How to Write a Family Christmas Letter People Enjoy Reading

To write a family Christmas letter, keep it to one page: a short opening, a few lines of news for each person (pets count), and a warm closing with a sign-off. Pick two or three real moments per person instead of listing everything that happened. Add one to three photos so readers can match faces to the news.

Below is the whole process in six steps, with openings and closings you can copy, what to leave out, funny formats for families who find the usual letter stiff, and how to handle a year that was hard.

1Plan the length and order of your family Christmas letter

A family Christmas letter works best at one page, printed on one side. It fits in a card, and people can read it in one sitting over coffee.

The simplest order is the one readers expect:

1. An opening paragraph: a greeting and one line about the year as a whole.
2. A short section for each person, and one for the pets if you have them.
3. A closing paragraph with good wishes for the new year.
4. A sign-off and everyone's names.

Giving each person their own section also makes the letter easier to write. Instead of one long story of the year, you're writing five or six short notes, and you can hand a section to a teenager or a partner to draft.

2Start with a greeting and one line about the year

The opening tells readers who the letter is from and sets the tone. One to three sentences is plenty. Here are some ways to start a family Christmas letter:

• "Merry Christmas from all five of us! This was the year of new schools, one broken arm and far too many soccer games."
• "Hello from the Parkers! We've been told our letters are too long, so this year we're keeping it to one page. Mostly."
• "Season's greetings from our slightly smaller house. With Emma off at college, the rest of us finally have a bathroom schedule that works."
• "It's hard to believe another December is here. Here's what we've been up to since the last letter."

Skip "I can't believe it's that time again" as the whole opening. Say it if you like, but follow it with something only your family could write.

3Give each person a few lines of real news

Each person's section should hold two or three specific things from their year, written so a reader who hasn't seen you in five years still follows. One specific story says more than a list of everything.

Good details for a family Christmas letter:

• Milestones: first steps, a new job, a driver's license, a retirement, a move.
• Something learned: a first chapter book, a new language on an app, finally making sourdough that rose.
• A funny moment: the goat at the petting zoo that ate a map, the camping trip that became a motel trip.
• What's next: the trip planned for spring, the kitchen that will be finished one day.

Let each section sound like its person. A six-year-old's news can be quoted directly ("I lost two teeth and one was in a pretzel"). A teenager might prefer to write their own two lines, or to be summed up in one.

The pets get a section too, and it's the easiest one to make funny: "Biscuit, 9, continues to bark at the same mailbox every day. The mailbox has not moved."

4Know what to share and what to skip

To keep news from sounding like bragging, share what happened and leave out the ranking. "Maya started piano this year and played at her first recital in May" is news. A list of every award and test score reads like a résumé.

Things most readers are glad to hear:

• Big life changes: births, weddings, moves, new jobs, retirements.
• Trips, with one detail from each rather than an itinerary.
• Hobbies and projects, including the ones that went wrong.
• Thanks: to the neighbors who fed the cat, or the friends who helped with the move.

Things to leave out or keep short:

• Medical details beyond the headline ("Dad had knee surgery in March and is walking the dog again").
• Money, salaries, and what the new house or car cost.
• Politics, and family disagreements.
• Anything about your kids they'd be embarrassed to read at 16. Ask the older ones before you include them.

5Add photos

Photos do a lot of the work, so a letter with pictures can carry fewer words. Choose one to three photos:

• One group photo from the year, even an imperfect one taken on a phone at a picnic table.
• One photo from the best trip or the biggest event.
• One candid shot: the dog in a Santa hat, the kids asleep in the car, the burnt first attempt at a pie.

A photo with a short caption under it can replace a whole paragraph of news.

Our editable family Christmas letter is built around this layout. You type an opening paragraph, up to six people or pets with a name and a few sentences each, up to five short lines in a highlights box, and a closing, sign-off and signature. It takes three photos, one large photo or none, in three designs: Newspaper, Classic Holly and Modern. If the text runs long, it gets smaller first and only moves to a second page if it still doesn't fit.

6End with good wishes and a sign-off

The closing should be short and look forward: one or two sentences that wish readers well and, if it's true, invite them to get in touch. Here are some ways to end a Christmas letter to family and friends:

• "We'd love to hear your news too. Write back, call, or come see the finished kitchen."
• "Wishing you a peaceful Christmas and a New Year with more good days than hard ones."
• "Thank you for being part of our year. We hope 2027 brings you somewhere you've wanted to go."
• "That's all from us. Merry Christmas, and see you in person soon, we hope."

Then a sign-off such as "With love," "Merry Christmas," or "Warmly," and everyone's names, pets included. A handwritten signature or a short note in the margin makes a printed letter feel personal.

Funny family Christmas letter ideas

A funny family Christmas letter often works better than a serious one, because it lets you share the same news without sounding pleased with yourself. A few formats to try:

1. The highlights box. Five short lines: "Best trip: a week at the lake. Most visits to urgent care: Jack (2). Books read: 41. Socks lost: countless."
2. The newspaper. Write each person's news as a headline and a short article: "Local Seven-Year-Old Learns to Ride Bike, Neighbors' Mailbox Survives."
3. The awards. Give each person a made-up award: Most Improved Cook, Loudest Snorer, Best Comeback After a Bad Haircut.
4. Told by the pet. The dog or cat narrates the family's year from floor level.
5. Interview the kids. Ask each child three questions (best thing this year, what they want to be, what Dad does at work) and print their answers exactly.

The joke works best when the family is laughing at itself. Keep it kind about everyone in the letter, and about the people reading it.

A Christmas letter after a hard year

A Christmas letter after a death in the family or a difficult year can be shorter than usual, and it can say plainly what happened. Many readers will already know. Others will be grateful to hear it from you instead of by chance.

Name the loss in a sentence or two, thank the people who helped, and then share whatever good there was: "We lost Grandma Ruth in August. Thank you to everyone who sent cards and brought food. The kids have been planting her tulip bulbs along the fence." You don't need to sound cheerful, and you can skip the letter entirely one year. A card with a short handwritten line is enough.

How to send the letter

A printed letter usually goes inside a Christmas card, folded in thirds so it fits a standard envelope. Send it early in December so it arrives before the holiday rush, and keep a list of who got one so next year is quicker.

Printing a big batch? Set the scale to actual size (100%) and use plain printer paper for most copies. Our guide on how to print printables at home covers the settings. If you'd rather not sign a stack of cards by hand, the personalized Christmas cards come as a pack of ten, with your signature already printed inside and envelopes included, so the letter slips in and all that's left is the address.

For friends far away, an email with the letter as a PDF works as well as paper. Some people prefer it, because they can keep it on their phone.

If your family keeps a list of things to do in December, our free Christmas bucket list gives you a head start on next year's highlights.