Haugrud Happenings: 2017

Every year, Christmas rolls around and with that comes Christmas cards and family photos in abundance! It's always been my mind to do something different with our Christmas cards - not for any particular reason except that I want it to be interesting and insightful about our lives.

In the past, I've done the usual Christmas photo card. It's always nice and people appreciate the photos but I realize more and more with social media distancing ourselves from people that many don't actually know what is going on in our lives or where God is taking us.

It occurred to me that a newsletter would be a great way of communicating to family and friends instead of a photo. Not a lengthy newsletter. Rather, a snippet into all parts of our lives - like an infographic! If you dare type into Google search the words "Christmas Letter Infographics," you will be amazed and slightly overwhelmed at all the possibilities out there. Seriously -just type it in. See what you get.

I did stumble across a blogger (Em for Marvelous) who posted about her own ideas and journey with Christmas Letter Infographics. It was such a helpful post and is where I drew most of my inspiration for my infographic. Check out the blog post here.

After spending a Sunday afternoon trying various outlets to make the newsletter magic happen, I decided to keep it uber simple and go with "Google Docs." I created a header for the newsletter and then added tables of information as needed. It was pretty easy to figure out and, personally, I think it turned out great! Here's a look at our Christmas Letter Infographics:

p.s. Another inspiration for the newsletter was this picture below. I liked the clean lines, the simplicity, and the pops of red throughout the newsletter. Funny thing, the blogger above also had this as one of her inspirations!