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AIBU?

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Original poster

To hate smug round robins at this time of year

221 replies

lastqueenofscotland · 14/12/2017 13:45

Seriously, do people really think I give a shit if their insufferable teenager passed their GSCEs, their vile adult children haven't been fired from their jobs or their toddlers have successfully mastered the art of occasionally shitting in a potty.

Why do people send these? Does anyone care? Surely they are only the object of ridicule?

OP posts:
lookingforthecorkscrew · 14/12/2017 15:11

‘Lookingfor became pregnant in November and has been stricken with ‘nausea’ ... DH continues with his successful career in ‘comedy’ ... DS is quite a ‘character’ and was caught climbing into a toilet at nursery last week...’

Rebeccaslicker · 14/12/2017 15:12

I thought you meant actual robins all puffed up to keep warm and was cross - who doesn't love robins?!

The smug "I'm too busy to write individually" letters can do one.

CaptainChristmas · 14/12/2017 15:14

I have never received a round robin in my entire life! I can’t believe people actually think anyone, (anyone who doesn’t already know - ie close friends and relatives), cares about their dcs exam results / dh’s evening classes in Ancient Greek / family holiday in Lake Garda.

There’s a funny collection of them called The Hamster Who Lovrd Puccini.

EndoplasmicReticulum · 14/12/2017 15:17

My mum gets one every year, it is a festive highlight as we all sit round and take the piss.

They had very accomplished children who are now equally accomplished adults producing the next generation of wonderful grandchildren. Plus there's always a name-drop of someone vaguely famous that they have met, various exotic holidays and lots of new kitchens.

MsHomeSlice · 14/12/2017 15:17

i am really surprised my SIL doesn't do this, what with her having the World's First Baby and all!

My ma gets a few of these from people way way back in time, she usually saves them and we over analyse them

Sophie has decided against Uni and is having a Gap Year volunteering in the local War on Want shop ....our lazy arsed daughter flunked her exams, could not even scrape into the local deadbeat polytechnic and has been told to pull her socks up and see the real world

Gideon and his friend Anastasia had a wonderful holiday in the Med at her parent's villa and saw Richard Branson on the plane. ...we really like her, she is rich and well connected, watch this space for the wedding invites.

Alasdair and I have come to the parting of the ways and are moving out of our family home in the New Year, he will keep a flat in the city and I shall move to the cottage in the Cotswolds I caught him sexting a co worker and after that episode with the au pair I decided enough was enough.

TatianaLarina · 14/12/2017 15:18

They’re a source of hilarity in our household, we look forward to them.

We have some Christian friends who like to accompany their tales of trekking in the Pyrenees with pensées on the human condition.

TatianaLarina · 14/12/2017 15:19

And they sometimes share poems they’ve written.

My mum gets one every year, it is a festive highlight as we all sit round and take the piss

That’s the spirit.

annandale · 14/12/2017 15:21

I just straightforwardly like them, and I am really sad that all the sneerers have made people more nervous of writing them. I like the photos too.

Ellie56 · 14/12/2017 15:32

Oh God I hate these.We never see these relatives from one year to the next but got the annual brag letter this week about family activities and achievements of insufferable offspring being head girl, taking the leading part in the school play, playing netball/tiddleywinks/whatever for the county and being the first in the class to do 100 maths questions in 3 minutes.

Am I bovvered? Am I interested? Do I care?

Nope.

Bamboofordinneragain · 14/12/2017 15:33

I love them! The horror of other people’s lives, it’s such a delight. We get a handful every year, and they go up in the downstairs loo, where they have become known as ‘The Bog Oscars’. Only trouble is, visitors spend ages in there, and everyone has to wait and hop about while guffaws of horrified laughter issue from the loo. I especially enjoy the ones with photos, —and ones from evangelical Christians— .

Rollmopsrule · 14/12/2017 15:34

BeautifulLiar
I thought it was about robins too Grin

BoffinMum · 14/12/2017 15:39

We send round a five line one summing up our favourite disasters of the year, and the rare moments when parenthood looked a bit less fraught. They normally go down quite well.

elliejjtiny · 14/12/2017 15:42

I love them, they are hysterical. I never get any and my mum refuses to send me the ones she gets. And my mil has stopped writing hers.

