Christmas Letter Tips.com » Writing Tips

How to Create a Christmas Letter in the Shape of a Christmas Tree

xmastips — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 22:55:08 +0000

Looking for a fun idea for your annual Christmas letter? Why not create a Christmas letter in the shape of a tree? It’s not too difficult to do and you can use any word processing software to create your letter. Here’s one way to do it with Microsoft Word.

Creating Your Christmas Letter in the Shape of a Christmas Tree
Millions of people use Microsoft Word to create written documents every day and most of them want their text to appear in blocks and columns. So Microsoft has never automated an easy method of creating Christmas tree-shaped text. They have left the advanced features of wrapping text in the shape of an object to more advanced (and more expensive) photo editing and publishing software. However, you can create this effect in Word with a bit of effort.

To create a Christmas letter in the shape of a Christmas tree like the one shown here, you simply set the text alignment to center and then use manual returns to make each line slightly longer than the previous one. Start with very short lines and gradually increase the length of each one. To make sure your tree isn’t very short and stubby, you’ll need to have two or three lines in a row that are very close in length before you add one that’s a bit longer.

When you get to the base of the tree, you’ll want to create very short lines that are close to the same length to create the illusion of a trunk. To make it more fun, you can make the text of the tree green and the text of the trunk brown. You can also use the Insert>Shapes function to add a star on the top of the tree.

This method requires very little skill or technical knowledge. But if you’d like to try another option that requires the ability to wrap text around objects, see this post on WordBanter.com.

Then print your Christmas letter in the shape of a tree and let your friends and family enjoy your annual update in a whole new way!

More Creative Christmas Letter Ideas

For Easy Holiday Letters, Try Christmas Letter Cards

xmastips — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 23:02:13 +0000

Sending an annual holiday letter with your Christmas cards typically means printing out a separate sheet of paper, folding it in half a few times, and stuffing it inside the card so you can fit everything into the envelope.

Wouldn’t it be nice to skip the whole printing, folding and stuffing part? Well, you can.

Clever card manufacturers are now making holiday cards that have enough room for you to print your Christmas letter right in the card. You can create these Christmas letter cards right online. They look great, are easy to create, and mean less work for you.

You simply upload the photo(s), write your text, and then relax or bake Christmas cookies while you’re waiting for the printed cards to arrive in the mail. You’ll still have to address and mail them yourself, but you should have plenty of time for that, since you’ll no longer need to sit at the computer to design and print your Christmas letter.

Of course, you’ll still need to figure out what to say in the letter, so if you need some help drafting your message before you go online to place your order, check out our page with Christmas letter writing tips.

Then when you’re ready, visit Pear Tree Greetings to select a Christmas letter card. All of their cards are printed on 100 lb. card stock, and many of their Christmas card designs are available on 100% post-consumer recycled paper. Use code SANTA15 to save $15 off holiday cards with an order of $100 or or code 16734 to save $10 with a purchase of $70 or more.

Christmas Letter Examples – Howard Family Christmas Letters

xmastips — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 06:03:20 +0000

Here’s an example of how to turn the events of your year into a story. This is one of four actual Christmas letters sent out by the Howard family of California. Each year, their holiday update would include a very short story that would usually feature characters from the North Pole learning about things the family had done during the year. The 2003 letter is printed below. To see other Christmas letter examples from this writer, click one of the years below.

More Christmas Letter Examples: 2002 – 2000 – 1999

Christmas Letter Examples
Howard Family Christmas Letter 2003 – The Stolen Naughty and Nice List

It was lunch time at the North Pole. Moe and Joe Jingle, two elves from the Nintendo division, slipped outside the toy factory and quietly raced behind the reindeer barn.

“You got it?” Joe asked. Moe pulled out a sheaf of papers and smiled slyly. “Yep,” he said. “Got it.” They huddled together as Moe unfolded the papers.

“So who are we reading about today?” Joe asked anxiously, trying to peer over Moe’s shoulder. Santa had never installed satellite TV at the North Pole, which meant entertainment was mainly limited to watching reindeer games and playing hockey. Joe and Moe were tired of both. So the two had hacked into Santa’s recently computerized “Naughty and Nice” list to read about the lives of the faraway people who awaited the red-suited gentleman’s visit every year.

“Let’s see. Today we’ve got… some folks from California,” Moe said.

“California! Wow! They’ve got sun there!” Joe said. Joe’s dream was to live in a sunny place. “I bet this one’s gonna be good. They’ve got surfing and oceans and Hollywood actors who become governors. Does it look interesting?”

Moe’s eyes skimmed the paper. “Sorry. No surfer dudes. No Hollywood actors. Just a three-year-old little boy and his parents.”

