If you have an attractive family (I'm lucky, I'm the only ugly one), I would recommend doing a picture Christmas card. I have done one every year, and my clients always comment on it.  It's really more like something you would send your friends and family, and I think clients like that.

[quote=babbling looney]

What say you guys.  I sent out nice cards last year and wrote a personal note in each one.  I’m thinking of sending out a Christmas letter that is more chatty and possibly summarizes the year with a local slant.  Having a hard time trying to decide what to say…plus it has to go to compliance first 

My insurance agent sends a card with a gift certificate for an ice cream cone at a local frosty. 

What ideas do you guys have for Christmas communications.

Joe...you bad boy!  I did the Christmas card with a personal note last year and delivered some Christmas candy to my A list.  My quandry is that I have my assistant sign my cards too, and my wife made a really cool Christmas postcard with a family picture (she's a professional photographer).  I'm trying to decide if I should order a bunch of extras and put them inside my Christmas cards...just decided to send the family postcard inside my business Christmas cards.

I think the handwritten note means the most.  I've honestly come to detest all of those stupid Christmas "letters" I get that end up being no more than brag sheets (although I know you're smarter than that, Babs).

JMO

[quote=babbling looney]

I think you should send out a picture card of you in a golf shirt.

Very funny.... my clients know what I look like, however, mabye that picture of me in a naughty Santa's helper outfit????  KIDDING!!! 

I guess I'll just stick with a card and personal note and candy for the A list clients like Indyone did.  I don't like those bragging letters either, but can't really think of anything that would be topical and appealing to all of my clients. 

While we are at it, this is pretty cool to send to your clients in their birthday card  http://www.dmarie.com/timecap/     Run one for your own birthday.

My clients thought it was interesting and it gives an opening to talk about inflation and the need for growth in their portfolios. 

just a simple holiday card with a handwritten signature.

I like the time capsule idea…thanks…

I like the letter idea. If anyone has a good letter, please post it so that we could get some ideas on what to write.

[quote=forge1]

I like the letter idea. If anyone has a good letter, please post it so that we could get some ideas on what to write.

[/quote]

I can send you my letter, but the info about my wife and kids won't really relate to your particular situation. 

Here's one I struggled with this year.  Christmas or Holiday cards.  At my house we send Christmas cards.  Jesus IS the reason for the season.  If you're independant it probably isn't an issue because it's your business.  You're not putting LPL on the card.  But since I work for Jones, what do you people think about Christmas vs Holiday.  FYI, I went the Holiday route.

I decided on cards this year after all. 

I send two kinds.  One religious themed to those I know will appreciate it (the majority of my clients) and one holiday secular (kind of nature themed) to the rest of my clients or to those I know don't celebrate religiously or who are not Christian.

The season was here long before Jesus even ever showed up on the scene to be the reason.

Further the season didn't even show up until many years after jesus had shuffled forth the mortal coil.

The season has it's origins in Celtic mythology (as do a very high number of other supposedly Christian rites and rituals) because they were written into the bible by St. Patrick's monks (St. Pat instituted the monastic systam and the first job was transcribing the good book, and what good is a good book if you leave out some of the good local stories?)

Want to keep the Christ in Christmas? Fine, then I won't call it a "holiday tree" I'll call it a Christmas tree and demand that it be taken down from the village square! I tried to compromise with Xtians and now they want more.

We've decide to keep Christ in Christmas at my house. Which means we go to Church and say "Joy To the World". But that's IT! No presents, no nothing! That's what Jesus would want!

Instead we celebrate Robtmas (Robt being my sobriquet of choice and legality) on June 27th. This is better, we think for several reasons. First of all is that it really IS Robt's birthday (as opposed to December 25th which is not Christ's birthday, assuming he was ever born in the first place) so it really is a reason to party anyway.

Secondly is the whole present thing, here in the North East, thousands and thousands of children are about to get gifts that they can't even use until the snow goes away! Bicycles, Barbie Lambos, footballs, baseball gloves... the list is endless. On Robtmas, you get a present, you go outside and use it!

Then there is the big advantage to the kiddies. For the other guy's birthday, how long do you get off from school? A week? For Robtmas you get TWO MONTHS off (depending on your geographical location, not available in all states)! 

Then there is the decorating issue. You'd better believe when you get the most flammable substance know to man, stand it in the corner, wrap it with cheap electric cords and turn the humidity down to "dessicate"! Meanwhile, dad is on the ladder, stringing lights across the icy roof, and he'll have to get them back down when it's even colder in January!

We've had great success with it so far. For one thing, we roll up all those June events into one, father's day, anniversaries, graduations, birthdays and make them part of the big day. We've also garnered a constituency among thos peole born with a month of Christmas both ways who, for years, got half their present on the first day (say Christmas, and the second half the second day (say their birthday, in mid January) I knew one guy, got half a model airplane for Christmas, got the other half for his birthday January 17th!

I don't worry about the Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays cards themselves. I wonder about the "Happy" part!

Send hate mail to the PM box!

Mr. A (and now you know why!) 

Mr A...I'm with you.  Personally I don't enjoy Christmas and only decorate my office because everyone else does.  I hate the tree and often just throw the lights out with the tree instead of taking them off an using them again.  What a pain.  I send out the cards because if I didn't people would think it strange.  I hate wrapping presents and see no point in spending all that time and money on something that is just going to be burned up in the trash barrel.  We should all just use brown paper bags from the grocery store.

My birthday is in the first week of Jan and my birthday also sucked every year because Christmas took up all the gift giving energy and money.

The only thing good about Christmas besides all the food and drinking that goes on is that the days start getting longer again.

