BY KRISTI CHEW
family matters t
HOLIDAY LETTERS
Makeyourfamily’s
holiday letter a
must-read thisyear.
^
T
k e e p i t t o
I
ONE PAGE
A single-spaced three-pager
will have a hard time competing with
the slew of other holiday letters in
mailboxes this time of year.
'
J
FOCUS ON THE FEW
Zero in on one or two high
points, such as a new job or
moving to a new city. Or use a theme
to organize your letter: “This was a
year of exploration” (Alaskan
vacation), or of change (retirement)
or of firsts (new home, first child).
Include a few milestones, such as
graduations, weddings, grand-
children. Need a memory-jogger?
Pull out family photos or go through
your calendar. Ask family members
what they remember most about the
year. Hobbies and interests, such as
gardening, golf lessons, relearning
the piano, can be interesting, too.
a
HAVE A SENSE
OF HUMOR
Let your son write about his
first place finish in the state fair’s
jalapeno-eating contest. Your dog
D
ear F a m ily a n d Friends,
It's been a n o th er
excep tio n a l y e a r fo r
th e B ro w n fa m ily . D an
h a s been p ro m o te d
(again!) so w e s ta r te d an e x te n siv e
h o m e ren o va tio n (lo ts o fp ix
enclosed!). N o t to be o u td o n e, T h a ve
s ta r te d an in te rio r design business,
a n d it's really g e ttin g o f f th e g ro u n d !
T h e kid s h a ve been b u sy too. T ad
is s ta r tin g q u a rterb a ck fo r the
B uckaroos, a n d R o b in g o t th e lead
in “G rease.” W e are tru ly blessed.
..
Three cheers if you want to write
the family’s annual holiday letter.
Yes, these missives have received a
bad rap over the years, but they are
the tedious, describe-every-malady,
bragfest versions. Yours will be
warm and thoughtful, conjure the
season’s magic, and leave folks
wreathed in smiles.
Now if you can just hurdle the
disconnect between your intended
cleverness and the mechanics of
putting words on the page.
Bad examples aside, many of
us enjoy reading holiday letters.
“They’re a secret delight to a lot of
people,” says Richard Nordquist, a
grammar and composition expert
who has written advice about
holiday letters for the Web site
A b o u t.c o m .
“Unlike e-mail and text
messaging, they’re an old-fashioned
way to stay in touch with everyone,
and the holidays are fair game to be
old-fashioned.”
There are really no rules for the
right holiday letter, but some of
these suggestions may help you
share glad tidings that stand out
from the pack.
2 1 8
DECEMBER ?008 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
P H O T O : V E E R