Joe’s face fell. “Well, might as well read it anyway. We don’t have anything better to do.” He leaned against the reindeer barn and stuck his tongue out to catch the snowflakes that had started falling.

“Let’s see,” Moe said. “Cayne, Lisa and Chase are their names. Sounds like they lead a pretty normal life. Chase just turned three this year. Chase has a few marks in the Naughty column due to intermittent three-year-old naughtiness, but he still got a Nice rating.”

“What about the parents?” Joe said. He had moved away from the building and was now leaning this way and that with his tongue out as he maneuvered to catch the falling snow.

“They’re also on the Nice list.”

“Darn. Nice people are always so boring,” he said.

“Well, it’s not all bad. Says here that they took a few trips this year – camping in Big Sur and northern California, a trip to Seattle and the San Juan Islands to see family, and a visit to Montreal when Lisa had a business trip. That was Chase’s first trip out of the country. He had to get a passport.”

“Hey, that’s cool — a three-year-old with a passport. I’ve never even been away from the North Pole,” he said wistfully. “But I bet Montreal isn’t much warmer than here. What else?”

Moe’s eyes continued down the page. “They were also on TV this year. Cayne, Lisa, and Chase were on the evening news during a Dr. Dean Edell segment. It aired in November.”

“There’s also a whole section here about ‘first’ things Chase did. In addition to taking his first trip outside the country, he learned to ride a bike with training wheels and went to his first dentist visit.” Moe smiled. “Looks like Santa almost put him on the Naughty list that time because he cried when the dentist looked at his teeth, but he was smiling by the time they left. He also got his first driver’s license…”

“What?! Three-year-olds can drive now?” Joe yelled, forgetting all about catching snow on his tongue. “Santa won’t even let me take the sleigh for a practice ride!”

“Calm down, calm down,” Moe said, motioning with his hand. “It was just a license from Autopia at Disneyland. They went there for a week over Thanksgiving with their families – Lisa’s dad, brother, sister, and their families came down early in the week, and then Cayne’s family came down at the end of the week. It says here that Chase loved the Tea Cups, the Matterhorn, and the Haunted Mansion. He wanted to go on all of them again. In fact, Santa has a note here that Lisa gets extra Nice points for taking the kids on the tea cup ride six times.”

“Six times? Wow, that must have made her dizzy,” Joe said. He was back to his snowflake catching. ”I guess these people aren’t as boring as I feared.” He leaned his head way back to catch a snowflake and his green elf hat fall into the snow with a soft jingle from the bell on top. “What else?”

“Chase took swimming lessons during the summer. That was a first, too. He loved it. In fact, he even enjoys going under the water. He actually likes to hold his breath. And Cayne has been doing water aerobics five days a week at 24Hour Fitness, which she really enjoys. She’s made a lot of friends.

“Water aerobics…” Joe sighed. “I wish we had a pool here.”

Moe continued reading. “Oh, no. It says they lost their cat, Kimba, this year,” he said. “They put up flyers all over town and checked the shelters for weeks, but they never heard a word. Then, in a weird, chance meeting, they met a woman who worked at an emergency animal clinic. She said she was pretty sure their cat had been brought in by a nice family who had found him wandering. Unfortunately, he had a urinary blockage and they couldn’t save him. But at least they know what happened to him.”

“Gee, that’s too bad,” Joe said. He stopped catching snowflakes long enough to look appropriately mournful.

“But they also got some new critters, it says,” Moe continued. “They’re on the Naughty list. Callie, their new kitten, who was a stray whose owner they couldn’t find, is on the Naughty list for always trying to get Chase’s new pet fish, Beta. Chase has loved fish ever since he saw ‘Finding Nemo.’” Moe smiled again. “And Cayne and Lisa get extra Nice points for completely indulging him and taking him to see the movie 5 times!! He absolutely loved it. In fact, that was the theme for his third birthday party.”

“But, uh-oh. Looks like Zoey, their dog, is also on the Naughty list for chewing everything in sight. According to Santa’s notes, she’s a real sweetie, but she has chewed the cover for the BBQ grill twice, as well as tubing for the drip irrigation system and numerous other items. And she is on the Naughty list simply for being too big for her exuberant puppy energy. It says Chase loves her, but Zoey gets in trouble a lot because she knocks him down in her excitement.”

Joe took a break from trying to catch snowflakes and looked at his watch. “Hey, we better get something to eat before we get back to the toy factory. Anything else before we grab some grub?”