I don't mind that people want to celebrate a religious holiday, even though it does have a dubious coincidental date that aligns with the Celtic celebrations. I see no need to spoil everyone else's fun.  No skin off my nose.  God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen and all that.  Do what you want.

Bah humbug.   Send my hate mail to Mr A as well 

WOW...

I hope I never get where you 2 are.

This is absolutely a great time of year. I enjoy every minute of the season. Between now and Dec.25th I will watch every stupid Christmas special like "A Charlie Brown Xmas", "It's a Wonderful Life", etc... We will go to a half dozen parties including one this weekend, Our house is already decorated & can be seen from space! The holiday will culminate on Xmas day when we celebrate a great tradition...I will wake up with 8 visiting family members in the house who have flown in from all across the country & for the next few days we will all fellowship with each other just to share how much we love one another. I wouldn't trade it for anything, especially all the neat "toys" that I get to play with with my grandkids.

God bless yee merry men!

Hmm...seems like I touched a nerve. 

Mr. A.  You need counseling.  You are correct on a few of your points, however.  First, you are correct that having some sort of celebration during the winter solstice was the norm well before Jesus came to earth.  Pope Julius I named Dec 25th as the day to celebrate Jesus' birth probably to incorporate the traditions of the pagan Saturnalia festival.  It didn't become a national holiday in the US until 1870. 

Second, I believe you could be right about Him not being born.  From a theological standpoint, which is what you are trying to argue, He was never "born."  How can someone who was and is and is to come be "born."  Since our feeble human minds can't grasp that concept, we conceptualize it into the only thing we have that relates.  Our own birthdays.  Acutally historians would tell you that your Robtmas holiday celebration may be closer to the actual birthday of Jesus. 

Finally, I don't believe that Jesus would want us to celebrate his birthday without presents.  I believe the greed and expense some families show is not what He wants, but if we are going to celebrate the entire event, why not give presents that are symbolic like the three kings did.  Also, He was the gift.  What better symbol can there be than giving a gift that shows your loved ones that  you are willing to sacrifice to make give them happiness.  It doesn't come close to equalling the gift that was given to us, but it's the best we can do. 

I don't think that those of us who are Christians want more.  I think we want to have the freedom to worship, act and believe with the same freedoms that those of you who don't share our faith enjoy.  If I'm a kid in high school I can't pray before a test, I can't read my Bible in study hall, I can't wear a shirt with Jesus on it, I can't have a Christian club that makes it's members sign a statement of faith to gain access all because it might offend the Jewish, hindu, muslim, wiccan, or athiest next to me.  You have the right to believe whatever you want.  Just don't make me hide mine because you can't handle it. 

Sorry for the rant.  I guess he touched a nerve. 

I think I’ve decided to send Christmas cards this year.

Good post Spiff, I too am mailing out Merry Christmas cards to ALL my clients.   If I had a Jewish CPA, and he sent me a Happy Hannuka card, I wouldn't be offended. 

I think Seinfeld said it best, "If someone asks me where Israel is, I don't freak out."

Only one?

I must be losing my touch!

No, I'm sorry, there is NO evidence that Jesus, the Christ ever existed at all. The faithful have often come to the conclusion that this is just proof of "His" existence. There being no proof solely a test of the faithful's faith, which only a miracle maker could have made.

Babs,

I'm not quite really sour on Christmas, it's more I'm sour on the fundies who jump up and down on my last Noel Nerve with their "War on Christmas" rhetoric.

Christmas is NOT a religious holiday for the vast majority of Americans (or at least the vast majority of the tiny minority that think like I do). It's a spending orgy and there's no reason it has to revolve around the winter solstice. Might as well have it revolve around someone who would appreciate it, Robt.

I smile inwardly at the expectations of my wife and children that somehow, I'll be able to afford their endless list of wants. Somehow I do afford it, amazingly enough, but hey they're working on that.

Regi,

That has absolutely nothing to do with Christmas, except that you decide to make time for each other for this particular year part. (Which, for me, is not culminated until I hear the plop plop fizz fizz of a good hangover cure on January Oneth... and then there's the SuperBowl parties to look forward to...)

BTW, as Christmas culminates in New Years Eve Champaign, one week later, Robtmas culminates one week later with the July of Fourth (where the bubbly has names like Budweiser).

Spiff,

Yes, the Christians do want more, more, more (or some of them do, I can't really say because I'm not a Christian, I'm Catholic, right?). They want the country to be recognized as "A Christian Nation" when the guy most responsible for the nation's existence (Ben Franklin) was about as anti religion as you can get (so was Lincoln, but that's a different story).

I know of no law that says a student can't pray before a test (quite the contrary, that used to be the response of the separationists "there will always be prayer in school as long as there are math tests.") Nor is there any law that says a student can't read, silently, anything that is not pornographic in study hall (I guess I'd have trouble defending kid's rights to read the terrorists handbook, or some white power tome or other book designed to educate and advocate for hatred. I would, but I'd have a hard time doing so.)

You can't have the Christian club, but they can't have the Jewish club or the Hindu club either. Everybody has the same rules and somehow you see that as persecution of Christians.

Giving presents is the best you can do? Teaching your children that happiness comes from material possessions... I'm sure you've heard of the camel and the needle's eye. I'm quite sure you can do better, this is not your best.

Just keep in mind, I'm just having fun here. I'm not entirely serious.

Mr. A

Happy Festivus to all!!!

[quote=mranonymous2u]

Just keep in mind, I'm just having fun here. I'm not entirely serious.

Mr. A

[/quote]

Good, cause there for a minute you were some sort of weirdo.  By the way, there are numerous pieces of historical evidence that Jesus did exist.  Pliny, Josephus, Tacitus to give you a few names to Google.  Enough with the theology.  On to the presents.