AIBU to ask people to put the Christmas Round Robin letters they receive on

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this thread so we can all have a good laugh and decide which is the funniest, most tedious etc...

My mum brought round the round robins they received this year. Best one was where the couple had used the rr to shamelessly plug the books/CDs they've released during the past year (all available at great prices plus £2 p&p) .

And I'm also not on fb, don't have a blog or twitter account - I laugh at this stuff as a yearly bit of fun but couldn't cope with it daily.

I wrote one this year for the first time, mainly because I received one from my sister and it was so lovely to read about her year summarised on a single page. She lives on the other side of the world to me.

So I thought I'd do the same as many of my friends and family are abroad. I found it really hard to write. I didn't want to be smug and boastful. But equally I couldn't really write about our year as it really happened:

The year started well but then I found out my husband had an affair and really it went tits up from there.

So I tried to write it mainly positively but not being smug. Maybe people who get it will think it is overly positive, but surely that would be preferable to the truth in all its gory detail.

I personally can't stand getting Christmas cards that say: To xx, with a printed christmas message, love xx. What the hell is the point? I always try to write a personal message and still did even though I did a RR. I like to believe that the people I sent them to will have opened them and enjoyed getting something more than just a bland card.

But looking at some the responses on this thread, I am now rather regretting it.

'so called' friends

Are you the mother from miranda satinslipperrs ?

We get two, this year they have been sent as PDF emails. It's not the same.

We did get a third one a few years ago. It was the best RR In have ever seen in my whole life ever. I will try and get it back from my FIL who 'borrowed' it to show his friends.

If I do get it back i'll put it on here.

One is from inlaws who refer to their sons partner ambiguously every year. He has been John's friend, johns housemate, johns special friend, now he is just Mark. 'John and Mark have been to New York' etc.

We get a cringeworthy one from DH's cousin every year. They must have about 8 holidays a year, including several big ones, eg Barbados, Vancouver etc this year. Lots of talk about their (designer-filled) holiday home in Devon, which last year they had the cheek to send us all an email about in case we want to rent it for holidays (at £1500 a week!!) Plenty of news about the children's posh school events, charity galas & concerts they've attended (no doubt at an eyewatering price per head) - all just completely lacking in self awareness. The cards aren't even handwritten, they get them all printed with a generic message inside and send the exact same one to all their friends and family Apart from their lavish lifestyle, which I'd rather not have my nose rubbed in, ta, they are actually lovely people

Ooh I love getting a RR. Hilarious usually but that's because I have lots of bonkers relatives who love to write them.

RR1 will be from an uncle who used to be a vicar. It will go on at length about world peace and how it can be achieved. It's really interesting and a bit mad but also well meant.

RR2 will be from my MIL and will be largely about me, DH and the DCs. We will struggle to recognize ourselves from the descriptions of our lives cos she makes us out to be a lot more interesting than we are.

RR3 will be from some ex neighbours who have moved 2 miles away. They will describe the flora and fauna of our local area in great depth. But not mention any of their children. (Shame as their DCs were really interesting and talented people last time I saw them and it'd be good to hear how they are.)

RR4 will be from lovely German family. Will describe a beautiful and idyllic life in rural Germany, full of Eco this and Eco that plus classical music, organic food and bringing up their DCs to be trilingual. So well written in great English prose that I don't even end up feeling jealous.

RRs are by and large lovely. A real window on what people have been up to. I love 'em.

Oh blimey - just told DH about this thread and said I'd never heard of anybody writing or sending them. DH said his ex-girlfriend's vaaaiiirrr posh Uncle and Aunt used to send one. One year it included the line 'and would you believe it? Little Chloe started her period this year!' :-O

There is nothing wrong with RR , the fault is with the friends who write them. If you don't like it stop the friendship or phone up and have a catch up 'to save you the bother of writing'.

Not quite a round robin but my parents receive a family photo Christmas card from the 'posh' family who own the Country Estate opposite their house every year. They send it out to all the 'minions' who live nearby. Last year was a photograph of them all looking windswept in front of a red helicopter with the caption ''Princess Anne came to visit'. We late found out from the cleaning lady that Princess Anne had used their grounds to land the helicopter in to visit a local hospital but had refused to be in the photograph. One of the daughter's husbands in the photo also looked suspiciously photoshopped in- turned out the daughter had left him prior to the Xmas photo for domestic violence but the family didnt want anyone to know. Nowt as queer as folk!

Forgot to say......the photo also included their 2 thoroughbred horses, looking very wild eyed at being forced to stand next to the helicopter, assorted cats and dogs and , randomly, a chicken in the background. Not sure if it was meant to be in the photo or not.

I don't think it's a problem with the friends in general. I know quite a few people who are lovely, and the boastful-style Round Robin is nothing like how they'd be the rest of the time!

We get quite a nice one from my mum's relative. He lives quite far away so it's nice to see photos and hear what they've been doing, although I'm not quite so interested in the central heating...

He did mention his daughter's recent 'delhi belly' in this year's. She'll love him for that!

I send a RR, I love writing it, it's from the DCs perspective. It's only one A4 page including plenty of pics

My evil SIL thinks they're sad she gets an extra copy. But I know loads of relatives who live in far flung places and are not on the internet love receiving it...so there to the haters :-P

I think they're horrendous. We had our first one this year from people we're not really in touch with anymore. It had all the ingredients of a classic RR:

• how clever one of the kids is
• wonderful holidays, SUCH fun
• chairing of some sort of committee whilst also being a full time mum
• amazing job and high profile something or other of the DH
• picture of house/garden improvements

I was almost sick . I know, it's a bit bah humbug, but really, if they were good friends then I would know all of that already. And if they're not good friends, why do I care about any of that crap?! It's not jealousy either, I'm quite happy with my life, but I'd never dream of boasting about it to other people.

I actually had never heard of them until MN. But then I grew up in a council house

We received one yesterday, actually it was for the people who used to live here but it just said the first name which is the sand as mine. It was 2 sides of a4 in small font

It seems the family who sent it are very well to do, Gertie has just passed her grade 8 piano, they've just come back from the alps etc.

I'm sure my round robin would be crap.

Dd2 did her 18th poopsplosion if the week, ds1 bored the pants off me with minecraft chat, what is an enderman anyhow?
I managed to get a shower and Hoover yesterday in between changing leaked nappies, feeding dd2, holding teething, clingy dd2 and school runs, Yay.
Oh and we haven't had a holiday this year.
Your friend Dolly xx

Absolutely pissing myself at the princess Anne one.