Moe skimmed the list. “Well, it says Lisa’s company laid off a bunch of people at the end of the year after MSN canceled their contract. She lost eight of the 13 people on her team, but she’s okay for now and looking for another job in case the company goes under.”

Joe swiped at one more snowflake with his tongue. “Think you can get another one tomorrow?”

“Sure. No problem. Santa will never know.” He and Joe turned and headed off to the cafeteria to get lunch.

They never even saw the man in the red suit who was quietly adding names to his Naughty list.

Merry Christmas and best wishes for a great 2004!

Sample Business Christmas Letters

xmastips — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 05:36:58 +0000

Business Christmas letters are a great way to stay in touch with customers and business associates and to thank them for their business throughout the year. They’re typically much more formal than family Christmas letters, so you’ll need to keep this in mind when writing.

In a family Christmas letter, you want to tell your readers about things that happened to you during the year. But the goal of a business letter is not to tell about your company’s successes, but to express your thanks to customers and partners.

Here are some sample business Christmas letters to help you get started.

——————————————————————-

Sample Letter #1

Dear [Customer or Client Name],

The holiday season is a wonderful time for us to remember the friends and customers who help our business and make our jobs a pleasure all year long. Our business would not be possible without your continued support.

So we’d like to take this moment to say thank you and send our best wishes to you and your families. May your new year be filled with all the success and happiness you deserve.

Happy holidays!

[Your Company Name]

——————————————————————-

Sample Letter #2

Dear [Customer or Client Name],

As the holiday season approaches, we’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued business. It is business associates like you who make our jobs a pleasure and keep our business successful.

May your holiday season and the new year be filled with much joy, happiness and success. We look forward to working with you in the coming year and hope our business relationship continues for many years to come.

Happy holidays!

[Your Company Name]

You can give your business Christmas letter some holiday cheer by printing it on holiday paper instead of your company letterhead. Then be sure to send your letters in plenty of time to arrive before the holidays.

Happy writing!

Green Your Holidays with a Christmas Letter Template

xmastips — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 08:57:32 +0000

Sending Christmas cards and letters is a fun tradition during the holidays. But if you’re looking for ways to go green and help cut down on paper waste, you may want to consider using a downloadable Christmas letter template rather than store-bought stationery.

Using a printable Christmas template for your annual holiday letter to family and friends is an eco-friendly way to make sure you’re not wasting paper – or running out! You’ll always have just the right amount.

What is a Christmas letter template?
A Christmas letter template is simply a document with a holiday design that has been set up for you to customize with your own content. Typically, they are saved as Microsoft Word documents, so they’re easy to edit. You simply download the document, open it in Word, and replace any sample text with your own. Basic templates may just have a Christmas background design inserted into Word with the text box already set up, or more advanced templates may include a place for you to add your own photo, or may be formatted as a newsletter with multiple columns, boxes and areas for you to write your own content.

Why Use a Christmas letter template?
If you’re concerned about our natural resources, a template makes sense for several reasons. First, you’ll never have to worry about having leftover paper that you can’t use. With a downloadable Word Christmas template, you’ll never have excess.

Second, you can always choose recycled paper. If you buy Christmas letter paper at the store, you may have a hard time finding a design you like on recycled paper, or the recycled content may not be up to your standards. With a printable template, you can print your holiday letter on the paper you prefer.

Third, there’s no shipping or packaging involved. Your stationery isn’t hauled across the country in gas-guzzling freight trucks or packaged in non-biodegradable plastic. So your purchase is greener and cleaner than stationery from the store.

You can find inexpensive printable Microsoft Word Christmas letter templates here at Christmas Letter Tips.com or at our partner site, ChristmasLetterTemplate.com.

Article Source: Go Green with a Christmas Letter Template

By Lisa Howard

Samples of Christmas Letters

xmastips — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 15:01:43 +0000

Your annual Christmas letter doesn’t have to be a letter at all. You’ll find ideas for multiple choice quizzes, newsletters, creative stories, digital Christmas cards and more on the Christmas letter ideas page.

But If you’ve already read through the list and want to see how some people have put their own fun ideas into practice, click on a link below to see examples of creative Christmas letters available on the web.

Howard Family Christmas Letters – four examples of how to weave a story into your annual Christmas letter

HinesSight Collected Christmas Letter – a collection of great Christmas letters, including the 2001 edition, in which the newest member of the family, a dog, reflects on the past year

my tiny voice in this big world: ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas Cards – a take on the classic poem

Metropolitan Diary-style Christmas letters
– a Mom’s self-deprecating stories told in the style of The New York Times "Metropolitan Diary"

Waite Family Christmas letters – good example of how to make a Christmas quiz fun

YouTube Christmas letters (see below) – amusing digital Christmas letters saved on YouTube

For more samples of Christmas letters, check out the book, “Ideas for Writing Creative Christmas Letters” by Janet Colbrunn. Click here to find a review of Ideas for Writing Creative Christmas Letters.

