school friend or an elderly relative, you should take time to compose the letter correctly, and double check that the letter really says what you want it to say.

Paper or Card?

You can choose to write your letter on writing paper, or in a notecard.

A notecard, or notelet, is great for when you want to say more than 'Season's Greetings' but don't feel that you have enough messages to fill a page or more of notepaper.

Think about what you want to say before you choose your card or paper, as there is nothing worse that getting to the end of a notecard and not having said everything you want to say.

If in doubt, choose a piece of paper and inset it into a greeting card.

Type of Paper

Choose the type of paper you use carefully. If you just pick up a sheet of printer paper, it will look as if you have not given enough thought to the letter.

Choose a good quality piece of proper writing paper. After all, if a job's worth doing, it's worth doing well!

Choose the color of your paper appropriately. For an older person, choose white, blue or cream. For a younger person, you can choose a wide range or pastel shades. Avoid darker shades of notepaper, as they can be hard to read.

Think about how you are sending your letter. If it is going by airmail, a lighter type of paper will reduce postage costs.

Type of Pen

As above, the type of pen you choose will give a particular impression. Avoid the everyday ballpoint pen, and dig around for a proper fountain pen.

If you are writing to a close friend, or a younger relative, you could choose a gel pen in a color to match the notepaper. Avoid gold and silver unless you are a teenager.

Inclusions

If you are writing to someone you haven't seen in a while, it would be nice to put some small items into the envelope. You could include photos of yourself and your family, or old photos you have found of you and your friend. Newspaper cutting could be sent as well, to keep people up-to-date with local news.

If you have a lot of photos to send, consider slipping an SD or camera card into the envelope for the recipient.

What to Say

So you have chosen the paper and the ink, and found a quiet place to sit. What do you write?

Take a minute to plan the letter as you would an essay. Thus, it will have a beginning, a middle and an end.

The beginning of the letter will be a quick overview of the time since you last met or wrote to the person.

In the middle of the letter, you can give details about things that have happened, people you have met, places you have been. You could talk about weddings, birthdays, school reunions, local building works, family crises, rooms you have decorated in the house, or even how well you are doing on Helium!

At the end, draw the letter to a conclusion, but summing up what you have talked about, and looking forward to either receiving a letter back or seeing your correspondent in person.

Take time to plan and execute a Christmas letter well, and you will give a great deal of pleasure to the recipient. It really is worth it!

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