Holiday Letters

The above holiday letters made me laugh. However, as a writer and avid reader, I enjoy reading holiday letters and I appreciate the fact that people wrote more than "Dear Noelle" and "From ___". Some letters do brag, but some are just from people who are proud of their families. If they're your friends, they deserve the benefit of the doubt! I am always happy for my friends when they travel, do volunteer work, earn awards or have children working hard and earning honors. Some recipients of holiday letters complain too much. Friends who send holiday letters are easy targets of gossip, but didn't we already graduate from 6th grade?

Wouldn't you complain even more if friends sent you negative notes about how life is grim and 2007 is bound to be even worse and anyone who thinks the year will be joyful is a fool?

Just making a point. The tone of a letter can be misinterpreted as bragging since you can't hear the person's voice or see his or her expression. Maybe your friends ARE egotistical jerks, but then what does that say about YOU? Is it possible that the complainers are overly-judgmental? Maybe the letter writers are just excited to share a few good things that happened to them. In a whole year, there's bound to be something to be grateful for. If complainers took a minute to reflect upon their lives, they might find things to be grateful for too. They might -gasp!- even be inspired to share their thoughts in the form of a holiday letter.

BEFORE YOU SEAL THE HOLIDAY LETTER:
Watch whom you send it to - some "friends" do NOT have the ability to be proud of you or happy for you. They may criticize your letter in conversation...or on the Internet! Needless to say, these are not friends, they are disloyal, possibly jealous, probably insecure acquaintances you should remove from your list and if possible, your life.

Does anyone agree that we can support the people around us rather than attack them?

That said, the satire letters above are still worth reading. They gave me a good laugh.

Labels: Noelle