Thought I'd ping you since you're the one who sent me this article--it's so true.
"We used to have a dramatic reading every New Year's Eve of the top runners for most outlandish Christmas letter. Then we would vote and all would be ceremoniously burned."
This has got to be part of the "FESTIVUS" tradition, it so fits.
I keep getting an unbearable "Holiday" letter from somebody I haven't seen nor talked to in 17 years. (I used to work with the the dad.) It is the most pompous thing of the season, talking about how elite the kids' education is, how many languages they speak/instruments they play, etc. The kids are now college age and out of the house! I quit reciprocating with a card several years ago, but they still write.
Sure, I don't have to open it, but that's like passing a car wreck without looking!
Maybe I should try that last tactic in the MSNBC article.
The complaint about the Christmas Letter is even worse than the Letter itself!
I think the moral of the article is, don't send Christmas letters to people who only pretend to care about you and your family.
I got one for Christmas 2004 from someone who went on and on about how miserable she'd been since election day and how much she hates President Bush. I got a good laugh out of that one.
I like to know what people and their families are doing, and if their many achievements invite me to feel inadequate, well, that's my problem.
oh i love the last "get even" letter!
Good humor bump.
I'm in college so I don't get too many Christmas letters bragging about how great life is. But this does remind me of what happened to my buddies when they asked this girl how her day was, they recieved a 20 minute rundown of her day (which wasn't complete it was only the afternoon). They tried to stop her by going to the convenience store, she hopped right in with them and without missing a breath continued on with her story. I guess it teaches them that not every gives a "fine" and moves on.
Worse than the letter, is the assumption that we're interseted.
GSD