- Come up with a theme to carry you through the letter and tie it together. The theme can be as simple as the months of the year; write a short blurb about what happened each month. For a shorter version, write about something that happened during each of the four seasons. If your family went through a lot of change during the year, write about that. Moving, getting married, starting college or starting a new job are all aspects of change.
- Write your Christmas newsletter completely, then go back through and take out key adjectives, adverbs, nouns and names. Leave a blank line with the part of speech written underneath. At the top of the letter, invite the reader to fill in the blanks and then read the letter. Provide the correct answers on the back or another sheet of paper so the reader can see what your life was really like the past year.
- If you don't like to write, make your Christmas newsletter a montage of photos. People who receive your letter want to see what you have been up to, so it's a win-win situation. Pick several photos from throughout the year that really highlight the ups and downs of your family's life. Write a brief caption for each, including information such as names, what was happening and where the photo was taken. Group the photos on the page and let them tell the store.
- Use a video camera to record the year's events. In December, take just a few seconds from the many things you recorded and put them together in a montage. Set it to music or narrate what is happening in each segment. If you didn't take video throughout the year, sit in the living room in front of the Christmas tree and talk to the camera. Have your children sing a Christmas song, perform a short dance or read a poem. Post the video on Youtube or Vimeo for free, and send the link to friends and family through email or a social networking site. Give the video password protection so strangers can't view it.
Stick with a Theme
Mad Libs
Photos
Video
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