Christmas Letter Examples – Howard Family Christmas Letter 2002

xmastips — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 06:12:23 +0000

Here’s another example of how to turn the events of your year into a story. Below is an actual Christmas letter that was sent out by the Howard family of California in 2002. To see other Christmas letter examples from this writer, click one of the years below.

More Christmas Letter Examples: 2003 – 2000 – 1999

Christmas Letter Examples
Howard Family Christmas Letter 2002 – Santa Sneaks In

Twas the night before Christmas, and Cayne and Lisa were lounging in their family room. Cayne stretched out on the sofa. Lisa took the La-Z-Boy. “You think he’s asleep?” Cayne asked. Lisa listened and nodded. “He was out like a light when I put him in his bed.”

“Well, he should be. He’s been up since 5:30 today.” Cayne pretended to be upset, but her voice betrayed the humor.

Lisa smiled. At two years old, Chase was a non-stop bundle of energy. No matter how little sleep he got, on most nights he still had enough energy to resist bedtime by staying awake and talking for an hour. Tonight was the exception. He had gone to bed almost instantly. Well, perhaps instantly wasn’t exactly the word. First Mommy had to read “Bear Snores On,” or, as Chase called it, “Bear Nores On,” and then it was time for “Rumble in the Jungle” (also known in two-year-old slang as “Jungle Jungle”). After Lisa finished reading those books and put him in bed, he had to recite his list of people who loved him. And then he fell asleep. So maybe it wasn’t instant, but he did fall asleep quickly rather than talking in his crib.

Now Cayne and Lisa were relaxing in their new house, enjoying the quiet. “Wow. Can you believe we’ve already been here for six months?” Lisa said, looking around the house that still had bare walls and a few as-yet-unpacked boxes stuffed in closets, even though it was all decorated for the holidays.

“Yeah, it’s gone by so quick. But this totally feels like home now. I can hardly remember living in the condo.” Their new home was a four-room, two-story house in a new development in Pittsburg, and they had already been in the new place for six months.

Lisa looked around. “Did you hear that?” she asked.

“What? I didn’t hear anything.” Cayne said. Lisa listened again, didn’t seem to hear anything, and went on. “It’s nice to just sit around and relax for awhile, huh?” she asked. It seemed like life had been flying by for months.

The year has started off fairly slow. They had taken a short trip to a wild animal park early in the year and spent the weekend in African tent cabins. Very fun and relaxing. And then life went into fast forward. They decided to sell their condo and sold it within a week of placing it on the market. Then they held their breath as they waited to see if they’d be able to get a house in the new development. The homes were selling so quickly that the developer had resorted to a lottery system. They ultimately were able to purchase a house that another person had lost – but not until they engaged in a frantic race to close in record time and ended up in a last-minute panic when it appeared they needed to be out of their condo on Saturday but wouldn’t be able to move into their new place until Monday. Thanks to the efforts of an angelic title officer, it all worked out. But Lisa had nightmares about it for weeks.

Now they could sit in their family room and relax. Cayne walked to the shelves Lisa’s dad had built and turned on the stereo. Melissa Etheridge began to sing.

“Your dad did a really nice job on those shelves,” Cayne said as she sat down again.

“Not to mention everything else he did,” Lisa added. Her dad had been a huge help in getting the new house into shape. He spent numerous weekends putting in window coverings, a sprinkler system, garden plants, and shelves. Chase loved waking up in the morning and seeing Grandpa working outside in the yard. “I’m just glad everything’s pretty much done now,” Lisa said. “I’ve got enough stuff to do at work these days.”

In May, Lisa had been promoted to a new position in the sales department and her team doubled from five people to ten. And then all hell broke loose; the workload quadrupled virtually overnight and continued to grow exponentially every month. By November, they had literally increased workload by 20x, even though overall headcount went down.

“There it is again. Did you hear that?” Lisa asked. Cayne shook her head. “Nope. What’d it sound like?”

Lisa watched Millie slink into the room as she answered. “It sounded like… bells.” She shrugged. “But now I don’t hear it.” The cat looked at the humans, but didn’t come. She was still too shy. Millie, (short for Milagro, or “miracle” in Spanish) became the newest feline member of the household after she had been hit by a car. When Cayne and Lisa found her, the all-black kitten was attempting to drag herself across the road. She couldn’t have been more than six weeks old, and her amazing ability to escape permanent damage from the car earned the feral cat her new home and nickname.

