Collecting Information

• By the time December rolls around, most people don't recall what they did at the beginning of the year. Keep a journal or list of events to include. Even a few words about an event helps jog your memory when you sit down to compose the newsletter. Get the entire family involved in collecting information to represent everyone's perspective.
  
  

Child Involvement

• Get your children involved in creating the newsletter by contributing their artwork. Use your child's images as a border, background or picture next to the text, using either originals or photocopies. Use the same image for every newsletter or have your child to do different artwork for each recipient. If your kids are old enough, let them write their own sections. Your recipients will enjoy reading your children's own words, making your newsletter a highlight for friends and family.
  
  

Layout

• The layout depends on the type of information you're sharing. For a traditional look, design a three-column layout with stories for each event. Another option is a list-style approach. For example, write a list of the top 10 moments of the last year. Choose an easy-to-read font, but use a different font for the headlines.
  
  

What to Include

• You don't need to include every activity your family did over the past year. Stick with the highlights. Include events like vacations, graduations, pregnancies, births, birthdays, awards, moves, promotions or other major changes in your lives. Keep stories short and interesting. Funny stories add humor and photos break up the text and add visual interest. Include contact information for those who have lost touch. Include email addresses, family blog URLs and phone numbers.