Does anyone actually enjoy reading those long holiday letters?

I have to say, I have put in an honest effort - but I just don't care about getting such a long and detailed event about whose kid learned to wipe their azz or got 7 medals for picking up dog poop. Or that little suzie gets up at the crack of dawn to practice whatever she's into this year. Or that the family now lives on a farm with 5 horses, 10 goats, 5 chickens etc.....

I don't think I've finished one letter that I received like this and my wish is to never get anymore like this again.

Short and sweet people!

Anyone else like me?

Re: Does anyone actually enjoy reading those long holiday letters?

we have one family that i swear copies the same letter from one year to the next

I hate brag letters - I read them, but it only gives me more ammo to make fun of them

Re: Does anyone actually enjoy reading those long holiday letters?

I kinda like them.
and Im also one of those that writes a mini essay in everyone's card (well not the photo cards) just greeting cards in general.

I,on the other hand HATE when people just sign a card and that's it
(especially when it's close family or friends. I tell them to please save their few bucks if that's what they plan to do I had to remind a few people to at least put in the YEAR, I do like to save some of them!)

we just got a few goody bags from classmates, where one, the child's parent just signed his name in this gorgeous card..

and I thought, why waste a card ?
if no thought/words were put into it, why even bother ? Might as well just let the kid scribble his own name on the card and make it that much cuter

sorry for the million tangents

Re: Does anyone actually enjoy reading those long holiday letters?

I have never received a letter like that and pray that I never will...at least not the long rambling "braggy" kind! I "might" enjoy a short, quick update though

Message edited 12/18/2007 5:57:25 PM.

Re: Does anyone actually enjoy reading those long holiday letters?

depends on how they are written. If its very detailed and bragging a lot - then no. But if its a quick update, I love it!

Re: Does anyone actually enjoy reading those long holiday letters?

OK Anna remind me NOT to send you a card!! You would expect waaaaay too much of me!!

I do try to at least hand-write "Dear So and SO" on the Chrismtas cards.

I have a friend in Spain who send hysterical newsletters, not afraid tomake fun of himself and the fam - it's the only one we read and we LOL.

I haven't gotten any others this year actually...

Re: Does anyone actually enjoy reading those long holiday letters?

Re: Does anyone actually enjoy reading those long holiday letters?

I've never gotten one.

My dad got an"update letter" last year in a Christmas card from is cousin in Colorado, which I did enjoy, but we never hear from his cousin & he had gotten remarried (very casually & privately), so it was good to hear about that & see a picture.

This year I mostly just did Dear so & so, Love , Him & Me.

For people with recent events, I added things like, " Enjoy your fiirst Christmas in your new home/with the new kid, etc."

Re: Does anyone actually enjoy reading those long holiday letters?

I know better after living with my step-father for 16 years

Getting a letter meant we all sat around and ripped the family apart, joking about everything they said.

I figure that's what most people do anyways

Re: Does anyone actually enjoy reading those long holiday letters?

The short quick updates I enjoy. It's the 3 or 4 page (or more at times) drawn out letters that I just cannot suffer through anymore!

Re: Does anyone actually enjoy reading those long holiday letters?

I enjoy the page-long ones...Any longer and they bore me. Even if they are bragging, it's more interesting than a card only signed with names!

Re: Does anyone actually enjoy reading those long holiday letters?

my family only gets one.. from my uncles ex wife, thats NOONE talks to.. and its sent to my grandmother apparently they email once or twice a year....
we all look forward to after xmas dinner .. b/c i sit there and read it with a nice dramatic flare and boy do i read it well if i do say so myself... ok thats prolly not what ur supposed to do with these letters.. but come on they leave themselves open to it

maybe this year ill post one...

Re: Does anyone actually enjoy reading those long holiday letters?

hmm i always write something personal but i never talk about myself - that is so weird - it just never dawned on me to say how i was doing other than "all is well" - it was mostly "hope everyone is doing great, how is russ' senior year going?? have a great new year and we'll chat sometime next month when things settle down - i can't wait to hear how craig is doing in med school" etc. i always write things like that - about them - i guess i'm not that self centered

Re: Does anyone actually enjoy reading those long holiday letters?

I like them- especially from my Aunt and Uncle who have 9 children, it's nice to know where they are and what they are up to.

Re: Does anyone actually enjoy reading those long holiday letters?

I only have one friend who sends them (she and her DH write it) and since I don't see them often, I like reading it. But if it was from a close relative and/or was very braggy, I might feel differently. My friends' letter is very breezy and a quick read.

Re: Does anyone actually enjoy reading those long holiday letters?

i really like them

Re: Does anyone actually enjoy reading those long holiday letters?

Posted by Tabitha

i really like them

Re: Does anyone actually enjoy reading those long holiday letters?

Nobody we know does this. I never even heard of these "update letters" until LIF. All of the holiday cards we send and receive are short and to the point.

Re: Does anyone actually enjoy reading those long holiday letters?

I don't mind - we only get that from one of my cousins (who, while quite accomplished, does not do it in a braggy way) and an aunt (who writes about her grandchildren - my cousin's kids, who I never see) so it is nice.

both are fairly short (1/2-3/4 of a page)

Re: Does anyone actually enjoy reading those long holiday letters?

I'm not a huge fan, but I've never received one from anyone I'm especially close to. We used to get one from distant cousins of my father's. The last one we got gave us all the details on the death of their dog, the car accident their (40-ish year old) son was in and how he was dealing with his alcoholism, how this one had a heart attack, and that one lost her job...really uplifting stuff. And it was like that every year.

So that was one yearly update we didn't always look forward to.

Re: Does anyone actually enjoy reading those long holiday letters?

I do! I just read one from my cousin who has 5 sons. I don't get to see them that often so it is nice to read about all the great things they are doing and how they are doing in school and etc...

Re: Does anyone actually enjoy reading those long holiday letters?

Posted by Reese32

I'm not a huge fan, but I've never received one from anyone I'm especially close to. We used to get one from distant cousins of my father's. The last one we got gave us all the details on the death of their dog, the car accident their (40-ish year old) son was in and how he was dealing with his alcoholism, how this one had a heart attack, and that one lost her job...really uplifting stuff. And it was like that every year.

So that was one yearly update we didn't always look forward to.

Re: Does anyone actually enjoy reading those long holiday letters?

I don't mind them if they aren't too long and from relatives or friends I don't see very often. It would be weird to get one from someone I talk to all the time. I don't like them if they are all bragging though.

Re: Does anyone actually enjoy reading those long holiday letters?

our friends (living together, no kids) sent out the funniest one last week.. about their cat and 3 plants. 2 of the plants had great years, and the other 1 they really hate because it has no personality but they're not bad people so they hold onto him. it was the FUNNIEST thing i ever got... i hung it on our fridge

ETA:

they also included a hand drawn pic of themselves that they colored in with crayons (including the cat, plants, and names identifying all of them)

Message edited 12/18/2007 11:25:05 PM.

Re: Does anyone actually enjoy reading those long holiday letters?

My mom gets one from some very distant cousins of ours...and though I hate the fact that every year they send out this letter bragging about this and that...we sort of look forward to it, because it does give us a good laugh.