Round-robin letter

{{Short description|A letter typically included with a Christmas card}}

{{About||a document signed by multiple parties to hide the leader's identity|Round-robin (document)|the US Army's letter of the Spanish–American War|Round-Robin Letter (Spanish-American War)}}

A round-robin letter or Christmas letter is a letter, typically included with a Christmas card and sent to multiple recipients at the end of the year, in which the writer describes the year's events for themselves and/or their family.{{cite web|title=Round Robins|url=http://www.debretts.com/etiquette/home-life/family-occasions/christmas/round-robins.aspx|work=Debrett's|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140110090257/http://www.debretts.com/etiquette/home-life/family-occasions/christmas/round-robins.aspx|archive-date=2014-01-10}}

The round-robin letter has been the subject of much ridicule, particularly from the Guardian journalist Simon Hoggart, who pilloried examples of the genre in his newspaper column, as well as writing the book The Hamster That Loved Puccini: The Seven Modern Sins of Christmas Round-robin Letters. One example Hoggart cited read:

{{quote|"Harry was Jesus in the school Jesus Christ, Superstar. This was the best production I have ever seen, youth or adult. Both boys, especially Harry, were physically and emotionally drained at the end. I was drained too… seeing your son crucified nightly is not an experience I would recommend."}}

Critics have drawn attention to a number of typical negative characteristics of the letters, including the airbrushing of bad news, the "excruciating" level of banal detail, and the implied egocentricity and boastfulness of the sender.{{cite news|title=Why are round-robin letters so annoying?|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7785410.stm|access-date=10 January 2014|newspaper=BBC News|date=22 December 2008}}{{cite web|url=http://gawker.com/5880048/behold-the-most-obnoxious-christmas-letter-ever|title=Behold, the Most Obnoxious Christmas Letter Ever|last=Read|first=Max|work=Gawker|publisher=Gawker Media|date=27 January 2012}}{{cite news|last=Pritchett|first=Oliver|title=Three jeers for the round robin!|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/christmas/9750489/Three-jeers-for-the-round-robin.html|access-date=10 January 2014|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|date=17 December 2012}}