Why do people send Christmas newsletters?

[Anonymous]

Because they are insufferable?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A thank you card or newsie type letter in response.

No, you don't send a thank you card for a letter. Are you trolling? Or just nuts?

If someone makes the effort and expense to send something in the mail, you must respond in kind.

So then after receiving the “thank you” card, they then have to send a “you’re welcome” card?

[Anonymous]

I like getting them! We just send a photo card, but I prefer getting the cards with some news. We don't get any full on newsletters these days, but maybe a few sentences or a paragraph with life updates.

We send about 55 cards, receive about 45, and the vast majority are friends and family members in other states that we don't get to see much.

It is fun to hear that my college roommate took a trip to a destination we are thinking about. It is fun to see that our friend in another city, who we haven't seen in five years, has a child with the same weird interest as our same-age child. For our friends whose child had a life threatening epileptic episode, it is heartwarming to see her growing up every year and learning that she is going to school and riding a bike and all that. It's nice to know when people move or change jobs in a meaningful way. All these things give us a reason to call/ reconnect.

We don't use social media, and we haven't seen most of the Christmas card recipients in over 5 years. But the cards still tie us together. In 2023, my college friend sent a card with a pic of her kids on spring break - we realized we both had the same spring break - and the next year we met up with all our kids and families in Florida, and it was just like old times (she lives in the northeast, we live in the midwest). We hadn't seen each other in over five years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I like getting them! We just send a photo card, but I prefer getting the cards with some news. We don't get any full on newsletters these days, but maybe a few sentences or a paragraph with life updates.

We send about 55 cards, receive about 45, and the vast majority are friends and family members in other states that we don't get to see much.

It is fun to hear that my college roommate took a trip to a destination we are thinking about. It is fun to see that our friend in another city, who we haven't seen in five years, has a child with the same weird interest as our same-age child. For our friends whose child had a life threatening epileptic episode, it is heartwarming to see her growing up every year and learning that she is going to school and riding a bike and all that. It's nice to know when people move or change jobs in a meaningful way. All these things give us a reason to call/ reconnect.

We don't use social media, and we haven't seen most of the Christmas card recipients in over 5 years. But the cards still tie us together. In 2023, my college friend sent a card with a pic of her kids on spring break - we realized we both had the same spring break - and the next year we met up with all our kids and families in Florida, and it was just like old times (she lives in the northeast, we live in the midwest). We hadn't seen each other in over five years.

You can obviously see the inefficiency of the newsletter and once a year snail mail cards. Social media is the way to go. Few things are more embarrassing and gut punching as sending a card to someone who is deceased and you don't know it. It's not a good look.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We love them! This one guy sends a two page, size 11 font single spaced letter and even details every medical issue they had and everything they ate on trips and every animal they saw on hikes. We do a dramatic reading of it once we get it - it kicks off Christmas for us.

We get one from a family who is pretty upfront about their struggles, which is kind of refreshing. It'll begin something like "after a difficult financial start to 2024, things were on a better footing by spring" or we'll get "[Name] is thankful for his therapist." I like it.

This reminds me of the time I wrote in to my high school's alumni notes with a short note after graduating college that I was having a bit of a hard time and had moved back home and they didn't publish it lol. Oh well, I tried to be a real one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like getting them! We just send a photo card, but I prefer getting the cards with some news. We don't get any full on newsletters these days, but maybe a few sentences or a paragraph with life updates.

We send about 55 cards, receive about 45, and the vast majority are friends and family members in other states that we don't get to see much.

It is fun to hear that my college roommate took a trip to a destination we are thinking about. It is fun to see that our friend in another city, who we haven't seen in five years, has a child with the same weird interest as our same-age child. For our friends whose child had a life threatening epileptic episode, it is heartwarming to see her growing up every year and learning that she is going to school and riding a bike and all that. It's nice to know when people move or change jobs in a meaningful way. All these things give us a reason to call/ reconnect.

We don't use social media, and we haven't seen most of the Christmas card recipients in over 5 years. But the cards still tie us together. In 2023, my college friend sent a card with a pic of her kids on spring break - we realized we both had the same spring break - and the next year we met up with all our kids and families in Florida, and it was just like old times (she lives in the northeast, we live in the midwest). We hadn't seen each other in over five years.

You can obviously see the inefficiency of the newsletter and once a year snail mail cards. Social media is the way to go. Few things are more embarrassing and gut punching as sending a card to someone who is deceased and you don't know it. It's not a good look.

Not sure you've thought this through. Just because *you* post things on social media doesn't mean your card list does. And if they don't, your method of eschewing cards and sending all info out via social media results in NEVER finding out your friend is dead. At least with a card, you find out during the relevant year. I think it's better to find out, honestly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like getting them! We just send a photo card, but I prefer getting the cards with some news. We don't get any full on newsletters these days, but maybe a few sentences or a paragraph with life updates.

We send about 55 cards, receive about 45, and the vast majority are friends and family members in other states that we don't get to see much.

