by Jennifer Walters

Created on: December 20, 2010

Having just moved across the nation from Florida to Washington, writing a Christmas card was a big deal this year.  I've grown up in a family that a Christmas card should come with a creative picture and short letter of the "new happenings" in your life.

Every year, my mom would come up with some crazy picture for our family of four.  One year we were ornaments on a Christmas tree.  Another year we went to the beach, covered some beach balls in sand and posed in swimsuits and scarves next to our "Floridian Snowman."  Because of these unique pictures, we had family and friends trying to guess what the picture would be before it came out.  Believe it or not, some of our aunts and uncles tried to bribe us kids into telling them what the picture was!

Needless to say, my husband and I were on our own this year and had a lot to live up to.  So what did we write in our card?  We gave the most brief version possible of our new life out here in Seattle.  It was definitely difficult, but we fit in short phrases about our jobs, our fun adventures, and our hopes for the New Year.

The most important thing about writing a Christmas letter for your Christmas card is to be brief.  No one wants to read a two-page letter about your accomplishments no matter how much they love you.  Keep it short and sweet, only mentioning the things necessary to give them a taste of your year.

The second most important thing is to have some humor!  Make your information and stories interesting!  If it is just a list of places you've gone and people you've seen, your friends and family will scan through the letter and then probably throw it away.  If you keep it light and funny, your card may be stored in a shoebox until next year.

My husband and I simply bought a box of Christmas cards with a nice one-liner like "May your Christmas be joyful and full of love."  Then we hand-signed all the cards to show we took the time and energy to personalize that card.  After I had typed up my short, humorous letter, I taped it to the upper flap of the card and included a picture of us with our snowboards before I sealed and stamped it.  Simple as that!

I had big shoes to fill when it came to writing and sending Christmas cards, but so many people have said how much they enjoyed it.  I didn't differentiate between who was a close enough friend or close family, but included the letter with all the cards I sent.  Everyone likes to receive a nice card now and then!

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