american bragging christmas cards

[thatsnotmywean]

We got the annual christmas card from an american acquaintance. I say acquaintance as they are a friend of a friend and we couldn't care less.

What is it though with this American trend of bragging every christmas? Its like competitive parenting. This card is full of "my beauty business is doing SO well this year, little johnny really loves his music and has a future as an aspiring musician, little janey does cheerleading practice 3 times a week, she's so dedicated" and so on.

AIBU to think, this is a stupid tradition?

Also, I think if we have time, we should send one back full of stupid shit. Can I have suggestions of what to say?

The only reasonable response would be to send a card back saying 'your.puny achievements mean nothing to me and my king shall once again rule your native land. Happy Christmas.'

Really. Don't be friends with someone you don't like.

Oh yikes. You're living in the wrong part of Scotland.

I quite like Christmas newsletters actually. I mean, there are limits - we had one last year that went into so much detail it included the specific paint shade that they'd had their ensuite redecorated in which was a bit OTT but did actually make us laugh. But we have a lot of people like old school and University friends and distant relatives scattered over the globe that we don't manage to keep in touch with on a regular basis but I'm still interested to hear an update from and I enjoy their Christmas newsletters.
We do a letter ourselves but are selective who we send it to - my sister already knows that youngest DS passed his driving test for instance, and it would be insensitive to put in lots of news about our children to a relative whose teenager died recently. I'll write a personal letter to them instead.
We try to make it balanced and mention significant sad or difficult things that have happened over the year, but it's Christmas, nobody wants to be dwelling on negativity so it's not surprising if happy news and successes get more emphasis.
I'd actually thought of not doing one this year, in part because of all the negativity you read on here on the topic, but last weekend we were at DH's college reunion and several people spontaneously mentioned that they looked forward to getting our Christmas letter. One old friend said that his elderly mum, who remembers us both, always asks him to read it to her on Christmas Day as it brings back happy memories.
So I figure that since we like reading other people's and we know that at least some people enjoy reading ours, then we will continue. People who don't want to read it don't have to, they can drop it straight in the recycling.

Oh yikes. You're living in the wrong part of Scotland.

I don’t live in Scotland. They’re all the same though, all of them. Like all Americans, all the same. 🙃

I love getting Christmas letters, and I hated it when they became a target for unpleasant journalists. Unless you're planning to ring round my family and friends and then update me with all their news, can you leave them alone please? I'd you don't like them, chuck them in the bin and get on with your life.

Interesting..I just finished reading a Christmas letter…from a British relative and I haven’t received any from any of my American friends for as far back as I can remember (and since I live in the US there would be a high chance of me getting one if it was a country-wide phenomenon)

I do get lots of lovely photo cards from my American friends which I enjoy receiving as I can see how their dc are growing up etc.

As ever, if you are going to be rude about someone or something that someone does or says, may I suggest you dont assume that the rest of their country does or says exactly the same things. I have British friends that like to eat deep fried Mars bars (which I think is disgusting and a quick route to diabetes 2) but I would never moan that all Brits have a bad diet with too many fried foods as that would not be kind or fair (or true)

I don't think Round Robins are necessarily an American tradition are they?! I've had them from friends and family from all round the world in the past.

They were a lot less frowned upon/laughed at before social media. Often, they were the only contact you might have with distant friends and relatives. And of course they're positive. They'd be even more criticised if there was a tradition for sending out letters full of misery!!

The nicest RR letter I get regularly is from my aunt, who does one sentence about each person.

My friends used to do this until one of their offspring had a major run in with the law. And then they stopped. Can't think why!

I have american relatives (and friends) so not anti american, but every single American family I know does this and not one from any of the other many countries I have family, friends and colleagues from. Its really cringey.

I have a British cousin who has lived in America for many years. Each year he sends one of these Epistles full how much he's done .bought..spent..acquired.la la la.
He's extremely wealthy and lives in a fabulous house with his latest husband.

My little part of England seems very dreary in comparison

You need to get someone to send one of the Janet and Roy letters.
I will try and find the tread and add a link.

Our American friends don’t send them. However we have just received one from our Scottish friends.

I wish our friends in the US would send them - I love reading the news from anyone doing this.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/christmas/2213210-Janet-Roy-mystery-round-robin

Not sure this is just an American thing - we get one every year from a distant cousin (all UK based). When the DC were still at home it was full of their activities and achievements but now they have left home it’s full of the couple’s illnesses for the year and a list of who died
I always do a dramatic reading of it after Christmas lunch.

The English aren’t exactly winning the culture wars with bonfire night and, stupid words like cuppa, crimbo, and holibobs.

I have one American friend who sends this. It's a very witty well-written letter that gives us all the news about what happened in their lives in the year and I love getting it. Sure some of it is "braggy" but if she can't share the good things in her life with her friends then who can you share it with?

She has moved away from where I live but her Christmas letter always brings a smile to my face.

I like her - I like hearing her good news.

I’ve sent a newsletter before at Christmas. I live 4000 miles away from my family so it was an easy way of connecting with people while also sending good wishes. I’ve had people tell me they enjoy it (I try to make it funny) and some of DH’s family are eyerollers (I don’t send them one, saves me a $2 per person).

I far preferred the newsletter cards I receive to the ones with the generic “love Jane and John” 🤷‍♀️

To be honest OP you don't sound very nice. Why don't you just tell this person not to send cards to you seeing as you couldn't care less, rather than make fun of something that is probably a tradition for them. Just because it is not what you would do it doesn't mean that it is cringy or stupid.
It isn't a race to the bottom, people are sharing what they think is good news about their family.
You just come across as very narrow minded and intolerant. I am sure if they knew how you felt they would rather not waste a card on someone with your attitude.

I used to love the bragging round robins my parents got sent. From British people. So funny. I was never clever/ bored enough to write a satirical one.

I'm proud of my children but I can't bring myself to write about how amazing they are on social media / Christmas cards. Definitely a cultural thing.

It’s a shame that people here can be so negative. I love hearing good news from my family and friends.

The only family I know who does this live in America now, but they were originally from Britain.

I suppose their card is a bit braggy, full of their achievements and activities and so on. But you know what, I really like reading it. As someone upthread said, it is only what countless people do all the time on SM, just condensed in to an annual update.

ChatGPT! I was reading the Christmas brochure for a local posh, and was marvelling at the ridiculously overwrought copy. It used loads of flowery words to say absolutely nothing!

Hotel

sadly its not just Americans. I have some very British relatives who like to indulge in this practice. I think they’re well meaning and they genuinely think they are providing a useful update. The trouble is I have never known anyone to send these things who don’t have multiple holidays and “interesting” hobbies.

It’s difficult not to eye roll at the tales of multiple holidays when youre like most people in this country and count yourself lucky to have 1 holiday a year.

we have family in the US, and when I was a child, we would often visit over Christmas. I used to LOVE reading these letters from complete strangers - Rich got a promotion and bought himself a new ride-on lawnmower as a treat!? Anne became a certified life coach!? Aaron did a great job with his lemonade stand in July!? Family Disney cruise!? The BEST ones included the results of the family Christmas photo shoot, sometimes with the dog, sometimes a montage of several pics/poses… so I could kind of patch together in my 9 year old brain what Rich, Anne and Aaron looked like while they were doing all these exciting things. No idea why but the lives of these strangers fascinated me, probably for the same reason why I love reading mumsnet now.

I’m not British and haven’t noticed these in the decade I’ve lived here, but I’m pretty sure none of my American friends do them either. Maybe more of a suburban thing?