Holiday newsletters

[Miss Shelf]

Do you get those annoying holiday newsletters, chock full of people's stellar accomplishments? (If you are one of these lovely people who write them, don't read this thread! )

We got the annual trumpeting from a former neighbor at the beginning of this month, and her oldest son thoughtfully sent his own, which didn't tell us much that we hadn't heard about in his mother's. It all made me want to write an anti-newsletter, with my siblings doing well in prison, their drug dealing being successful, and I was going to make myself a pole dancer celebrating my 25th year at the same nightclub; and my nieces and nephews being spectacularly underachieving in their schools. My siblings don't share my sense of humor, though, so while I still might write one for my own amusement, I probably won't share it with them.

Share your thoughts (pro and con) about holiday newsletters here! Newsletters are the new fruitcake, I think. Everybody gets them and nobody particularly wants them.

 

[G4G]

I hate these things. If someone can't be assed to write a letter just for ME then they can stuff it. They are so impersonal.

 

[Minniemal]

It all made me want to write an anti-newsletter, with my siblings doing well in prison, their drug dealing being successful, and I was going to make myself a pole dancer celebrating my 25th year at the same nightclub

David Sedaris wrote a short story like that, called "Season’s Greetings to Our Friends and Family!!!”

 

[Miss Shelf]

ooh, where can I find that one? I've read a couple of his books, but I don't remember seeing that one.

 

[muggle]

Holiday Newsletters. I always thought they were Bragging Newsletters.

 

[Minniemal]

ooh, where can I find that one? I've read a couple of his books, but I don't remember seeing that one.

It's in both Barrel Fever and Holidays on Ice.

 

[Miss Shelf]

Thanks!

 

[SFG75]

It all made me want to write an anti-newsletter, with my siblings doing well in prison, their drug dealing being successful, and I was going to make myself a pole dancer celebrating my 25th year at the same nightclub; and my nieces and nephews being spectacularly underachieving in their schools.

LOL-What a riot!. I don't like those things either, most of that kind of stuff comes to us via the internet, which we quickly delete before even opening.

 

[Billy]

I hate these things. If someone can't be assed to write a letter just for ME then they can stuff it. They are so impersonal.

I agree with you. I don't like getting letters from friends knowing that the same letter was sent to 20 other friends.

 

[mehastings]

One year I wrote an "anti-newsletter". It was a page, front and back all about my dog. I haven't gotten any lousy newsletters since.

 

[Gem]

Oh darn, and there i was ready to send you all a newsletter about my recent holiday

 

[Miss Shelf]

One year I wrote an "anti-newsletter". It was a page, front and back all about my dog. I haven't gotten any lousy newsletters since.

Now why didn't I think of that??? I love telling people the cute things my dog does! If you'd like to get one, let me know and I'll be more than happy to send you Spot's Year 2005. I'll even include a photo of a pretzel shaped chew toy that, viewed from the proper angle, looks uncannily like a pile of....oh well, you'll see!

 

[Kookamoor]

I was right with you, thinking holiday letters were shite and all that... then I got one today.

It was an email from a friend who I don't write to as often as I should and we've drifted apart. It was *so* nice to hear from her! I really liked hearing what she'd been up to, because she hasn't been a part of my life for 2 years, and I realised that she's a really good friend who I miss.

I've been pretty lax in my correspondence with friends while I've been abroad. It's just so hard to write individual emails saying essentially the same thing to so many people, and I refuse to do the bulk email thing frequently because I think it cheapens what you have to say. That being said, I fully intend to write a bulk email to a lot of people in the New Year to let them know I'm coming home. I'm thinking of incorporating a 'christmas letter' sort of thing into it to let them know what's been going on. But there will be no bragging involved, I can assure you.

I can understand the traditional holiday letter being annoying as hell. I don't want to receive a brag-pack. Usually I write individual christmas cards to all my friends, with long letters in them. That, as far as I'm concerned, is really lovely because they're individual, hand written and show that, even if we don't talk often, I want to stay in touch.

 

[Miss Shelf]

As far as emails go, if I have something important to share with more than two people, I'll compose something on WordPad and copy it to individual emails, inserting comments and such, or deleting parts, depending on who I'm talking to.

I don't like the mass emails, especially those where my address appears on the list of recipients. I wish more people used the BCC feature (or learn how to use it!). I've gotten a ton of spam in my principal email address that I use for close friends and relatives, most of whom seem to be ignorant of the BCC feature.

 

[Kookamoor]

As far as emails go, if I have something important to share with more than two people, I'll compose something on WordPad and copy it to individual emails, inserting comments and such, or deleting parts, depending on who I'm talking to.

That always seems a little cheeky/rude/dishonest to me. I've certainly done it, but I never do it to more than one person from one circle of friends because I would hate them to share emails and discover that I wasn't really sending them a completely original email.

I wish more people used the BCC feature (or learn how to use it!). I've gotten a ton of spam in my principal email address that I use for close friends and relatives, most of whom seem to be ignorant of the BCC feature.

I don't have an issue with my address showing, but I do agree that it doesn't really take into account people with your view. I tend to use BCC when I'm sending to many people who don't know each other. On the other hand, if I'm writing to one circle of friends I *do* include the email addresses in the "To" section so that everyone can see who received the email and they can hit the 'Reply All' button to have a group 'conversation'.

 

[mehastings]

OK, I got a newsletter today from a family that I honestly thought would know better. They're normally very tasteful people.

I'd whip up a nice long Zoe Newsletter for them, but they'd probably love it as they are enamored with her.