Jordan Independent - Christmas cards - Comments

Chistmas letters delight me

J-Town Knitter — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 21:03:01 -0600

Chistmas letters delight me every year. I'm actually disappointed when I receive only a card with a signature. Come on! If you care enough to spend the postage, you should tell people what you're up to. Share your year's big moments, whether they be joyful or sad. I love photo cards, too, but even those can be a little disappointing if they are not accompanied by a word or two about the sender's year. What does one think when receiving a photo card? "My friends/relatives are still living, and they have certainly gotten fatter-grayer-wrinklier-thinner-older, (choose whatever applies)" or "Yes, this couple still has children, and they are getting bigger and growing up." Well, that's very nice, but what I'd really like to hear is the story behind the picture. I'd rather hear about their year. How do they love to spend their time? What are their passions? What makes them happy and proud? What milestones have they reached? Where have they traveled? What about their children brings them joy and makes them laugh? And yes, I even want to know what broke their hearts this year. So send a letter. Don't believe the "It's too braggy" cop-out. That's what people say when they don't want to take the time to write a letter.

Friends in the newspaper

Karla — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 20:07:19 -0600

Friends in the newspaper business have often gone with the "newspaper" look for their Christmas letter, with headlines like, "Wife horrified at husband's remodeling job," that sort of thing. I usually do a letter in verse (which I read online is the most annoying format). Like: "On the first day of Christmas, my true love said to me, 'Don't write an annoying Christmas letter.'"

Although I don't write my

Mathias Baden — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 15:50:53 -0600

Although I don't write my own Christmas letters, I enjoy reading them. I see them more as updates on people's lives than bragging. Some of the people who send these to me are people I don't talk to on a regular basis. They check in once or twice a year. It's nice to know what they've done of which they're proud.

One dear friend of mine whose letters I miss usually detailed long-winded tales about his family and their exploits around the globe with foreign (exotic) women and vast riches. Of course, it was all made up. But very fun to read. His series of letters has long since ended. Maybe he ran out of white lies.

(Mathias Baden is the editor of the Jordan Independent. He can be reached at editor@jordannews.com.)

I stick with fairly

lb — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 14:02:39 -0600

I stick with fairly traditional cards, inserting a personal note or photos of the kids, as appropriate. I refuse to do the "Christmas Letter" - while most people intend for them to be informative, they come across as bragging.

I do enjoy receiving the photo cards, especially from friends who I don't see very often.

Christmas cards

Brandon — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 12:56:39 -0600

I’m thinking of sending a Christmas card this year, and I’ve never done that before. I haven’t decided if I want to do something traditional or something unusual.