4 Steps to Writing a Christmas Letter

Stuck for ideas on the holiday newsletter this year? Learn how to write a Christmas letter with step-by-step instructions plus tips on Christmas letter paper and format.

Creating a good family Christmas letter every year is easier than it sounds. These step-by-step instructions on writing a Christmas letter will simplify and streamline the process, resulting in a holiday newsletter that people will actually enjoy reading.

Choose a Christmas Letter Format

The first thing to decide when writing a holiday or New Year's letter to is how to organize the information. The traditional letter is structured in paragraphs, with one paragraph on each family member.

Others prefer a more creative holiday newsletter that looks like a bona fide newspaper, with columns for categories like family trips, accomplishments, pets, hobbies, and so on.

For the person who sill feels uneasy about choosing from the many formats available, there are free Christmas letter templates on the Internet to give them help and suggestions.

Brainstorm and Outline the Information

Take a few minutes to think about what significant information there is to share about what the family has been doing this year. Significant moves, graduations, new hobbies, milestones, and so on are all good items to include in a Christmas letter. See What to Say in a Christmas Letter for questions and prompts that help generate ideas.

Interview Family Members

In most households, one parent gathers information and writes the family Christmas letter. But even if one parent is doing most of the writing, it's still a good idea to include input from the rest of the family.

Teenagers may want to share information about themselves that hasn't occurred to the parent. Small children can give insightful or funny comments — including direct quotes from small kids in a holiday letter is always great for a laugh and shows off their true personality.

Draft and Revise the Holiday Newsletter

Remember that this holiday letter will be sent to all friends and family members, and there's no excuse for sending off a Christmas letter full of major mistakes. Treat this letter like any important document, taking the time to draft and revise.

Real revision is more than just proofreading for typos. Try reading the whole letter out loud to hear whether it "flows" naturally. If it sounds a little stilted, try varying the sentence structure.

Other Christmas Letter Tips

In addition to following the steps above, these tips can help in writing a good X-mas letter this year:

• Include pictures. This could be a wallet-sized family portrait tucked in the envelope, a photo Christmas card, or pictures scanned into the computer and printed off in line with the text of the letter.
• Be brief. Keep it to one single-sided page, if possible. Every significant event of the year can't be included, so choose a handful of the most meaningful and avoid overwhelming the recipients.
• Add special holiday touches. Pick up specialty winter or holiday stamps at the post office, or print the holiday letter on nice Christmas letter stationery.
• Time it right. Mail the letters early in December - this is early enough for people to enjoy and display them before things get really hectic around Christmas.
• Save a copy. Don't forget to keep a copy of the family's holiday letter each year. Over the years the collection will be fun to look back on and remember.

Being in charge of the Christmas newsletter for the family can be stressful, but it doesn't have to be. By following these Xmas letter tips and tricks, it's possible to make an interesting and well-written holiday letter to send to family and friends.