The family holiday letter has a reputation for being long and boastful, but done well it is one of the nicest things to receive in December: a page of real news and a few good photos from people you do not see often. As a PDF, it can be emailed to distant relatives and printed for those who prefer paper, and it looks the same either way.
Keep it to one page
One page, two at most. Aim for:
- A short opening line or greeting.
- Three to six short news items, one per person or event.
- Three to five photos.
- A warm closing line.
People enjoy a page they can read in two minutes. They skim a four-page essay.
Write news, not a résumé
The best family newsletters share moments, not achievements. "Sam learned to ride a bike in May and immediately rode into the hedge" is more charming than a list of grades and promotions. Include a little humour, and be kind about everyone mentioned.
If you want a second opinion on tone, read it aloud. Anything that sounds like bragging probably reads that way.
Choose a simple layout
- Two columns work well for text with photos placed between paragraphs.
- A header with the family name and the year.
- Readable fonts, at least 11 point for body text, larger for older relatives.
- Plenty of white space. It looks better and prints better.
Word processors and simple design tools have newsletter templates that are easy to adapt.
Prepare the photos
Choose a few sharp, well-lit photos and crop them to show faces clearly. Very large phone photos make the PDF heavy; resize them before inserting so the final file stays small enough to email.
Export to PDF
Export the finished newsletter to PDF so the layout, fonts and photos stay exactly as you designed them on every device. See how to convert Word to PDF.
Check the file size. If it is more than a few megabytes, compress it before sending; Docento.app has a compress tool that works in the browser without uploading your family photos. Our guide to compressing a PDF for email attachments explains the settings.
Mind privacy
A holiday newsletter often gets forwarded. Leave out home addresses, school names, children's full names and travel dates if the letter might reach people you do not know well. Check photo metadata too: phone photos can carry location data. See hidden data in PDFs explained.
Printing
For printed copies, use slightly heavier paper (100 to 120 gsm) and check the photos on a test page. Colour printers vary; a photo that looks great on screen can print dark. Brighten it slightly if needed.
Takeaway
Write a single page of real moments, add a few cropped photos, lay it out in two columns with readable fonts, export to PDF, compress for email, and leave out details you would not want forwarded. It will be read and, often, kept.
