We took down the Christmas Cards yesterday. This year we received 4 or 5 annual wrapup holiday newsletters from friends and family as well. That's probably par for the course.
Only one of them was actually interesting to read. It's not that the rest of them didn't lead interesting lives or had news to provide - but they weren't well written. They weren't written with the intention of giving the reader enjoyment, or at the very least, news.
I think that Hallmark and all other card providers ought to provide a free link to Christmas News Letters - Suggestions and Examples as a favor to society. People do some mindnumbing things with these end-of-year newsletters. We received one that actually described the plants that were put in a garden, and the exciting growth results. Flowers. People have to remember that when they're doing these kinds of newsletters, they're sending to a general group, and they need to focus on content - and the details - that would be of interest to the general group. In the case of the garden, a picture equals 1000 words, so don't waste the 1000 words, because I won't get through it.
I'm no grinch, I like getting the holiday letters when they're well done. But it's a craft that people don't prepare enough for before they undertake it.