Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To utterly hate those self appreciating, smug Christmas Round robbins

255 replies

pigletmania · 21/12/2011 16:46

You know the ones that begin with "As another year draws to an end, I find myself sitting trying to find a few mins, to tell you how many wonderful holidays I have been on, and what gifted little children Jonny and Jane are blah blah blah, bahhhh humbug Xmas Grin

OP posts:
HettyAmaretti · 21/12/2011 16:48

YABU because I don't get any and would enjoy laughing at the smugness

HexagonalQueenOfTheSummer · 21/12/2011 16:49

I have never ever received one of those, but from what a friend was telling me last year about some that she receives, I wouldn't want to. They sound like out and out bragging.

YANBU

HettyAmaretti · 21/12/2011 16:49

Nor do I send them, I hasten to add Shock

Original poster
pigletmania · 21/12/2011 16:53

I got one today from my friend, who I am not particularly close to, telling me how many wonderful holdiays she has been to that year, blugh made me feel a little bit sick in my mouth.

OP posts:
Kayano · 21/12/2011 17:11

I got one a few years ago that seemed to be about the worlds FIRST and ONLY CHILD!!!

You would never BELIEVE what she could
Do now!!! I was Hmm

ShengdanRoad · 21/12/2011 17:13

I thought round robins had died out with the advent of Facebook.

grovel · 21/12/2011 17:14

They are profoundly ghastly.

But I love them.

Molehillmountain · 21/12/2011 17:18

My in laws do the anti round robin without realising it! It's all doom and gloom and non achieving-every cough and sneeze and family disaster documented. The opposite is unbearable. Why can't people talk with warmth about what their children enjoy and are like without it being like a catalogue of grades and medals?

squishysquashy · 21/12/2011 17:24

Oooo PIL received one this morning I was so excited. Have to go eat my tea now but will share some smug extracts after.

Dillydaydreaming · 21/12/2011 17:26

My friend still gets one every year from an old friend who obviously has no idea how "look at how rich and smug I am" she sounds.

One year it was all about little Arabella joining the local prep which had it's own beautiful landscaped grounds and also went on and on about "our Lodge overlooking Loch Lomand" and "our London home" as well as recommending "the Suzuki method" for the violin as apparently little Arabella was flourishing.

callmemrs · 21/12/2011 17:26

YANBU - they are Vile

Original poster
pigletmania · 21/12/2011 17:32

The one I received was from my single friend (no dcs), telling us what achievments she had accomplished that year and how many holidays she had been on errrrrr

OP posts:
scrappydoodah · 21/12/2011 17:32

YABU don't read them.

theluckiest · 21/12/2011 17:33

I have to admit, my dad does one and it's very sweet (mainly wittering on about the grandchildren) but does make me wince at the naffness.

Molehill, the doom and gloom version rings a bell! My mum gets a card every year from a ex colleague in his 60's who without fail puts some awful news in following a cheery festive greeting. This years was 'A very merry Christmas to you and yours. My elderly mother died back in May so now both my parents are dead.' That was it.

I shit you not. Poor guy. How is one supposed to respond to that?

Oh and along the same lines once we had a card from owners of a B&B we used to go to every year with 'A very happy Christmas, hope you & the kids are well...blah, blah...Also, you know we had two little dogs? Well, one fell down some stairs and broke it's neck. We were devastated.' I really don't know whether to laugh or cry (before I get flamed, I would never laugh at someone's misfortune, it's just putting one brief line on a Christmas card strikes me as odd. Perhaps it's the contradiction of the inane cheery greeting and terrible news I find baffling!).

ReduceRecycleRegift · 21/12/2011 17:37

YABU, they are so much better than "to..., merry christmas,. from..." - no new info!

If you don't want to hear from those people and their lives then why are you still in touch with them? If you don't consider them interesting people to be friends with then stop returning the cards and they'll get the hint!

Original poster
pigletmania · 21/12/2011 17:38

even worse than the ones with the dc acheivments tbh

OP posts:
TeapotsInJune · 21/12/2011 17:38

Haha we know someone who sends a doom and gloom one out as well - it is quite funny!

Original poster
pigletmania · 21/12/2011 17:40

No its the rounds robins I don't like its so cheesy. I prefer it when we meet and we talk about what we have been up to or on the phone, not in a cheesy letter, with pictures of Santa and snowmen on.

OP posts:
manicinsomniac · 21/12/2011 17:43

Aaaaw, YABU! I love getting these.

I don't see or speak to all my friends often, some I am only really in contact with through facebook now so I think it's lovely to get Christmas letters with all their news.

Plus, some are really funny. Ive had one all in rhyme this year as well the odd spoof/sarcastic take on family life.

manicinsomniac · 21/12/2011 17:43

Aaaaw, YABU! I love getting these.

I don't see or speak to all my friends often, some I am only really in contact with through facebook now so I think it's lovely to get Christmas letters with all their news.

Plus, some are really funny. Ive had one all in rhyme this year as well the odd spoof/sarcastic take on family life.

Gigondas · 21/12/2011 17:43

Piglet we had one where didn't just have dc antics but nephew and nieces too... Not quite sure what their parents made of that

theincredibequeenofwands · 21/12/2011 17:43

My aunt and uncle send one out detailing their many holidays, news of whichever new car they've bought, days out and stories of theirs and their children's surgery (weirdly poorly family) peppered with random pictures.

It's always baffled me that they don't write about their sex lives, is the only thing they leave out!

Bossybritches22 · 21/12/2011 17:47

Well YABU on the whole but YANBU if they are gloaty boasting ones.

I send one most years & yes I say what we've been up to (not much) & that includes the DD's progress but only in a general way. Yes I know it would be more polite to write an individual note in each one but honestly life is too short. Xmas Grin

I love hearing about my friends & their families, we're all so busy sometimes it's the only updates we have about each other!

gettingeasier · 21/12/2011 17:53

Ooooh keep it coming they are something I love to hate and now am divorcing dont get all those awful lovely smug listen to this letters

twolittlemonkeys · 21/12/2011 17:53

YANBU, we get one every year from DH's cousin (stuffed inside a card printed with a greeting and their names). Even though I hate the round robins we get from them, I just feel compelled to read it. Every sentence about the past year oozes money and general smugness, whether it's talking about their huge mansion/ holiday in the Caribbean/ Egypt/ insert name of other lovely destination (they go on several of these a year) or star-studded charity galas they attend or 'we introduced the children to falconry this year and they love it'. DH and I now just snigger at them. I remember him telling me that when she was a teenager his cousin's aim was to marry someone rich Xmas Hmm- she certainly managed that.

One year my dad and stepmum sent out a spoof one with things such as DD1 has dropped out of uni and is now living on the dole, DD2 has been released on bail, DD3 is pregnant will go back to school to complete her GCSEs after she's had the baby etc. Made me Xmas Grin They were sick of the smuggery too. Most of the recipients realised it was a joke...