To utterly hate those self appreciating, smug Christmas Round robbins

[pigletmania]

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

Mine ....

"DH has spent the year in front of the TV, whilst DS has discovered his willy. I haven't had a night's sleep for 18 months, and have gone completely bonkers"

Ooh, that could make quite a good new thread BabySilvertooth - as long as no-one outed themselves inadvertently !
Like yours

I know I've been scathing about RRs but actually, they are well nigh impossible to write in a way that isn't self-congratulatory or boastful. I write stuff professionally but I've never managed to get beyond an experimental paragraph of a RR without wanting to be sick. Or satirical.

Take last year. It's been a pretty good one. But I can't be telling people about exhibitions and trips to America. Not in a circular letter anyway. Also, all the people who'd want to know and would be interested already know.

Cripes! It sounds bad enough summarised on here, tbh!

mine: 'Our year has been an amazing rollercoaster of highs and lows: DS1 has perfected grunting in true teenage fashion, Ds2 ihas achieved his lifetime goal of an A* in tantruming, DS3 has progressed from stage 1 to stage 3 in ignoring just about anything asked of him and DD1 has impressed both friends and neighbours in her ability to scream NO very loudly at any given opportunity.

The lows have included a dead cat, a job loss and a blocked drain.

Merry christmas one and all xxx

YABU. Round Robins are great and I wish I received more.

I agree with exotic about blogs. The ones I have read have been smugger than simperingly smug or else just dull.

An annualised summary of smuggery or dullness is tolerable, funny even, but a daily update is too much.

Just received one from my cousin and three paragraphs were devoted to the recent installation of a brand new 'clear view stove' and how they'd had to knock out the alcove to get it in. The rest of the letter was devoted to their vegetable patch. (although I had a good snort, admittedly it did make me feel a bit jelly bags as I leant back on my SE London radiator surveying my dead potted plants.)

YABU - Round Robins are a brill read. Next year tell them all you have moved, give them my address and I will happily read them all and snort with giggles in an attractive manners.

YANBU at all! I would never write one myself but am always intrigued to read them. I bought some Xmas cards this year from Phoenix trading - cartoon style cards about a Robin boasting about his family's achievements. I thought they were really funny! I sent them to both people who send round robins to me and other friends I knew would appreciate them! I'm not sure if the friends who send the round Robins to me each year have taken offence though. Oh well . .

Also, all the people who'd want to know and would be interested already know.

Yes Pandemoniaa, this is exactly how I feel.

Mostly the people who write RR to all and sundrie must be pretty self absorbed and narcissistic [sp?] to imagine that people other than close friend and family want to read in smug detail all about their amazing house renovations, fabulous holidays, incredible career successes and promotions etc.

The couple that I receive from distant friends and family either make me embarrassed for them in the mundanity of their observations [so they are the only people in the world to have had a baby who refuses their pureed carrot] or I feel irritated that I am being used to bolster their self esteem somehow [how fabulous their lives are, please admire]

I realise that this may be my problem but this is how I feel.

Bah, humbug

Round Robins give us and our group of friends so much mirth; I hope they don't die out.

We get several of the boastful, exams achievements & holiday ones which we all read out at parties and rip the piss out of. But our favourite, comes from my fil's cousin who lives with his grown up, single, son. It's the anti-round robin - two pages of blurry photos, embarrassing minor health gripes and boring minutiae.

We LOVE it!!

we got one!!

It was really funny (and oh, should probably Namechange for this... )
son 1 lives abroad and had a motorbike that broke down and needed fixing, but it hasn't been fixed (and it's been Months goddammit!!), but he's got a new scooter, so that's great.

Equal length paragraph about son2, who has been on manoeuvres in afganistan.

I just loved the way that not only son1 went first in the letter, but that his motorbike expolits got as much coverage as son2's important army work.

It was almost like desperate parents going "we're just as proud of son1 as son2, honest!!"

I did heave a bit at the one that came this morning, telling us that their 9 year old daughter had 'nearly' made it to the starring role in a West End Show, and is on standby in case the current young starlet and many understudies drop out. (!) [frgin]

I got one this year which told me which brand of antiseptic their 26yo DS prefers.

Ha ha ha ha ! PML at that one!! Who the feck would write about antiseptic?

my ex BF's mother from hell used to do them every year...getting ever more elaborate, with usually a studio-generated photo of the lovely fam on the front of a card (that was the actual Christmas card) and a looong, boring, boasting letter inside, printed on PC, in some very curly girly font (of course).
Luckily I was never accepted as top dog GF so my face never made it onto those dire Xmas cards

The weirdest/most disturbing one I've ever read was last year's missive from friend's of my parents who have 'adopted' the adult girlfriend of their son as their own daughter Apparently she is (I paraphrase) the reincarnation of the baby girl she miscarried 20-odd years ago. Very odd.

i have never had one, jealous.

Mine would be appallingly rubbish, i think.

I miss them. My parents used to get loads. My sister and I used to steal them and read them in advance then put the weirdest ones in each other's christmas stockings for a laugh. The quiet woman from down our road who ran off with a 70 year old vicar and made her new living at craft fairs decorating pebbles with nail varnish depictions of ladybirds was priceless.

I love preferred brands of antiseptic. Mimi can you tell us more?

These RR threads always make me cringe a little. I don't get any (sadly), but I do send a few, mainly to DH's aunts and old friends who I really don't see, although I would love to. I've been doing them for a few years, and now all DH's family write a wee note about how much they are looking forwrd to it, so I can't not do it. Even MIL demanded one this year, even though she knows all our news.

I always read these threads worried that someone will be here slagging mine off!! I don't think I am at all "smug" in mine- trying to think what I actually put this year! Usually a few funny stories about the kids, the basics of what we are up to- at least we didn't go any holidays this year, as that seemks to be very offensive to some!!

Oh god, this thread is making me SNORT with laughter. Am really tempted to quote from DH's auntie's round robin letter (the only one we ever get). It's so pooterish that we laugh and laugh. Which feels mean because she is a lovely woman and we love her really.

JJJ - they have their place. I have a couple of far away friends that send very sweet ones. It is nice to see what they have done, and feel vaguely in touch.

My MIL sends a depressing one to everyone. It starts the same every year with 2011(2010,2009,2008 etc etc) has not been a kind year to us/has not been a good year for us/has been a difficult year for us.

It then goes on to list all their ailments and deaths of friends, friends ailments and funerals attended.

There is a slightly more upbeat bit about their holiday somewhere in the Uk (usually the lake district) but even this is brought down to planet doom and gloom with the mention of amounts of rainful and limited sunshine, making it "not the most enjoyable break we have ever had".

I really do wonder what all their friends think of it. This year they asked me to attach some photos onto it ( as they are not good with the computer). They chose the worse picture ever of both of them (MIL & FIL) stood in the rain in their cagouls with the hoods up on holiday in the lake district. It looks really gloomy and windy and as DH said "you look liek you are enetering a gurning competition". But MIL insisted that was the photo she wanted to put onto this letter.

This year my brother had a baby girl, my sister had a baby boy, I had a new bathroom. My dad got another couple of degrees, my mum raced around the country. It rained when my parents went to France.

This is all in the Christmas letter. At least these days they get advance approval from their offspring and my dad writes more of it. Things did get a bit out of hand at one point with my mum going more OTT each year.

I am going to visit my parents for Christmas. They always have a huge bowl full of Christmas letters and reading them is a huge annual highlight!