Anyone else hate the annual Christmas letter?

[forgop]

I find it obnoxious-you know, the letter that sums up their entire year in a page of their highs and lows, bragging about their jobs/kids or filled with major accomplishments and biggest disappointments to make you feel sorry for them.

If I was that important to tell this to in the first place, why not share it as it occurs that just send out a generic letter they send to dozens of people every year.

I don't even read them any more.

 

[hoosierdoc]

I love them actually, when I have time to read them

 

[RedneckReject]

Some of my family members still do the annual letter thing but it's more of a tradition than a way to convey information. Most people who do it started doing it in the days before the internet and free long distance calls. It was the most effective way to let people know what had been going on in your family throughout the year. Obviously in this day and age it's easy to post something up on Facebook, send an email, or call someone. My mom still does the annual letter every year but again, it's just because it's become kind of a holiday tradition more than anything else.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

I don't have anybody around that does it anymore. They've either gotten divorced, died, or just lost track of them. I didn't mind it when I got them though. Some folks were a little bit more braggy and some were just a little more matter-of-fact.

 

[hornadylnl]

I prefer them over the bulk boxes of cheap cards with a simple signature. What makes it even better is when they hand them to you in person. They may as well just say you're not worth the stamp.

If Christmas card/letter duty were left to me, not a single one would leave this house.

 

[jamil]

I find it obnoxious-you know, the letter that sums up their entire year in a page of their highs and lows, bragging about their jobs/kids or filled with major accomplishments and biggest disappointments to make you feel sorry for them.

If I was that important to tell this to in the first place, why not share it as it occurs that just send out a generic letter they send to dozens of people every year.

I don't even read them any more.

I'm with you. I don't send them out. Seems pretentious. But sometimes reading them is entertaining. It's like the people that send us Christmas letters forget that we actually KNOW them and the REAL story.

 

[No2rdame]

I'm getting these made into Christmas cards to send to anyone that sends me one of those lettesr.

 

[MCgrease08]

I look at it this way, one long braggy Christmas letter is much better than multiple stupid Facebook updates over the course of the year. Because I'm not on Facebook and I hate talking on the phone, sometimes those letters are the only updates I get from family back east.

 

[MCgrease08]

edit due to double post

 

[hornadylnl]

I look at it this way, one long braggy Christmas letter is much better than multiple stupid Facebook updates over the course of the year. Because I'm not on Facebook and I hate talking on the phone, sometimes those letters are the only updates I get from family back east.

Definitely this.

 

[gregkl]

If they are a full page or longer of font size 10-12 I won't even bother reading them. If they are a short(like 3 sentence) paragraph then I will most likely give it a quick read.

We did them for a few years. Didn't brag about our kids, just wrote about what they were into.

 

[Dixiejack]

I don't send or read Christmas letters, holiday cards, and or birthday cards I receive. Facebook is a pile of usless crap and the majority of people who are FB'ers are brain dead. I use less than 200 minutes a month on my cell phone and they are usually business calls.
I converse with 4 of my neighbors FTF just about every day and my life is richer for it.

 

[olhorseman]

I think they are wonderful. The paper is usually top notch and softens up easily if you work it awhile with your hands.

 

[churchmouse]

I like a brief update on the left part of the card from family and friends far away. Sometimes it is the only contact we have.

 

[gregkl]

I like a brief update on the left part of the card from family and friends far away. Sometimes it is the only contact we have.

This is what I do now.

 

[voodoo304]

Isn't the new version of this called "Facebook"?

 

[perry]

We have some family friends that are Jewish.. so they wait until mid-January to send their winter update to everyone. The man has a unique, entertaining way of writing his letters and I always enjoy reading them when mom shows them to me.

I came from an Army family, so mom has friends from east coast to west coast at this point. She uses facebook, but just has her close friends on there, so she really only hears from the Christmas-card-friends at Christmas.

Me? I don't send cards and the few I get just say "Merry Christmas." Gotta be a generational thing.

 

[WebSnyper]

I look at it this way, one long braggy Christmas letter is much better than multiple stupid Facebook updates over the course of the year. Because I'm not on Facebook and I hate talking on the phone, sometimes those letters are the only updates I get from family back east.

Agreed, and since I don't do facebook, twitter, etc and I also hate to talk on the phone, I'm pretty much right there with you. It is okay if it is family, but from others, I just really don't care to read them.

I don't send or read Christmas letters, holiday cards, and or birthday cards I receive. Facebook is a pile of usless crap and the majority of people who are FB'ers are brain dead. I use less than 200 minutes a month on my cell phone and they are usually business calls.
I converse with 4 of my neighbors FTF just about every day and my life is richer for it.

Right there with you, except that chatting up the neighbors part. You lost me with that.

Isn't the new version of this called "Facebook"?

Yep, and it is overrated. Except now I hear Facebook is for old folks, so I guess skipping that aspect of social media didn't really hurt me.

 

[Mad Macs]

[video=youtube_share;2kjoUjOHjPI]http://youtu.be/2kjoUjOHjPI[/video]

These people must make you want to kill yourself.

 

[RedneckReject]

[video=youtube_share;2kjoUjOHjPI]http://youtu.be/2kjoUjOHjPI[/video]

These people must make you want to kill yourself.

I think the general idea was cute (in a weird way) but they went way over the top. That video was sickeningly cheesy