Wording Wednesday: The Holiday Letter

The Holidays present an amazing opportunity to connect with old friends and distant family members. Sending a Holiday letter in place of an annual greeting card gives you the opportunity to fill everyone in on the exciting things that have happened over the last year.

Use the tips below write a charismatic letter that your friends and family members will anticipate receiving each year:

• Do not use the letter to list your achievements. Instead, focus on how the events of the last year made you feel. Were you extra proud of “Suzie” because she won an award for her spelling, after struggling with it in the previous year? Were you very sad to leave your former place to move into a house that doesn’t quite feel like home yet?

• Be conscious of how your letter will come across to others. You do not want to make others feel belittled by describing your fancy vacations, huge promotions and raises, nor do you want to seem like a downer – stay positive and humble.

• Try and insert some wit or a funny story to liven up your letter.

• If you mention other people in your letter, be sure to explain who they are so that your readers are not lost. For example, “We went to visit John’s sister Megan in Charlotte, NC” rather than, “We took a trip to visit Megan.”

Here's a letter example to use as a starting point:

Family and Friends,

Happy Holidays to you! We hope the past year has brought you many blessings.

The highlight of our year was most certainly our trip to Alaska. The trip brochure promised glaciers, bears and a whale (watching) of a good time. Matthew, now 7 years old, was not disappointed. We saw our first black bear while on a fishing excursion off the shore of Ketchikan. Matthew has since decided he’d like to be an Alaskan fisherman when he grows up and maybe hunt bears on the side (much to his mother’s dismay). The overall trip was an experience that we will never forget. The natural beauty of the Glacier Bay region is indescribable—and Alaska as a whole is a truly remarkable place! Check out our photos below.

Upon our return to the city life in D.C., Molly had the task of getting our youngest daughter Kaylee ready for her first day of pre-school. After a month of flash cards, ABCs and pep-talks, Kaylee boarded the bus with a smile and a wave. She’s making lots of friends and says her favorite part of the day is of course—recess. I believe we have a budding socialite in our hands.

Dave’s construction business is doing okay, but far from “booming.” It has been a slow year with the economy and the housing market in its current state. We are considering the possibility of branching out into commercial building in hopes that it will carry us through the housing slump.

Well, that was our year in a nutshell! Hope things are well with you and your families. May you have a very merry Christmas and an exciting and prosperous new year!

Happy Holidays,
The Meyer Family