Two Types of Christmas Letters
For those who are prone to send out Christmas letters, one word of advice: don’t. Christmas letters are of two varieties: those associated with bragging, and those pain in the neck ones that literally describe in great detail every single bruise, injury, operation, disease, and malady known to man and make one wonder how this all could happen to one extended family.
Now, I’m not saying we don’t care that Renfrew finally graduated summa cum laude, speaks ten languages, and was voted Best Bowler of his graduating class. We salute accomplishments.
We are also not saying that we don’t care that the dog died, the car is making sounds as though it is going to do the same, the rent is due and there’s no money. We care.
My point is this, if we have not heard from these same people all year long, while events were occurring, why are we expected to be thrilled to share every ache, pain, and trip to the dentist, or glorious trip to Austria at the end of the year? Seems that there should be more of a point of connection during the year, so that we would not have to have our Christmas holiday cluttered up with all of these concerns. We care, but could we do so at another time? Do we really know WHO is sending this Christmas greeting?
Never mind -that’s just another one of my stupid rhetorical questions.
By the way, we’ve written our own Christmas letter this year. I hope it is interesting to those who see it. We might even post it online, when the holiday is more close at hand. We had to write it, in self-defense!
For the most part, Christmas cards do a good job of sharing the good will of the season with your fellow man. Just sign your name, put a stamp on the envelope and mail it. You’ll be doing countless people a big favor if you don’t provide an update about the bunion treatment that worked, or how your fingers got broken, in a fall, and you can no longer use them to lift potato chips to mouth.
Disclaimer: This announcement is not directed toward any particular person and the writer is wholly responsible for its content.
Aw, go on. Write a great Christmas letter this year, but please, make it comical, and folks, please send me a copy.
Pat 
