It is once again that time of year. People
all over are getting ready to send out their holiday cards and letters. For
many folks, the thought of any type of card or letter sends their brain into a
panic that results in writer's block. There is no need to worry though. Writing
a holiday greeting can be enjoyable and is much simpler than you think. There
are many tips and tricks you can use to help you know what to write. Over the
next few weeks, I’ll be giving you some of the tips and ideas I use for filling
the blank page with a nice and heartfelt message.
First, let’s focus on cards. Sending
a card to family, friends, or other acquaintances can be a thoughtful and
personal way to wish others well no matter what season it is. It can be
tempting to let the card do the talking and simply sign your name, but I
promise you that writing something will make the card that much more special to
the receiver. To start, I’ll give some basic parameters to help you as you
think about what to write. Afterwards, I will include some ideas that I often
use to help get the words flowing.
To
begin, the most important thing to take away from this is to not be trite! No
one wants to hear "'tis the season" or "deck the halls." It
has been said way too often and is an opening for some very bad puns. You can
do better than that. The point is to make the card special for the receiver.
For it to be special, it needs to carry your voice in the words. If you truly
mean it when you say one of these classic phrases, by all means, use it. Just
don’t let it be a way to cut corners in your writing.
That leads me to my next tip. You
don’t have to be a poet. No one expects you to write a long, fancy message in a
card. If that is part of your personality and writing style, it will work well
for you. Otherwise, it’s best to use plain English and only write a few lines.
It takes the pressure off you if you stop trying to write a well-polished piece
ready for publishing. It isn’t necessary and can make your card overly formal.
The Victorians firmly believed that something handmade was more valuable whether
it was clothing, decorations, or a remedy for illness. Your card should follow
this same idea. Its value comes from you.
My last tip is to be concise. Cards
are small. They are meant to send a nice little note. It doesn’t have to
contain a novel about the past year or what the receiver means to you. The
recipient of your message is not an editor (unless, of course, they are) and is
not judging your writing. No matter the length of your message, the person
receiving it is going to be focused on the heart behind it. You took the time
to write to them and that is what matters. Remember: quality, not quantity.
OK, now that you have some
guidelines to follow as you write, it is time to start generating ideas. With
cards, it can be much easier because the message tends to only be a few
sentences. It is just enough space to get your meaning across without being
overly verbose. I will give you some ideas that I use to start writing in my
cards. I know that some of these tricks are unusual, but they’ve always worked
for me and, hopefully, they will for you as well.
The
first idea is to turn to the greats. Start with a good quote or just read what
literary geniuses have written to see if it inspires some writing gold of your
own. It can especially be helpful if you know of someone your recipient
particularly likes. A quote from that person, book, movie, or song can be a
good personal touch to the card’s note. There is a myriad of quotes out there.
The best way to find the perfect one if you don’t have a person or work in mind
is to choose a theme. What exactly do you like about that person or want to
tell them this holiday season? As an example, let’s say I want to tell my
family and friends how much they mean to me in the cards I’m sending. After
doing various searches online, I decide I want to quote the poet Christina
Rossetti. I’ve loved her work ever since I read her poem “Remember” not long
after my grandma passed away. I find a collection of her works available on
poets.org[1]. Sifting through her
works, I decide to use the final stanza of her poem “Christmastide.”[2] Using that I can write in
the cards something along the lines of this: “’Love shall be our token, / Love
be yours and love be mine, / Love to God and all men, / Love for plea and gift
and sign.’ I send my love to you this Christmas and thank you for the gift of
yours.”
If quotes just aren’t doing it for
you, there is another trick you can try. As someone who loves languages, I’ve
been known to diversify the location of my cards. I can’t claim credit for this
idea though. Many years of cards I couldn’t read because my brother wrote them
in multiple foreign languages served as inspiration. In all honesty, it can be
a useful idea. Languages often have words with nuances that your native
language can’t convey. It can also be a personal touch if there is a certain
country or culture the receiver enjoys. For instance, I might write “Buon
Natale!” in a card to my family because we are Italian and that is how you say “Merry
Christmas” in Italian. I have an interest in Norway, so folks aren’t surprised
to receive Norwegian messages from me. Hey, I have to practice on somebody! I
know ancestry has gained new prominence in society as of late. Try writing a
greeting in your ancestors’ native languages. One word of advice I would give
is don't depend on Google Translate. It is better to find it either in a
dictionary or on a language learning website. You have better chances of it
coming out grammatically correct.
One
final idea I have for card-writing is both simple and hard. Write from the
heart. Yes, I know it sounds cliché. Whether you think so or not, your best
writing happens when you write what comes to mind without giving it too much
thought. You can always write a draft first and put an edited version in the
card. Sometimes our first thoughts can be our truest because they are
unfiltered. If you are taking the time to write in a card, you want it to
convey your feelings and true thoughts. You want the person receiving it to
know that they are appreciated and valued. They are worth the effort of a card
so your message should represent what is in your heart.
I hope these tips and ideas will
help you get started on what proves to be a successful card-writing season. I
also would be happy to hear what you do to write in your cards. Do you have
certain tricks or tips for getting past that dreaded blank space? I’m always
open to new ideas. Next week, we’ll talk more about my favorite holiday
writing: holiday letters. Until then, I hope you enjoy Advent and the rest of
the holiday season.
[2]
Christina Rossetti, “Christmastide,” Academy of American Poets, https://poets.org/poem/christmastide,
retrieved November 29, 2019.
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