It had definitely been a busy year. To get away from it all, they had taken a trip to Orlando. Chase’s favorite part was visiting “Kickey” Mouse’s world and Disney’s Animal Kingdom, while the highlight for Cayne and Lisa was visiting an aquatic park where they got to swim with a dolphin named Lester. And Lisa was thrilled to visit Aunt April and her cousin Dawn Marie during the trip and just hours before Dawn Marie went into labor with her first baby, a boy. A few weeks after they returned home, Chase celebrated his second birthday, and then in December he was the ring bearer for Cayne’s brother’s wedding.

Lisa got up. “Well, I’m ready to hit the sack. How ‘bout you?” Cayne got up, too. “Yep. I’ll be right behind you,” she said. Lisa headed upstairs, while Cayne lagged a few minutes behind to turn off the stereo and unplug all the Christmas lights.

It was only then that the faint tinkling of bells once again sounded outside. The women never saw or heard the man dressed in red as he slid down their chimney and placed presents under the tree, but as he jumped in his sleigh and took to the sky, they heard a voice cry out, “Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!”

3 Tips for Selecting Christmas Letter Paper

xmastips — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 02:36:47 +0000

What kind of paper do you use for your annual Christmas letter? Many people shop for holiday letterhead online and pick the first paper they see with cute artwork. But the background design that looks so appealing online may not be so practical once you actually start printing. Picking Christmas letter paper doesn’t require a Ph.D., but if you’re shopping online at a store offering user designs, these tips will help ensure you get paper that’s practical as well as pretty.

1. Make sure there’s enough room for your letter. Amateur designers sometimes get carried away with their stationery artwork and forget to leave enough room for text. Be sure to pick something that will give you enough space to put your entire family letter on one or two pages.

2. Choose a light-colored background. A dark background will make it difficult for people to read your Christmas letter. Most professionally designed letterhead available at office supply and stationery stores has a light background designed for easy readability, but watch out for dark or bright colors when shopping for letterhead designed from amateur art.

3. Pick a paper with a simple border. Unless you’re comfortable creating multiple text boxes or manipulating tabs or indents in your word processing software, you’ll want to choose Christmas stationery that has even borders, not a design that juts into the main writing area of the paper in multiple places. Best choices are letterheads with banners across the top or bottom, with a border design that has a similar width around the whole page, or with an image in one corner so you can format most of the text around it.

You may also want to try using Christmas letter templates, rather than preprinted stationery. Templates such as the ones we offer here allow you to create your annual holiday letter in a Word document that has already been set up for your text. So there’s no guessing what the final product will look like when you print it on stationery from the store. See our Christmas letter templates here.

Family Christmas Letter Ideas

xmastips — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 03:31:41 +0000

guest post by Debora Dyess
“We never seem to write letters anymore,” I complained to my husband.

He glanced up. “You can fix that. Christmas is coming – perfect time for a family letter.” He returned to work, leaving me to ponder how to begin such a project.

For those of you who, like me, are not natural letter-writers, below is a list of family Christmas letter ideas. Hope they help if you decide to start a new tradition this year.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words!
While you can fit a few photos into a newsletter, more is better for your family Christmas letter. Try including a CD of favorite photos and special events. For more pizzazz, try using online services such as Smilebox. You can pick out a background and song to lend emotion to your slideshow. Then have fun and create! Include a copy with each mailed newsletter (or at least with Grandma and Grandpa’s). You can also share your creation with email recipients online.

The Countdown!
David Letterman loves them, Johnny Carson loved them, and we all love them too. The Top Ten List is the hit of the show! Include it in your newsletter or family Christmas letter. Ideas for lists range from sports activities for the kids to best moments on vacation. Include baby’s top ten new words, or your kindergartner’s top ten favorite new books, movies or games. The top ten dumbest/cutest things said in the household is sure to be a hit, but keep careful notes through-out the year to make sure you get them all down!

Make Them Laugh!
Ask each family member to include their favorite joke, riddle or pun. Sharing humor is always a family favorite. For humorous holiday jokes, search online or visit Funny-Christmas.com.

Use a Template!
Trying to format everything just right can lead to frustration, un-Christmas-like obscenities and un-mailed letters. Using a template makes layout easy and allows for more time to write and less to try to fit-it-all-in. You can search for printable Christmas letterhead online or for less than $4, download an awesome Christmas letter template right here at Christmas Letter Tips.com. Using these formats, you can easily summarize important evens of the year, insert family photos and get it done in time to get it mailed. Or, to save a tree and ensure on-time delivery, email your newsletter.

