A Christmas newsletter is a lovely thing. A time to think back over the year and remember the good parts and the things you accomplished. If you have a family there is that much more to tell. Singles can write newsletters too. The best people to send a newsletter to are those older relatives who would like to hear from the family more often.
The formatting of the newsletter:
- Mail it, don’t email it. It’s so rare to get something personal in the mail. Bills addressed to you don’t count!
- Pick a coloured paper and envelope if you like but keep them fairly plain, easily readable.
- Pick a font and font size which are also easy to read. Use a fancier font in the header, not in the text.
- Come up with a name/ title for your newsletter.
- Keep copies of the newsletter each year, like an annual family history in print.
- Add photos before you make copies to send out. Write a little blurb to go along with each photo.
- Add papercrafts, clip art, drawings or create some other kind of art that will be able to get mailed out.
- Keep it short, a one page newsletter is easier to read and easier (less expensive) to mail out.
What to write about if you get stuck:
- If you have a family get each one to write a paragraph about how their year has gone. Their hobbies, interests, special events or something they are looking forward to for next year.
- Think about the year in seasons. What were you doing in the Winter, Spring, Summer and the Fall this past year?
- Skim through your planner if you keep one jot down notes about what was happening that would be noteworthy for the newsletter.
- Though Christmas is an upbeat time you may include a memorial to family members or close friends. It is nice to remember, even if it is just a short addition after all your other news.
Other notes:
- Don’t spill any secrets, don’t be bitter or negative about others and try to focus on the high points in your family life over the past year.
- Keep a conversational tone. You are writing to family and friends after all.
- Of course, don’t send it to people you don’t want to read it.
- When you’re done, edit it, read it out loud to see how it sounds. Then give it a proofread through, catch any typos spellcheck missed.
- Add a hand written note to your newsletter to personalize it for each person you send it to. Or, those you especially want to give some extra Christmas cheer to.
- Don’t forget to add Merry Christmas, Seasons Greetings or whatever works best for you.
- If you feel like doing an extra special touch try some mail art on the envelope itself.