WaitroseCoffeeCostaCup · 14/12/2017 15:42

My narc Mum used to use this as an excuse for a page of great stuff about the rest of the family and a page of all the awful things I'd done that year...I've been nc for 3 years and still don't care what she puts in her stupid letter!

Whatsforu · 14/12/2017 15:42

I initially thought the title was about the bird!!!! I have never came across this but thank goodness it sounds awful. Cannot stand boasting and it is rife.

crunchymint · 14/12/2017 15:44

I get one every year from someone I haven't seen for 20 years. Lots of details about what her adult children are doing - I last met them as toddlers.

PanGalaticGargleBlaster · 14/12/2017 15:44

annandale

Pretty much every round robin I have received has been so gut wretchedly smug and twee they are obviously not about passing on news but simply a goady vehicle to say ‘look at us’. Either I have been a multiple victim of some on going wind up or the authors of these letters have a stunning lack of self awareness. They are cringeworthy in the extreme!

1sttimeunicorn · 14/12/2017 15:52

I get a lovely one each year from an old friend and it’s always written in a specific way which is very sweet. It doesn’t brag it’s more a funny note to close friends. That’s the only one I get the rest my parents seem to receive. I’ve loved reading them over the years. ‘Pamela is barely home these days and seems to have spent the year down at the stables caring for lovely Monty - the two of them have won some wonderful show prizes.... Tarquin will be home for the holidays from Cambridge where he’s just won scholar of the term... we continue to enjoy the bridge club and have had some wonderful parties with the delamores...’ and so on. My mum always wanted to write back ‘just had to fork out another £££ to bail 1sttime out of jail, crack dealing AGAIN (eye roll)’ but somehow I managed to dissuade her.

littleskittle · 14/12/2017 15:52

Love love love them...the more obnoxious the better!

My mum sets them aside and when I visit at Xmas it's a ritual to read them all. Fortunately (or perhaps sadly?!) I don't have any friends this braggy so never get any myself... it's a dying art! 😂

AcrossthePond55 · 14/12/2017 15:56

I only get one these, from an old school friend who I exchange cards with but never see other than school reunions. She still lives in our hometown, I've moved 7 hours away. The letter is the usual genius child/grandchild, brilliant life, successful business, ad nauseam. But the fun part is that I'm still in close contact with a couple of people in my hometown who are able to tell me the 'real scoop' on her goings on. It's amazing how a person can put a 'spin' on their life and use aspects or isolated incidents to make it look quite different than the reality.

HoarseMackerel · 14/12/2017 15:59

Sorry, didn't have time to read all!

So is it like a newsletter type thing that you send to all?
I've never heard of it!

I barely get a Christmas card these days (thank goodness).

Okkitokkiunga · 14/12/2017 16:00

I get one every year from the Parents of a childhood friend - who I'm still friends with. She's terrible at keeping in touch, so it's the o e way I find out what she's been up to. I moaned the Year they didn't send it to me as I dont respond they thought I wasn't interested.

Reading this thread, I might just go and write one to bring joy to many homes at this festive time Xmas Grin

tiptopteepe · 14/12/2017 16:01

I have NEVER received a round robin and I really want one. Ive seen them because my parents used to get the odd one. I think they are amazing. Maybe I need to send one to get one but Im not sure I could get the tone right. Tread the line between sincerity and sarcasm so that no one quite knows if its a piss take or not..... Id love to do a proper newsletter one with magazine style layout and pics... and get my kids to write something 'cute' at the end...... Include something really dark and inappropriate in the middle....

kaitlinktm · 14/12/2017 16:03

I do a round robin every year. I don't put photos on and really it's mostly just full of stuff - good and bad - which has happened - just factual stuff. The people I usually send it to are not on Facebook and we don't really correspond apart from at Christmas or if someone dies.

If they don't like it, all they have to do is not send me a card for a couple of years and I'll take the hint and save a bit of postage.

Not all robins are bad. Sad

MargaretCavendish · 14/12/2017 16:15

we don't really correspond apart from at Christmas or if someone dies.

I'm sure your recipients like your letters, but I just don't understand why you'd want to continue a 'relationship' purely through unpersonalised letters sent once a year? Surely at that point you're not really friends?

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