However you choose to share your lives with family members far away, it will be appreciated all year long. Keeping the family tie alive may be the best gift you give or receive!

Santa Sample Letters – First Year in Kindergarten

xmastips — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 17:51:56 +0000

This sample letter from Santa Claus can be used for all children. To create your own Santa letter to print at home, just copy and paste the text into a word processor and fill in the placeholder text in [BRACKETS] to create your own Santa Claus letter!

If you need Christmas stationery, check out Zazzle for letterhead, cards, and other gifts. You might also like our printable Santa letter templates, such as the one shown here.

Dear [NAME],
Ho! Ho! Ho! It’s almost Christmas, and I’ve been making my list and checking it twice to see which little boys and girls have been naughty and which have been nice. I’m very happy to see that you’re on my list of nice [AGE]-year-old [GIRLS or BOYS].
I can’t believe you’re already so big that you’re in kindergarten this year! Your [PARENT OR OTHER PERSON] told me that you’re doing well in [TEACHER NAME’s] class. I hope you’re enjoying school and paying attention to your teacher. Education is very important.
The elves have been busy making lots of toys this year and they told me that you want a [TOY] for Christmas. I’ll do my best. My favorite part of Christmas is delivering toys to good children like you, and I always try to bring something you’ll like. But remember that the best part of Christmas is spending time with the people who love you. Toys are just an extra treat.

The reindeer are really looking forward to visiting [YOUR CITY] again this year. Don’t forget to leave out some carrots for them!

Love,

Christmas Postage Stamps Add Color to Holiday Mailings

xmastips — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 23:37:43 +0000

Why should the inside of your holiday mailings have all the fun? Put some fun Christmas postage stamps on your envelopes!

The US Postal Service has been issuing special Christmas postage stamps since 1963, when it released its first holiday stamp with an image of a Christmas wreath and candles. Now the USPS issues Hanukkah and Kwanzaa stamps, too, as well as both religious and secular images for Christmas.

But digital technology means you no longer have to wait for the United States Postal Service to issue their official holiday stamps, nor do you have to settle for the images the print. Now you can make your own (see the post on how to create personalized USPS stamps) or you can buy great postage stamps created by thousands of artists around the country.

Just hop over to Zazzle and you’ll be dazzled by the variety of postage available for Christmas, other holidays and special occasions and everyday use. Here are just a few of the designs you’ll find there. You can buy any of these designs or even use the design as the basis for your own customized version of what you see here. (For instance, you could add “Merry Christmas from the Smiths” to any image here, and you can do the same with their selection of Christmas cards, letterhead, ornaments, shirts and more.)

Review: Ideas for Writing Creative Christmas Letters by Janet Colbrunn

xmastips — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 05:51:04 +0000

When I saw Ideas for Writing Creative Christmas Letters That People Are Actually Eager to Read by Janet Colbrunn on Amazon, I quickly purchased the book based on the title alone. Many people make fun of Christmas letters, but few celebrate them. So I was thrilled to find a kindred spirit in Colbrunn.

Unfortunately, the book’s publisher must not have provided a description for bookstores because neither Amazon or Barnes and Noble has any details on the book. That’s a shame because I’m sure the lack of information will discourage many people, and this book is well worth the money if you’re looking for creative Christmas letter ideas.

The author’s website says, “You can quickly learn to transform a traditional letter into one that is so entertaining that even the busiest holiday reveler can’t lay it aside.” In fact, I enjoyed reading all of the sample letters inside the book, despite the fact that I don’t know the author or her family. Colbrunn’s creative examples prove that holiday letters don’t have to be boring or bragging.

The author doesn’t just give a list of ideas. She gives real examples of actual letters she has sent over the years, from the 1988 Diary letter to the 2005 End of Year Statistics letter and many in between.

Personally, I really enjoyed the 1995 Monopoly-like trivia game, which included a game board with squares around the outside with answers such as “Surprise Un-Birthday Party” and trivia cards you had to match up, such as “Stick around longer at Cousin Corrie’s and Christy’s graduation party and it magically turns into Grandma Chamber’s 75th Surprise Birthday Party…” (At least, I think that was the card that went with that square. There’s no cheat sheet in the book!)

I also enjoyed the Christmas letter that was a compilation of fake letters to Santa and the “2003 by the Numbers” letter that included info such as:

3 times we visited the Toledo Zoo with friends and family. The kids liked the monkeys best
30 toddler teeth brushed at the beginning of the year
60 toddler teeth brushed at the end of the year
98 hours per week that Jen works as a full-time triplet mom

The book inlcudes a brief explanation of each letter and then offers work space for you to make notes for your own version of each one. It’s broken into four sections, with a general section on creating your letter and sections for each of the types of holiday letters she describes: list letters, format letters and perspective letters.

