Year in Review Ideas for Families: Video, Letter or Album
Families make a year in review in three main formats: a video made from everyone's clips and photos, a one-page letter with the year's highlights, or a printed album organized month by month. Pick the video if your family is spread out and you want to hear everyone's voice, the letter if you send holiday cards, and the album if you want something to flip through at the table. Each one starts the same way: a list of the year's 12 to 20 best moments.
A note before we start: we make Tribute, the group video maker, and the group video below is the format we build.
| Format | Best for | Time to make | Typical cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group year in review video | Families spread across cities | 2 to 3 weeks to collect, an evening to edit | From $35 |
| Month-by-month photo video | One household's year | An afternoon | Nothing |
| Year-in-review letter | Holiday card lists | An evening | Paper and stamps |
| Printed album | Grandparents and the coffee table | A weekend | Printing costs |
| Family awards night | New Year's Eve at home | An hour | Nothing |
What is a family year in review?
It's a look back at the past 12 months: the trips, the firsts, the hard parts and the funny moments, collected in one place and shared at the end of the year. Families make them for Christmas, New Year's Eve or the first week of January. The format matters less than the habit, and once you've made one, the kids start asking about next year's by October.
Distance is a big reason families do it. AARP's 2018 grandparents study found that over half of grandparents have at least one grandchild who lives more than 200 miles away, and a year in review is how they catch up on everything they missed.
How do you make a year in review video?
A year in review video is the format with the most voices in it. You can make it two ways: from your own photos and clips, or as a group video where the whole family adds their part.
1. The group year recap video (a Tribute group video)
Start a Tribute in early December and invite every relative to record a short clip answering one question: "What was your best moment this year?" Tribute is a group video maker that turns messages from friends and family into one surprise video. It works by inviting everyone to record a short clip from their phone; Tribute compiles the clips, music and photos into a finished video you share or play together.
In the editor, arrange the clips by month, add photos between them, then add music and captions. Or let a Concierge editor build it: they trim silences, balance volume, remove duplicate clips and set the order, and you approve the result. Picture the family on New Year's Eve watching your cousin describe her first marathon, then Grandpa showing off the tomatoes he grew, then the baby's first steps. Over 8 million videos have been sent on Tribute, and it holds 4.9 stars from 7,000+ reviews.
- Time needed: A minute per person to record; open it 2 to 3 weeks before you plan to play it
- Cost: Free to start a draft; from $35 when you publish, $99 for Concierge, $149 for Concierge with a 7-inch Video Book
Best for: Families spread across cities and countries, and anyone who wants the year in everyone's own words.
Why it works: Unlike a slideshow you make alone, it includes the moments that happened when you weren't there.
2. The month-by-month end of year video
Go through your camera roll one month at a time and pick three to five photos or short clips per month. Add a title card for each month and one song for each season. This end of year video works for one household's story, and it's a good project for a teenager who wants screen time.
- Time needed: An afternoon
- Cost: Nothing if you use the photo app on your phone
Best for: A single household with lots of photos and one patient editor.
Why it works: The calendar gives you the structure, so the hard part is just choosing.
What other year in review formats work for families?
3. The year-in-review letter
The classic holiday letter, minus the bragging. Keep it to one page: a short intro, one paragraph per person, and a closing wish. Write each person's paragraph in their own voice, or let the kids write theirs. Compared to a video, a letter is quick to read and easy to tuck into a card.
- Time needed: An evening
- Cost: Paper, envelopes and stamps
Best for: Families who send holiday cards to a long list.
Why it works: It reaches the people you don't call every week, in a format they already expect.
4. The printed album
Pick one photo per week, or 50 to 80 for the year, and print them in a photo book organized by month. Add one line under each photo: who, where, what happened. Leave a page at the end for everyone to sign at the holiday table.
- Time needed: A weekend
- Cost: Printing; order early so it arrives before the holidays
Best for: Grandparents and coffee tables.
Why it works: It sits on the shelf, and people pick it up without being asked.
5. The family awards night
Make up categories from the year (Best Road Trip Meltdown, Most Improved Cook, Biggest Plot Twist) and hand out paper certificates on New Year's Eve. Everyone votes beforehand. Acceptance speeches are capped at 30 seconds.
- Time needed: An hour to plan
- Cost: Printer paper
Best for: Families who like a little roast with their reflection.
Why it works: It turns the year's chaos into stories everyone wants to tell.
What should a family year in review include?
Whatever the format, work from the same list. Go month by month and ask:
- Milestones: Birthdays, graduations, first days, new jobs, new homes, new babies.
- Trips and outings: The big vacation and the small day trips that went better than planned.
- Firsts: First steps, first car, first time someone cooked Thanksgiving.
- Hard parts: A move, an illness, a loss. A sentence of honesty makes the rest feel real.
- Funny moments: The camping trip in the rain, the dog's escape, the autocorrect that went to the whole family.
- What's next: One hope or plan for next year from each person.
Most of the raw material is already on your phones. Pew Research Center's mobile fact sheet reports that 91% of U.S. adults own a smartphone, so the year's photos are spread across a dozen camera rolls. Ask each household for their five favorites and you'll have plenty.
When should you share your year in review?
Christmas Eve, Christmas morning and New Year's Eve are the usual moments, though a January dinner works just as well when the holidays are full. A video or slideshow plays best on the TV after dinner, a letter goes in the holiday card, and an album makes a good gift to open on the day. For a group video, open it two to three weeks before and set the deadline a few days ahead, since collecting clips takes time.
Want more ideas? See our list of Christmas video ideas, our merry Christmas video guide, Christmas gift baskets to pair with a printed album, and our wider holiday season guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a year in review?
It's a summary of the past year's highlights, milestones and moments, shared at the end of the year. Families make them as videos, letters, albums or slideshows.
How long should a year in review video be?
Five to fifteen minutes works for a family audience. For a group video, plan on about a minute per person.
How do you organize a family year in review?
Go month by month through your photos and calendar, list 12 to 20 highlights, then choose a format. Ask other relatives for their favorite moments so it isn't only your view of the year.
What do you write in a year-in-review letter?
Open with one line about the year as a whole, give each family member a short paragraph, and close with a wish for the new year. Keep it to one page and mix highlights with a funny moment or two.
When should you start making a year recap video?
Start in early December so you have time to collect clips and photos. If you're inviting others to record, give them a deadline a few days before you plan to play it.
Can grandparents take part in a family year in review?
Yes. With a group video, they record a clip from their phone or computer using a link, with no app or account. Their answer to "best moment of the year" is often the one everyone remembers.
👉 Start your holiday Tribute and look back on the year with everyone in it.
