10 Christmas Letter Writing Tips

Here's another list of tips that I found on www.ChristmasLetterTips.com with a few modifications by me....

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.

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 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 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, plus, the more photos 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!

Annual Family-Update Holiday Letters

NEW this year...

I offer the option of having your holiday letter printed right on the cards! Choose to either add it to the back of the 5x7 card or turn any design into a fold-over card and use the entire inside for your letter, drawings and more. Just send me the typed up letter and I'll format it to fit the card. If you scan in your signatures, I can even pre-print those in the cards as well! To get started, pick out your favorite holiday card design on Paisley Prints Etc.

Creative Christmas Letter Ideas
from www.christmaslettertips.com

Who says a family Christmas letter has to be a letter? Here are some creative Christmas letter ideas to help you create a holiday update that everyone will enjoy reading.

1. Christmas Newsletter – If chronicling your entire year in one long letter seems too daunting, think of a few major events and write a short summary of each one to create a personal newsletter.

2. Multiple choice quiz or crossword puzzle – What did your son do in the school talent contest this year? How many colors did you look at before you decided to paint the kitchen walls a light blue? Keep your readers guessing by putting together a quiz or crossword puzzle that gives highlights from your year.

3. Christmas story – If you enjoy writing, create a story that weaves the events of your year into a Christmas-themed narrative.

4. Christmas Slideshow – If you have a digital camera and a CD burner, consider making a slideshow CD to include with your Christmas card instead of a letter. Simply select a favorite song or a Christmas carol and add photos for a fun way to share images of your year. Services such as Shutterfly make it easy to create your photo show, or use an online digital scrapbooking service such as Smilebox.

5. Photo Layout – If wordsmithing isn’t your strength, skip the Christmas letter all together and send family and friends a page of photos printed from your computer. Make the photos different shapes and sizes and use captions to tell about things that happened to your family throughout the year. --- Paisley Prints Etc. has several photo collage designs available!!

6. Top 10 list – What are the 10 most important things that happened to your family this year? How about the most humorous? Or most unbelievable? A top 10 list can be a fun and easy way to describe your family’s year. Think David Letterman and you’ll be on your way.

7. C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S spells Christmas – Eddy Arnold’s 1961 song that gives a meaning for each letter of the word “Christmas” is a great example of how to turn a single word into a story. What did those letters mean to your family this year? C is for a trip to California? H is for the new house you bought? Use the letters of a Christmas-related word or phrase to create a Christmas letter people will be sure to remember.

8. Guest Author – How would your five-year-old child describe the year? Try writing your letter from the perspective of your child, another family member, your new neighbors, a pet, or any other person that could give your letter a fresh new outlook.

Check back here in the coming week for "10 Christmas Letter Writing Tips"!

Paisley Prints Etc. on Facebook!!

What a crazy year it's been! One year ago this month I ended my 7-year stint of designing at Square One Design and started my own company, Paisley Prints Etc. It was because of this new adventure that I was urged by many to get myself on Facebook. I was told that it was a great networking tool. I had once proclaimed that "I would NEVER join Facebook." I had the impression that it was something that college kids looking for a date did, not 30 year people who have been married for 10 years. Well, I WAS WRONG! It HAS been a great networking tool, both professionally and personally.

Like so many on Facebook, I do find it bit addicting at times and fascinating to read random tidbits about the lives and thoughts of those I know. And just recently, I started finding that it's fun to follow business pages as well as friends. So, I have jumped even further onto the bandwagon that I once snubbed my nose to and started a Facebook page for Paisley Prints Etc! I think it will be a great way to give my "fans" company updates, run promos, get suggestions for new products, feedback on existing product, etc. If you want to become my "fan", and I hope you do, please click here. I'd love to hear your questions, suggestions and comments!

Hydrangea Wedding

Here are a few photos of a wedding invitation set that I did for a friend this past summer. The fresh fallen snow out my window today makes me already miss the flowers from my gardens!

Oh summer.... where did you go?

Poster-Style Invite

Here is a fun Groom's Dinner invitation that I recently designed and printed for a couple. The wedding is taking place in Colorado and the groom really wanted to play up the western theme. His only requests were that there be an image of a longhorn and that the dinner be specified as a BBQ.

Immediately, I thought of a western poster so I went with it! I had so much fun doing this project which required some research - finding samples of western posters for layout ideas and then finding the appropriate fonts. I think this design would be fun for a groom's or couple's wedding shower invitation or as a Save The Date, too. What do you think?

The Importance of Stationery

Everyone needs stationery. The warmth of a hand written note cannot be matched by email. And even though modern etiquette dictates a thank you email can be appropriate, I always appreciate it so much more when such a sentiment is written on stationery and received via the mailbox outside my home.

Getting an actual piece of mail is rare these days. Most of us are flooded with catalogs, bills and solicitous fliers. Somehow receiving a note on personalized stationery from a friend or family member conveys a type of care and thoughtfulness that is hard to find anywhere else.

I, too, am guilty of often taking the easy way out, which seems especially wrong since I design and sell personalized stationery. So, I must remind myself that it it these small gestures that have the power to create happy moments in other's lives - and, really, isn't that motivation enough?

So before you make a quick call, send a text or an email. Think about delivering your message in a different way. Think about sitting down, leaning in and hand writing a note on stationery. I think you'll feel that you've conveyed your message more effectively and that your recipient will feel just a little more special.

Pictured are a few of the designs that I offer for sale on my etsy shoppe. I think it's time for me to whip up a new batch for myself and buy some pretty stamps!

Top Sellers

I hit 150 sales today on my Etsy shoppe!

Of course, I have lots of sales made outside of the site also, but seeing it hit a landmark number still gets me excited. In celebration, I thought I'd share a few of my most popular items since I opened my virtual shoppe in October.

Top-left:

Recipe for Marriage Bridal Shower Invitations

(also available in an expanded version and Baby Shower theme)

Top-right:

Baseball Ticket Party Invitations

(also available in Football or Concert theme)

Bottom-left:

Monogram Collage Birth Announcement

(also available as Holiday Card design)

Bottom-right: Festive Berry Holiday Card

(also available as a Birth Announcement design)

I don't have Holiday Card designs listed on my etsy shoppe right now,

but I will start adding them a few designs at a time in September.

So, please check back soon!