There’s something in here for everyone, and you’ll almost certainly find some ideas in Ideas for Writing Creative Christmas Letters That People Are Actually Eager to Read that will help you improve your own writing. If not, you’ll at least fun reading these.

More links:
Creative Christmas Letter Ideas

How to Write Christmas Letters People Will Actually Enjoy Reading

(This article originally appeared on HubPages: Review: Ideas for Writing Creative Christmas Letters by Janet Colbrunn)

Save Time – Let Someone Else Send Cards Out for You

xmastips — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 21:03:15 +0000

Let’s face it. The annual ritual of sending out Christmas cards is a lot of work. Even if you enjoy picking out just the right card, writing a holiday letter about the things that have happened to your family during the year, and adding a personal note to each card so your card recipient knows you care, the least fun part of sending out Christmas cards is, well, sending them out. So don’t. Let someone else do it.

Who would want to do such a thing? Astonishing Cards and CardStore.com will both perform this service.

Astonishing Cards doesn’t even charge extra. Yep. You can design your own customized Christmas card online, complete with your choice of text and a photo you can upload, and they’ll print and send the cards out the next day. The “Astonishing Cards Advantage” free next day mailing service only applies to any style of large folded Christmas cards and holiday photo cards or postcards (There is an extra fee if you’re buying another type of card.), so check their site to get the full details.

Astonishing Cards has four pages of photo card designs, as well as six pages of Christmas card designs, and you can choose from one of three card formats – large folded card, invitation size folded card, and postcard. Their designs are modern and colorful, and you’ll find the usual assortment of reindeer, Santa, messages of Peace on Earth, etc.

CardStore.com can also make your card mailing easy, and they charge only a small fee in addition to the cost of U.S. postage (as low as .79, depending on the type and quantity of cards you purchase). You’ll find an amazing selection of cards here. They’ve got 10 pages of holiday photo card designs, as well hundreds of other cards in their traditional, modern, vintage, and whimsical Christmas card categories. They’ve even got a category of holiday cards featuring pets.

Both sites also offer a wide selection of cards and invitations for other holidays and special occasions such as birthdays, baby showers, and weddings. So if you’re looking to save some time on your Christmas mailing this year, go take a look.

10 Christmas Letter Writing Tips

xmastips — Mon, 11 May 2009 22:13:16 +0000

Christmas letter writing should be fun, but many people worry so much about what they’re writing and how they’re writing it that they become paralyzed with fear. Relax! Here are 10 simple tips to help you write a great family Christmas letter and have more time to shop for Christmas gifts.

1. Be yourself – For some reason, people often feel the need to include “big” words in their Christmas letter that they’d never use in real life. Stick to words you use when you’re speaking. It will help your readers “hear” you when they’re reading.

2. Don’t exaggerate – Some Christmas letter writers to try to make every daily event sound as if it’s the discovery of the Holy Grail. Don’t embellish the truth. The events will speak for themselves.

3. Keep it short and focused – What were the best things that happened to you? The funniest events? Or the most important changes in your life? You don’t need to write about all 365 days of the year. Focus on the important ones, and try to keep your letter to one or two typed pages.

4. Avoid unnecessary adjectives – This is a follow-up to rules #1 and #2 above. Excessive use of adjectives that you’d never use in everyday conversation is a common pitfall for many Christmas letter writers. Avoid sentences such as, “My beautiful wife Jane and I took our wonderful kids to the fabulous city of New York and spent exciting hours visiting the incredible museums.” Keep the modifiers to a minimum.

5. Write for your audience – Do you send your Christmas letter just to close friends and family who already know the details of your everyday life? Or to casual acquaintances and business associates? Your letter should entertain the people who aren’t intimately familiar with your daily happenings without boring those who are.

6. Make it visually appealing – Your letter will be more interesting if you include photos, clip art, or other images. Photos will liven up any Christmas letter, and many people find it easier to describe one photo at a time than to chronicle an entire year. You can get buy clipart collections online or at your local store or buy individual artwork from sites selling royalty-free images. A little artwork will make your letter more interesting. Plus, the more art you have, the less text you need to write.

7. Be creative – A Christmas letter doesn’t have to be a letter at all. Check out some of these creative Christmas letter ideas for fun ways to give your annual holiday update a fresh new look.

8. Add a personal note – A quick handwritten note at the bottom of each recipient’s Christmas letter will make the update feel more personal and less like an anonymous form letter.

