Writing the perfect holiday card can be difficult. Whether you celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah, here are five ways to create the ultimate holiday letter for the winter season.
1. Start on a Happy Note
Always start on a happy note when writing out your holiday letter. You may have had grave news that you want to share with your closest friends or even acquaintances. that’s fine, not everything is super cheery during the holidays. But having your best foot forward is a great starting point to write about. Depending on the length of your letter, its important to have some happiness sprinkled in along with the not so cheerful events. This shows vulnerability and will make your letter stand out. But happiness is something to spread.
2. Keep it Short and Sweet
Sometimes writers may have the urge to tell every single aspect of their year in detail. From the highs and lows, the laughs and tears. However, being too wordy can put off your audience you are writing to. When planning out your holiday letter, make sure to keep it simple and to the point. Short and sweet goes a long way. brief sentences and explanations of important events should be included in the letter. Prioritize certain points about you that are important, if you have a family, list their accomplishments or important experiences. Make sure its not too much. Direct points can inform your audience in an easy way, and it’ll be easy to understand.
3. Be Yourself
You may have that urge to have the picture perfect holiday card for Christmas or Hanukkah. You may want to exaggerate what you have been doing. You may want to hide certain feelings you have been thinking of during the holidays or during the year. But, remember, being uniquely you is what makes this letter meaningful. You can be vulnerable and say how things haven’t gone your way or have been good not ‘great’. It makes you less fake and will hopefully spread that good honesty to other writers who struggle with being themselves. We always want to put our best selves in our writing. But we must put everything that comes with it, our ideas and opinions deserve to be shared with your family, friends, and acquaintances.
4. Don’t Lie or Exaggerate
You may have the urge to lie or over exaggerate a story. Being truthful is the best way to go. If you tell your audience these lies and exaggerations, they can probably research or find out from others that it’s a lie or not really what happened. To save yourself embarrassment and not be labeled as a liar, I’d suggest being honest. There are ways to make the truth look better or worse than it was, but let’s admit, honesty is the best policy.
5. Find Your Target Audience
Before you write anything or if you have what you plan to write, consider your audience. If some of the things you are sharing are too personal or certain written language will be used, be mindful of who you are sending it to. If you talk a certain way with friends, coworkers, and even acquaintances, consider writing separate letters for them. Having a certain audience, they may want to know certain things that the others may have no clue about or don’t need to hear. So definitely edit your letter to accommodate for your audiences. If anything add important details that an acquaintance may not know about you that a relative or friend would know already.
The holiday season is upon us, I hope these tips can be helpful in creating the ultimate holiday letter for Christmas and Hanukkah.
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