# How to Write a Christmas Letter to Family and Friends > A Christmas letter people read to the end: one page, one story per person, real dates and no brag list. A structure, a full example letter and what to cut. Source: https://hidengpt.com/write/christmas-letter-to-family # Every year I mean to write a Christmas letter, and every year it turns into a list of everyone's achievements. Bring your notes on the year: one or two real moments per person, plus who will read it. HidenGPT's Anything format turns them into a one-page letter of about 400 words, in your voice if you add a sample, keeping your names and dates. The red pen cuts stock lines, so it reads like a letter, not a résumé. Updated October 15, 2026 · by the HidenGPT team Try it with your own details Enter to send · Shift+Enter for a new line ## How to do it in HidenGPT - 01 Before you write, list each person in the house (pets count) and next to each name write one moment from the year, not an achievement: a scene with a place and a month. - 02 Pick Anything under “Use it for”; the page sets Length to an exact count of 400 words and Tone to Friendly. Say who writes it and who reads it. - 03 If you're on a plan, add a voice built from a few of your old emails or past letters, so it sounds like you and not like a press release about your family. - 04 Read it aloud, check every date and spelling, and ask any teenager mentioned whether they're fine with their paragraph before it goes to forty households. [Anything](https://hidengpt.com/tools/freeform): Describe what you need; it works out the format and writes it. ## Example: a family Christmas letter of about 380 words Example, written from notes like the ones in the request above, plus the small details Karen added on her read-through (the boxes, the hats, the cane). That second pass is where a letter becomes yours. Dear friends and family, This year we learned that a moving truck holds exactly one box less than you need. In April we left Ohio for Raleigh, and as I write this, three boxes marked “misc kitchen??” are still waiting in the garage. If you know what's in them, please write. Sam is fifteen and in high school now. He joined the robotics club in September, and at the regional competition his team's robot caught fire during the second round. They put it out, rebuilt the arm overnight and finished fourth. He talks about it the way his grandfather talks about the Army. Lily is eleven. In August, during a week of rain, she taught herself to crochet from online videos, and by Labor Day everyone in the family owned a hat. Some of the hats are for heads larger than any human head. We wear them anyway. Mike changed jobs in June and works from home now. Pepper, our beagle, considers this the best thing that has ever happened. She lies on his feet through every video call, and his new colleagues ask after her by name. The harder news: my mom had a hip replacement in October. It was a long few weeks, but she's walking to the mailbox again, and she would like everyone to know she is not using the cane we bought her. We miss our Ohio neighbors more than we expected. The new house has a guest room, and we mean it when we say it's yours. Our new address is below. Merry Christmas, and love from all of us, Karen, Mike, Sam, Lily and Pepper That is about 380 words: one side of a page with a small photo, and about two minutes to read. ## A structure that fits on one page A rule of thumb, not a rule: 300 to 500 words. Over one page, people skim; under 250, it's a card. 1. An opening line that's a small story or a joke from the year, not “What a year it has been.” 2. One paragraph per person, about 50 to 80 words each, with one scene: where, when, what happened. Order by age or by who had the biggest news; keep paragraphs about the same length so no child counts the lines. 3. One sentence on a hard thing, if there was one and you want to share it. Plain is better than brave. 4. A close with something readers can act on: a new address, a phone number, a standing invitation. Write in the first person from one named writer. Letters written about “the Millers” in the third person read like a press release, and “we” for everything makes every paragraph sound like a committee. ## Brag list or real letter: before and after Before: “Emma made the honor roll, made varsity soccer and was elected class treasurer. Josh finished his MBA with distinction.” After: “Emma's soccer team lost every game in September and won every game in October. Nobody can explain it, least of all the coach. Josh finished his MBA in May, and the first thing he did with his evenings back was learn to make bread. It's getting better.” The facts are still there. What changed is that each one sits inside a moment the reader can picture. Achievements are fine to mention; a list of them is what makes a Christmas letter famous for the wrong reasons. ## Mailing it, emailing it, and what not to put in writing Printed and folded into the card is still the classic. Emailed works for younger relatives and anyone abroad; if you send it to a long list as an email, HidenGPT's Email format with the type set to Newsletter adds a subject line and a short preview line. Pick one channel per person so nobody gets it twice. Before it goes out, take out what you wouldn't want forwarded: dates the house will be empty, your kids' school name, health details of anyone who didn't agree to share them, and news the closest family should hear by phone first. A letter travels further than the list you mailed it to. Mail it with the cards in the first half of December. A letter that arrives between Christmas and New Year still gets read. ## Not the right tool if - News your closest people haven't heard yet: a pregnancy, a separation, a diagnosis. Tell them by phone or in person first. - A long family history or a full memoir of the year. The Memoir format is built for stories longer than a page. - Words for a funeral or a memorial of someone who died this year. A short mention in the letter is fine; the service needs its own piece. ## Other ways to do it One evening at the kitchen table If you like writing, a pen and the list of moments per person is all you need. The list is the hard part. A photo card with captions Six photos with one line under each tells the year without a letter. Good when time is short. HidenGPT's Email format, Newsletter type For a family update you email to a list, with a subject line and preview text. ChatGPT or another chatbot Quick, but it tends toward “what a whirlwind year” openers and a tidy moral at the end, which you'll want to cut. ## Questions ### How long should a Christmas letter be? One page, about 300 to 500 words. That is about two minutes of reading, and it leaves room for a small photo. ### What should I include in a family Christmas letter? One moment per person in the house, a sentence on anything hard if you want to share it, and a close with your address or an invitation. Leave out the full list of grades and promotions. ### How do I start a Christmas letter? With a small true story from the year, in one or two sentences. “In April we learned a moving truck holds exactly one box less than you need” beats “What a year it has been.” ### How do I keep a Christmas letter from sounding like bragging? Put every achievement inside a scene, and include one thing that went wrong. Readers enjoy the burnt robot more than the trophy. ### Should I write about a hard year? Yes, briefly, if the people involved agree. One or two plain sentences are enough; your readers will ask you about it in person if they want to know more. ### Can I use AI to write our Christmas letter? You can, as long as every fact comes from you. HidenGPT drafts from your notes and won't add events you didn't give it; you correct anything that's wrong and send it as your letter. ### Do I need an account to try this? No. The homepage gives 2 drafts a day without signing up. To save drafts and write in a voice built from your own emails, you'll need a plan; Pro is $3 for the first month. ## Related - [I have a stack of Christmas cards to write and nothing to say in any of them.](https://hidengpt.com/write/christmas-card-messages) - [I want to send a newsletter every week, and I want it to sound like me.](https://hidengpt.com/write/newsletter-in-your-voice) - [I want to write down the story of my life for my children and grandchildren.](https://hidengpt.com/write/memoir-about-your-life) - [My parents' 50th anniversary party is next month, and I'm the one giving the toast.](https://hidengpt.com/write/toast-for-parents-50th-anniversary) - [Does my writing sound like AI?](https://hidengpt.com/tools/ai-cliche-checker) - [Essays, homework and everyday writing that sounds like you](https://hidengpt.com/write) [Prefer HidenGPT on Google](https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=hidengpt.com)