Christmas round-robin letters in cards!
Discussion
Let me say from the outset that I can't abide the damn things myself and would like to share a well written and amusing letter that beautifully sums up my sentiment - found in the 'Frank Scribe' section of last weeks 'Surrey & Hants Post Gazette'.
Pour yourself a coffee, grab a pew, and take 5 minutes out....
"Spare us from the round-robin letters"
[i]On the very day that our most acerbic social commentator John Humphrys, fired off a thumping broadside against Christmas round-robin letters (usually to be found tucked inside a card and gushing with self congratulations) I had the very thing arrive from wealthy friends on Australia's Gold Coast.
Fortunately, their children are now grown up, so there was no litany of academic acheivement to endure, but they made up for this by telling us in teeth-grinding detail, how they had travelled the world in style.
The year had begun in a somewhat mundane fashion - renovation of their three bathrooms - but soon picked up with a trip to the Australian Open tennis in Melbourne.
Next, it was a flight to Sydney to board the cruise line Queen Victoria, making her maiden voyage out of Australia. The 23-day cruise took them into 12 Asian ports before they disembarked in Singapore to spend four days there ( at Raffles of course).
In May, it was time for the long flight to Moscow, and a 13-day cruise up the rivers Volga and Neva. From St. Petersburg they flew to Dubai for four days (high tea at the Burj Al Arab as you do).
The whole of August was spent in Toronto, followed by two weeks in California. The letter went on to tell us that their children had, at various times, been on vacation in the Greek islands, Hawaii and China.
How do we answer that? Well, the memsahib and I have just got back from Tesco. I would not even try to compete with any of that round-robin stuff, although I do recall sending our friendly Aussies a "Greetings from Sidmouth" card this summer.
Please, if we are to continue to receive these glowing missives, let all that cloying self-satisfaction, be leavened with a reasonable degree of wit, elan and self-deprecation. I could stomach it then.[/i]
apprentice
Pour yourself a coffee, grab a pew, and take 5 minutes out....
"Spare us from the round-robin letters"
[i]On the very day that our most acerbic social commentator John Humphrys, fired off a thumping broadside against Christmas round-robin letters (usually to be found tucked inside a card and gushing with self congratulations) I had the very thing arrive from wealthy friends on Australia's Gold Coast.
Fortunately, their children are now grown up, so there was no litany of academic acheivement to endure, but they made up for this by telling us in teeth-grinding detail, how they had travelled the world in style.
The year had begun in a somewhat mundane fashion - renovation of their three bathrooms - but soon picked up with a trip to the Australian Open tennis in Melbourne.
Next, it was a flight to Sydney to board the cruise line Queen Victoria, making her maiden voyage out of Australia. The 23-day cruise took them into 12 Asian ports before they disembarked in Singapore to spend four days there ( at Raffles of course).
In May, it was time for the long flight to Moscow, and a 13-day cruise up the rivers Volga and Neva. From St. Petersburg they flew to Dubai for four days (high tea at the Burj Al Arab as you do).
The whole of August was spent in Toronto, followed by two weeks in California. The letter went on to tell us that their children had, at various times, been on vacation in the Greek islands, Hawaii and China.
How do we answer that? Well, the memsahib and I have just got back from Tesco. I would not even try to compete with any of that round-robin stuff, although I do recall sending our friendly Aussies a "Greetings from Sidmouth" card this summer.
Please, if we are to continue to receive these glowing missives, let all that cloying self-satisfaction, be leavened with a reasonable degree of wit, elan and self-deprecation. I could stomach it then.[/i]
apprentice
:DI actually miss the one we used to get from my mum's cousins. They are the dullest couple on the planet and go on walking holidays which they recount in excruciating detail with particular attention paid to weather conditions and the decor of the B&Bs they stay in. We used to be in stitches
wadgebeast said:
Perfectly ok if they're a general update on life. It's the 'look at me! Aren't we great! Aren't our kids great!' stuff that annoys me.
My parents send us one. I failed to understand how they could bulls
t so much about me, my wife and my kids. Every year I say to my mother "send me a draft so I can correct it" but she continues to bulls
t. apprentice said:
If they were able to stick to a 'general update' - then I have no problem.
The one I received just yesterday started as such; but then 'fell at the last fence' when they had to mention that 'Little Johhny' had gained 13 A-Stars and Oxbridge now beckoned!
Should they have missed that off? Surely if has happened and it's important in your life you should put it in? And as a friend, surely you'd want to know?The one I received just yesterday started as such; but then 'fell at the last fence' when they had to mention that 'Little Johhny' had gained 13 A-Stars and Oxbridge now beckoned!
If you don't want to know, just ask them to stop sending them to you and that you no longer wish to be friends!
NiceCupOfTea said:
apprentice said:
If they were able to stick to a 'general update' - then I have no problem.
The one I received just yesterday started as such; but then 'fell at the last fence' when they had to mention that 'Little Johhny' had gained 13 A-Stars and Oxbridge now beckoned!
Should they have missed that off? Surely if has happened and it's important in your life you should put it in? And as a friend, surely you'd want to know?The one I received just yesterday started as such; but then 'fell at the last fence' when they had to mention that 'Little Johhny' had gained 13 A-Stars and Oxbridge now beckoned!
If you don't want to know, just ask them to stop sending them to you and that you no longer wish to be friends!
apprentice said:
How do we answer that? Well, the memsahib and I have just got back from Tesco. I would not even try to compete with any of that round-robin stuff, although I do recall sending our friendly Aussies a "Greetings from Sidmouth" card this summer.
