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If you have ever gotten one of those tome-length Christmas letters from a relative or friend, you understand that there has got to be a better way to manufacture one. Most people who regularly write these letters tend to just sit down and reminisce on paper. If there life has been busy, or their family is large, the letter will seem to go on forever. Most of the information is trivial and without meaning to the letter's recipient.

The trick is to create a letter that is long enough to cover your information without being too long to get read. If the letter is handwritten, you need to try to limit it to about two pages. If typewritten, you can get more words to the page, but a two page double-spaced letter will not be considered excessively long. If the typewritten one can be condensed to only about 1 1/4 pages, it will be better.

The information included in the letter needs careful consideration. Most relatives will not care if a goldfish died. They do not want to hear how hard it was for you to get the mildew off of your bathroom ceiling. Information that does not keep the reader informed about durable changes or accomplishments should be omitted.

A durable change would be a graduation, the birth of a child, or a death. Unless that new car is a Rolls Royce, it probably does not make the cut. A fight with cancer should be mentioned. If the change directly affects the majority of the readers, it needs to be included. The annual visit from some distant relative can be left out. If you have moved, put that in the letter unless you moved to become a recluse.

Family statistics need to be woven into the text and not just listed. Your children are advancing in school and age. The friends and relatives would rather not show up with a gift after 5 years that was purchased for a small child because they forgot that Junior is in high school. If your children are doing great in school, mention it, but do not brag. The same is true for sports.

Leave gossip out of the letter. This is a written document. If you put something offensive, not only will the offended person see it, but he or she will have the proof to torment you with for years to come. If you do not put it in, you will live a happier life in the long run.

Learn more about this author, Allen Teal.
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