9. Read it aloud – Read your letter aloud, or have someone else read it to you. Does it flow well? Is it interesting to listen to? If not, you might want to rewrite some sections.

10. Have fun! – Remember that Christmas letter writing is an opportunity to have fun and keep others up to date about what you and your family have been doing all year. It shouldn’t feel like a chore to write your letter – or to read it. If you don’t enjoy writing your letters, others won’t enjoy reading them.

So relax, have fun, and happy writing!

You can also make your letters more enjoyable by including them in personalized greeting cards, such as those available from Vista Print. Be sure to order your Vista Print Christmas Cards before the holiday rush!

Creative Christmas Letter Ideas

North Pole Postmark & Other Postmarks

xmastips — Sun, 03 May 2009 04:29:48 +0000

You can add an extra holiday touch to your Christmas letters and Santa letters by getting a special holiday postmark/cancellation on your envelopes. One of the most popular holiday cancellations is the North Pole postmark from North Pole, Alaska, but there are nearly 100 towns and cities in the United States with names related to the holidays, and a number of these offer special holiday postmarks.

To get a North Pole postmark on your envelope(s), simply address and stamp your envelope(s) as you normally would. Then put them all in a bigger envelope and send them to:

North Pole Christmas Cancellation
Postmaster
4141 Postmark Drive
Anchorage, AK 99530-99998

To ensure delivery by Christmas, envelopes should be received at the North Pole post office no later than December 15.

You can also take advantage of this free service offered by other holiday-themed post offices by sending your sealed, stamped and addressed envelopes in a larger envelope to the attention of Christmas Re-Mailing at the appropriate post office noted below.

The United States Post Office published this list in 2008 of post offices with Christmas names. Some of these post offices offer a regular cancellation with the city name, while others have special graphic for the holidays. Cities in red with an asterisk are those that have offered special images in previous years. Images change from year to year, so be sure to check with the appropriate post office before mailing.

Advent WV 25231
Angeles PR 00611
Angels Camp CA 95222
Antler ND 58711
Antlers OK 74523
Bell CA 90201
Bell FL 32619
Bethlehem CT 06751
Bethlehem GA 30620
Bethlehem IN 47104
Bethlehem KY 40007
Bethlehem MD 21609
Bethlehem NH 03574
Bethlehem PA 18016
Blessing TX 77419

Chestnut IL 62518
Christmas FL 32709
Christmas MI 49862
Evergreen AL 36401
Evergreen CO 80439
Evergreen LA 71333
Evergreen MT 59901 (branch of Kalilspell Post Office)
Evergreen NC 28438
Evergreen VA 23939
Faith NC 28041
Faith SD 57626
*Frost MN 56033
Frost TX 76641
Garland ME 04939
Garland NE 68360
Garland NC 28441
Garland PA 16416
Garland TX 75040
Garland UT 84312
*Holly CO 81047
*Holly MI 48442
Hope AK 99605
Hope AR 71801
*Hope ID 83836
Hope IN 47246
*Hope KS 67451
Hope KY 40334
Hope MI 48628
*Hope MN 56046
Hope NJ 07844
Hope NM 88250
Hope ND 58046
Hope RI 02831
Joseph OR 97846
Joseph City AZ 86032
Joy IL 61260

Mistletoe KY 41351
Nazareth KY 40048
Nazareth MI 49074
*Nazareth PA 18064
Nazareth TX 79063
*Noel MO 64854
*North Pole NY 12997
Partridge KS 67566
Partridge KY 40862
Rudolph OH 43462
Rudolph WI 54475
Saint Joseph IL 61873
Saint Joseph LA 71366
Saint Joseph MI 49085
Saint Joseph MN 56374
Saint Joseph MO 64501
Saint Joseph TN 38481
Saint Mary KY 40063
Saint Mary MO 63673
Saint Mary MT 59417 (community Post Office of Browning)
Saint Marys AK 99658
Saint Marys GA 31558
Saint Marys IN 46556 (branch of Notre Dame Post Office)
Saint Marys IA 50241
Saint Marys KS 66536
Saint Marys OH 45885
Saint Marys PA 15857
Saint Marys WV 26170
*Santa ID 83866
*Santa Claus IN 47579
Shepherd MI 48883
Shepherd MT 59079
Shepherd TX 77371
Snow OK 74567
Snowflake AZ 85937
Snow Shoe PA 16874
Spruce MI 48762
*Star ID 83669
*Star MS 39167
*Star NC 27356
Star TX 76880
*Starlight PA 18461
Surprise NY 12176
Wiseman AR 72587

You can find lists of all upcoming pictorial postmarks and instructions for obtaining them in the “Philately” section of the Postal Bulletin.