Perhaps do something more interesting? The update posted seems to indicate they have a fair number of holidays / tours etc fair play to them I say.Fortunately we don't get too many of the damn things.
Simon Hoggart of the Guardian collects the 'best' and publishes the details in his column just before Christmas. He's even written put them into a book, which is very funny.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hamster-That-Loved-Puccini...
Simon Hoggart of the Guardian collects the 'best' and publishes the details in his column just before Christmas. He's even written put them into a book, which is very funny.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hamster-That-Loved-Puccini...
There was a great letter in one of the papers the other day complaining about these, but gloating about one recently received that went through the usual litany of impressive things done and places visited, but ended with "and finally, Audrey and I have decided to go our separate ways from now on." 
NiceCupOfTea said:
apprentice said:
If they were able to stick to a 'general update' - then I have no problem.
The one I received just yesterday started as such; but then 'fell at the last fence' when they had to mention that 'Little Johhny' had gained 13 A-Stars and Oxbridge now beckoned!
Should they have missed that off? Surely if has happened and it's important in your life you should put it in? And as a friend, surely you'd want to know?The one I received just yesterday started as such; but then 'fell at the last fence' when they had to mention that 'Little Johhny' had gained 13 A-Stars and Oxbridge now beckoned!
If you don't want to know, just ask them to stop sending them to you and that you no longer wish to be friends!
And no, actually, most people don't give a s
t about their friends' kids GCSE achievements and regard them merely as proud-parent boasting - one of the most offensive things ever.We used to get nice "round robin" letters from some family friends who moved to California. They used to tell us what everyones doing and although they were a very succesful bunch, they put it across in a really nice way and it certainly didn't seem to be purely for show-off value. They were nice people though.....We've had plenty of the show off letters 
Given that a Christmas Card is often the only communication from old friends that once recieves from year to year I am usually delighted to find it comes with a little news.
If you're sending lots of cards you'd end up writing the same news over and over. So with the advent of word-processors and printing it makes sense to include a letter.
As to taking offence at the content? Why would you? It reveals far more about the inadequacies of the reader than the arrogance of the writer.
If you're sending lots of cards you'd end up writing the same news over and over. So with the advent of word-processors and printing it makes sense to include a letter.
As to taking offence at the content? Why would you? It reveals far more about the inadequacies of the reader than the arrogance of the writer.
apprentice said:
The one I received just yesterday started as such; but then 'fell at the last fence' when they had to mention that 'Little Johhny' had gained 13 A-Stars and Oxbridge now beckoned!
Well done little jonny. That's probably the best piece of news the parents had all year. Of course they want to share it. 
It depends. If it's a handwritten letter to catch up with you after not seeing you for years, I can understand it.
However, if it's some computer printout 'signed' in differently-coloured Brush Script MT, detailing every dull minutiae of their lives (we had one the other year from someone who took a whole paragraph to detail their new route to work, plus how long and boring it was but how it was exciting that they'd received a promotion), I don't want to know. Self-congratulating ones are also pretty bad - if you're going to boast about your 5* round-the-world trip at least throw in some photos!
As for rambling on about how well your kids have done, I can understand how it's a source of pride but it's the sort of thing you add as an aside if the subject of academic results comes up in conversation - you don't just barge in with an immodest 'our kid's a genuis', mainly because you'll inevitably say it to someone who's kid really IS a genius and you'll come away looking ridiculous.
However, if it's some computer printout 'signed' in differently-coloured Brush Script MT, detailing every dull minutiae of their lives (we had one the other year from someone who took a whole paragraph to detail their new route to work, plus how long and boring it was but how it was exciting that they'd received a promotion), I don't want to know. Self-congratulating ones are also pretty bad - if you're going to boast about your 5* round-the-world trip at least throw in some photos!
As for rambling on about how well your kids have done, I can understand how it's a source of pride but it's the sort of thing you add as an aside if the subject of academic results comes up in conversation - you don't just barge in with an immodest 'our kid's a genuis', mainly because you'll inevitably say it to someone who's kid really IS a genius and you'll come away looking ridiculous.
Geronimo said:
NiceCupOfTea said:
apprentice said:
If they were able to stick to a 'general update' - then I have no problem.
The one I received just yesterday started as such; but then 'fell at the last fence' when they had to mention that 'Little Johhny' had gained 13 A-Stars and Oxbridge now beckoned!
Should they have missed that off? Surely if has happened and it's important in your life you should put it in? And as a friend, surely you'd want to know?The one I received just yesterday started as such; but then 'fell at the last fence' when they had to mention that 'Little Johhny' had gained 13 A-Stars and Oxbridge now beckoned!
If you don't want to know, just ask them to stop sending them to you and that you no longer wish to be friends!
And no, actually, most people don't give a s
t about their friends' kids GCSE achievements and regard them merely as proud-parent boasting - one of the most offensive things ever.You sound like a right miserable t
t, what's the matter, did your kids fail their GCSEs? Just opened a card with a round robin in it, from a family who used to live on our estate, and with whom we were on no more than a nodding acquaintance with for just six months when we shared child nursery's, and that was thirteen years ago. They have since moved several times in the UK, then to Australia, and have now moved back to the UK, to Scotland. We genuinely don't know these people at all, apart from their annual round robin. This year I've marked it 'Not known at this address' and will put it back in the post to them. Thing is though, they've been sending these things out to us for 13 years, how the hell do they know we still live here? we could have moved long ago.
Does sharing this information with you in this post count as a round robin?
Does sharing this information with you in this post count as a round robin?
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