It is fun to hear that my college roommate took a trip to a destination we are thinking about. It is fun to see that our friend in another city, who we haven't seen in five years, has a child with the same weird interest as our same-age child. For our friends whose child had a life threatening epileptic episode, it is heartwarming to see her growing up every year and learning that she is going to school and riding a bike and all that. It's nice to know when people move or change jobs in a meaningful way. All these things give us a reason to call/ reconnect.

We don't use social media, and we haven't seen most of the Christmas card recipients in over 5 years. But the cards still tie us together. In 2023, my college friend sent a card with a pic of her kids on spring break - we realized we both had the same spring break - and the next year we met up with all our kids and families in Florida, and it was just like old times (she lives in the northeast, we live in the midwest). We hadn't seen each other in over five years.

You can obviously see the inefficiency of the newsletter and once a year snail mail cards. Social media is the way to go. Few things are more embarrassing and gut punching as sending a card to someone who is deceased and you don't know it. It's not a good look.

Not sure you've thought this through. Just because *you* post things on social media doesn't mean your card list does. And if they don't, your method of eschewing cards and sending all info out via social media results in NEVER finding out your friend is dead. At least with a card, you find out during the relevant year. I think it's better to find out, honestly.

Maybe just text or call people periodically who don't do SM, if you care about them. If not don't. Just quit with the newsletters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like getting them! We just send a photo card, but I prefer getting the cards with some news. We don't get any full on newsletters these days, but maybe a few sentences or a paragraph with life updates.

We send about 55 cards, receive about 45, and the vast majority are friends and family members in other states that we don't get to see much.

It is fun to hear that my college roommate took a trip to a destination we are thinking about. It is fun to see that our friend in another city, who we haven't seen in five years, has a child with the same weird interest as our same-age child. For our friends whose child had a life threatening epileptic episode, it is heartwarming to see her growing up every year and learning that she is going to school and riding a bike and all that. It's nice to know when people move or change jobs in a meaningful way. All these things give us a reason to call/ reconnect.

We don't use social media, and we haven't seen most of the Christmas card recipients in over 5 years. But the cards still tie us together. In 2023, my college friend sent a card with a pic of her kids on spring break - we realized we both had the same spring break - and the next year we met up with all our kids and families in Florida, and it was just like old times (she lives in the northeast, we live in the midwest). We hadn't seen each other in over five years.

You can obviously see the inefficiency of the newsletter and once a year snail mail cards. Social media is the way to go. Few things are more embarrassing and gut punching as sending a card to someone who is deceased and you don't know it. It's not a good look.

I just really think your takeaway from the last post (where a PP detailed connections and real life events that resulted from similar newsletter and Christmas card exchanges as, "you really should give up on all of that and substitute in social media instead for everything." It's the wrong takeaway. You are wrong. People live differently from you and their wins are not your losses. Try to grok experiences outside of your own as still having relevance and validity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most of my friends and family aren't on social media, so a lot of it is news to me. I like getting them, I read it, learn some things, and then throw it away. What else would you do with it?

+1
I am “on” Facebook to get school type updates but also don’t have social media accounts so for me this stuff is news.

[Anonymous]

I get them from two families.

Family 1 - All their extended family and a lot of friends live in the US, and they live in the UK. So they are sharing what their family has been up to in the past year. Not everyone follows the mom on Instagram, and she doesn't post all the details there. Thus, a newsletter.

Family 2 - An older couple who just thinks their life is great. They go on a lot of Disney cruises and celebrate their grandkids accomplishments and are part-owners in a winery and go to conventions for their hobbies. They think other people will find this interesting. Thus, a newsletter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's like a chain letter. You are supposed to create a newsletter of your own and mail it out.

No, it isn't.

That post was so funny it made me LOL. I think you missed it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wonder about the photo holiday cards with peoples kids. Are you supposed to keep them. I feel bad throwing them into the recycle bin. I don't really want to keep the pictures. It seems redundant with social media. It's seems like a waste of money and paper.

I send photo cards because it's a fun art project for me and becausevolder relatives like them. I save the photos I get from other people but you don't have to.

A photo card from Walgreens is about the same price as normal tasteful regular cards printed on nice paper.

It's really fine if you throw it out when you are done.

I also don't have social media with kid pics posted.

I only wrote a newsletter once. During Christmas the year of Covid. To let people know we were okay and how we weathered it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We love them! This one guy sends a two page, size 11 font single spaced letter and even details every medical issue they had and everything they ate on trips and every animal they saw on hikes. We do a dramatic reading of it once we get it - it kicks off Christmas for us.

We only get one these days and it's a family event - we all read it. The writer is very wealthy so it's always hilariously out of touch with regular people. It's much shorter than yours and only recently added health issues as the writer is in their 90s now.

[Anonymous]

Only Americans really do this. We find it wuite baffling and amusing that they think we care that much. They go straight to the bin.

[Anonymous]

I actually like them as long as they are not too braggy. The people who send them to us don't post a lot on social media and I like hearing more details about their year and what they have been doing.