In the past years, when I have made resolutions for the year, or written down goals to work towards, I have almost always included this one: handwritten letters. People talk about the lost art of letter writing, and it indeed seems to be almost nostalgic; something that was rather than is. I grew up writing letters; to my grandparents and cousins, to pen pals I never met, to friends, and of course to my immediate family as well. Letter writing was a cherished activity, and one I seriously hope to revive for myself this year.
And don’t forget to check out the giveaway at the end of this post, as a thank you to my readers.
The Art of Letter Writing
Here are some reasons I believe in the magic of the handwritten letter, and why the lost art of letter writing needs to be revived:
- It adds that personal touch
- Writing a letter takes effort, and shows the receiver they are worth it
- It forces you to slow down, & to pay attention to your thoughts and the words you put down on paper
- We can make it even more special easily. By using stationary that fits the recipient; using colored pens/pencils; by adding little drawings or doodles as we write; including photographs or other similar items that can me mailed along with the letter!
- A handwritten letter outlasts us, and is sure to be cherished. The letters from my grandparents are precious mementos that I am so glad I still have with me.
Apparently, the week beginning the second Sunday of January is Universal Letter Writing Week. And as that week is almost here, I want to ask you, my dear reader,
- when was the last time you handwrote a letter? and who did you write to?
- who would you write a letter to today?
- do you have a letter from someone that holds a special value for you?
Related Reads
- Stamps and Books That Are About Them(Kind Of)
- Don’t Check Out This Book: Review post of this delightful epistolary novel
- A Letter to My Daughter: The Epistolary Poem
- How (My) Grandparents Influence Love for the Written Word
- Lewis Carroll’s Eight or Nine Wise Words about Letter-Writing
This post contains Amazon and other affiliate links, that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission. Thank you for your support. Please see the full disclosure for more information. I only recommend products I definitely would (or have already) use myself.
Dear Reader, With Love: A Giveaway
As I work on starting to write a letter this coming week, I also wanted to thank all of you. So, dear reader, here is a giveaway for you. You can use the rafflecopter below to enter the giveaway with as many entries as you want to enter with. And I will have a bonus gift as well, for the winner, and one additional person (well, hopefully you will consider it one!): something to do with the theme of this post!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Great books! I remember writing letters to penpals, it was so excitibg to exchange letters or postcards. Lia loves to write little letters to her little friend and hoping she will continue even after she gets to using the computer full time.
Very insightful. I enjoyed writing to pen-pals during my early school years.
I just had my kids write a letter to our uncle. He is not big on answering the phone, but he does write them back. Even though we’re so digital, it is always fun to get a personalized letter in the mail!
I have to say, I am not a letter writer. I don’t mind writing emails, but I have horrible handwriting and my hand cramps when I write for too long. When my son was in school his handwriting was horrible also and was diagnosed with Dysgraphia (bad handwriting). When I was in school and had horrible handwriting I was told I was lazy. My, how times have changed! LOL
I haven’t written a letter in so long. I used to write my friend and her husband every year on the anniversary of him being cancer free. I need to do that again. They told me how much it meant to them.
I love letter writing. Despite everything going digital, I still put an effort to make handwritten notes because there is just a certain charm to it. I agree with you that it adds a personal touch making it more “sincere”. Joined the giveaway!
Totally agree! Love hand written letters. I have few from my kids over the years for my birthdays. I remember writing to my mom. I do notes sometimes now but need to do more letters