Christmas "round robin" letters? <shudder> Why oh why?

[Bonsoir]

Am I being unreasonable to wish that the government would impose a punitive tax rate on offenders?

Had first one this am .....'had terrible year, not many exotic hols as building own house and been crambed into pokey 4 bed rental.'
You should be so lucky!

I love getting them - my mum and dad used to get a spectacularly show-offy one from friends of theirs that was an absolute highlight of returning home for Christmas.

OTOH, now that I'm getting on a bit, I have come to loathe writing Xmas cards. I always try to write a bit of news, especially for friends I haven't seen for a while, and I do find it enormously tedious. But I love hearing news from old friends, so I think you just have to make an effort.

I expect facebook obviates the need nowadays.

I've never received one, would have thought Facebook et al have rendered them obselete by now anyway.

Ooh, Great minds BoF

I look forward to my Auntie's, we never see her, she's quite nuts, last years was all about a friends hernia operation and how my cousin was doing dead end job and what a disappointment he has been! NICE.

I also got one via email today from a friend announcing her and her family we of to South Africa for a month and in brackets she had written this "(green eyes pearcing at me right now I bet!)" I think the UK is better off without them!

Great thread. Very funny.

Norks you must be fuming with your dad.

Balloonslayer I love your fanjella and family post.

I laugh at round robins and feel a bit guilty. I guess the problem is the 'send to all' nature of a round robin and the fact it tends to focus on a good news round up of the family's acitivities which comes across as bragging. Bragging is, of course, perfectly acceptable in America but very jarring in Britain.

Simon Hoggart did a book which collated a load of genuine round robin letters. I bought it last year and we ended up literally crying with laughter - well worth it as a stocking filler.

I really like getting them both for entertainment factor and to genuinely find out how people are getting on. My parents get hundreds, literally, as they know alot of people and I love leafing through them. The best is an old school friend of my mothers who tops everyone by getting pilots licence/adopting severely disabled children/demanding City job etc. The worst braggers are grannies on behalf of their adult children, many of whom I can imagine cringing if they ever found out what was written about them.

I am about to write my first ever round robin - this year we had our first baby, and she got off to a rough start, I want to send out a cute photo and let everyone know how we are. I just don't have time for the personal message in each card, and fail to see the point of wasting time and postage on "To you, from us".

I always enjoy getting round robins - but of course they are a sanitised version of reality. Nobody really wants to read that X's pelvic floor is no more, or that Y's marriage is strained, or Z's IBS is getting worse. The most cringy ones are usually from people who are very lonely and try to compensate for lack of relationship or DC with details of their glamorous lifestyle.

Do people seriously still do these? I haven't seen one in a long time.

Yabu, I've read some very entertaining ones in the past .

I have never read a round robin in my life. An old Uni friend of a friend always sends one though. It consisted for years of 'still no luck getting pregnant'. Why on earth you would want to tell everyone on your christmas card list that info, I'm really not sure.

I think they are a good idea as long as you don't sound too braggy. I also think that parents should not write about adult children at all. I would be furious if my Mum was sending out info to all her friends about me.

I'm with ThumbleBells on this one.

Of course, in an ideal world, we would all keep in regular touch with all our friends, but my good intentions often get thwarted. I have never sent a round robin - and do write a couple of paragraphs inside Christmas cards to people I've not seen for a while - but think I am probably hovering on the brink.

What irks me about some of the round robins I receive is the dishonesty and also the total lack of any interest in me and mine. Last year I received a round robin from someone who had omitted to send one the year before, so we had two years' worth of her achievements and triumphs described in hideous detail. But at the end of it there wasn't even a cursory how are you?/hope you are well. It was all "me, me, me". I suppose it does take a certain amount of self-absorption to write one or send one.

I have never got a RR

But, I used to write a mini-essay in each 'Thank You' card to the elderly relatives on death-stare instructions from my Nan, and I often used to get a small letter back again or a call from My nan saying that so-and-so had loved the news and photos of DS etc.

I find it hard to boast about things, so I doubt I did that, I would more try to make them feel 'in-the-know' and try to make them laugh or say "ahhhh" with the news more than anything whilst gritting my teeth with the pain of hand cramp.

Didn't do it last year though. End of an era?

Have never done it with mates my age! FB innit?!

Is it just as Naff to send a tongue in cheek one, I am very tempted.

Dear One and All,

Despite the fact you have your own family and exciting year I thought I'd tell you about ours.

DS1 and 2 have settled well in their new school. Their Father and I are still, just,m together. dd3 is as precocious as she is beautiful and ds3 is standing on his own...just shows what a little neglect can do!!!

Take Care
MSD

Last year after just having ds3 I printed my christmas cards' messages. No 'To blah and balh' Just

Happy Christmas
Mr Doctor, MsDoctor, Ds1, Ds2, dd3 and ds3.

Saved lots of time.

The one I got today managed to turn the successful potty training of her DD (not even her PFB!) into a whole paragraph...

Bonsoir, is that not rather telling

We've never had one. I think this means we're not really middle-class.

I love them. Christmas tradition for me was going home to Mum's reading all her mates round robins and mercilessly taking the piss over a bottle of sherry.

My Great Aunt Ruth used to add her own pithy notes to another relatives round robin then forward onto us - very, very funny.

So YABU.

I love them, we get some barking mad ones but have hardly ever had one of the showy-offy ones that people complain about.

My parents get one from some friends of theirs who live on a smallholding, Good Life-style, and go into great detail about their rare breeds. My mother notes that far more space is generally devoted to a successful calving than a new grandchild.

Others are academics who write books about bizarre things. The other year we were delighted to hear that dh's friend Ken had finally completed his book on chickadees.

Then there are the ones you can't make head or tail of because they forget that not everyone shares the hobby they are obsessed with, and you can have an interesting time trying to work out what the hell they are going on about.

AIBU to think my friends are just nicer than yours?

We get a fair few from the USA and I am always astounded at the detail they go into regarding their health problems... and the health problems of people related to them that WE DON'T KNOW!

'2009 has been a year of highs and lows.

Unfortunately in May, Bob was diagnosed with high cholesterol and has had to cut back on my legendary beefburgers in batter. Sadly, in June, Bob's great aunt Phyllis was diagnosed with cancer of the bowel. She has been struggling along admirably with her new colostomy bag. In July, I started the menopause and have been sleeping in the spare room so as not to wake up Bob with my night sweats....' etc

OK, not quite that bad, but pretty close, I tell ya!

Why?

YANBU. They sound very funny and I wish people would send me some. Also YANBU for making me feel like I should really go write my christmas cards rather than hanging out on mnet.

One of DH's relatives actually ended up IN one of Simon Hoggart's round robin books. I never dared to ask if they know that - as we are the only Guardian readers in their social circle I was afraid we'd be fingered for dobbing them in - it wasn't us but we had thought about it as their RRs are classic.
We also get a very funny one from some old friends where she writes the first half in a very breezy, upbeat way and he then writes his very grumpy version of events.