I like getting holiday newsletters. They connect me with my friends and family in ways that feel special during the end of the year festivities. A newsletter can act as a reminder of both good and sad shared times or as a celebration or as simply news.
There is a lot of good advice out there on clever ways to create or format your holiday missive. For example, https://christmas.lovetoknow.com/Best_Christmas_Newsletter_Ideas offers suggestions that might be viewed as prompts for how to go about preparing your holiday card enclosure.
My own suggestions are simple:
1. Include photos, because a picture is worth a 1000 words.
2. Don’t fuss about grammar and punctuation. If you’re good at that, fine. If you’re not, it’s a forgiving season.
3. More is better. A lengthy, newsy share is so enjoyable.
4. Remind your readers about names and relationships. We might be too stressed, giving a quick scan; or just forgetful due to all that’s going on or aging or whatever. Adding a quick aside helps with orientation and is much appreciated.
5. Use colorful language. It brightens everything to have sensory words, humor or literary devices and references sprinkled in your story.
While it’s become much more common to have video chats and send short messages through a variety of apps, don’t overlook the value of a good old-fashioned, written on paper, shared dispatch from the trenches of your life. Now is the time to write!