The Lost Art of Writing Letters

When was the last time you sat down and wrote out a letter to someone just to say hi? Or even sent a thank you card, instead of a thank you text? It's been a while for us, too. 

There's something so exciting about opening the mailbox and seeing a letter addressed to you in someone else's handwriting isn't there? That someone would take a few minutes out of their busy life to write to you, whether it's a birthday card or just to say they're thinking of you, almost means more than whatever the letter even says. 

Technology (cell phones and texting, social media, email, etc) makes it so easy these days to stay in touch and writing letters has become a thing of the past, something that takes too long and is almost inconvenient. But, we both agree that receiving a letter in the mail unexpectedly means so much more than getting a text or sometimes, even a phone call. We love what one of our good friends, who always writes letters, said about the whole process in general:

"I have always written tons of letters. I am obsessed with mail. My Gigi and I always have written as early as I could write. Anyway, as I got older I realized I did mail the exact way she would. Mail would arrive and you know, you are usually just home from work when you discover and there might be sale papers to sort or junk to recycle or bills to pay...I always open those first and I savor- even delay! - opening a personal letter (so rare! so special! the suspense!) and you change out of work clothes and make a tea or a drink or a dessert and you sit down and open it and read it and re-read it and enjoy it peacefully. Such a small thing that I truly love in life! Even if all I write about is daily life."

Isn't that beautiful? Maybe it's because it's starting to feel like fall or maybe it's because life is finally getting back to normal since the show, but we are so inspired to start writing more and texting less and have already written a few letters to loved ones. We picked up a few cards at Target (the picture above), but really any piece of paper will do, because it's the thought that counts.

When you send someone a letter, you're showing them they are worth your time, that you're thinking of them no matter how far away they are, and you realize that sometimes a thing that seems outdated or inconvenient or time consuming might actually be worth taking a second look at.