Recently I had the chance to sit down and write a handful of notes to some friends I love. It’s not that rare of an occurrence for me, telling people how much I love and adore them. I’m the girl who runs up to people at conferences to profess my undying love. I email people on a regular basis just to say “hello, I adore you”. So it was a natural thing for me to sit down, pen in hand, and compose little notes to the people in my life who’ve made a big difference to me in the last year.
I sent one to my sister-from-another-mother Rachael, and to my long lost twin Marie. And I think it’s fair to say I got as much happiness from the love I sent in the mail as the recipients of my cards. Is there anything better than a hand written note in the mail?
I don’t think so.
Growing up I was pen pals with my cousin in Florida and I loved getting the mail, sorting through all the bills, looking for my name written by hand. My cousin and I went on writing letters all through elementary school and high school, sharing our lives with each other well before the internet, and the appeal of a note stamped and posted just for me has never lost its shimmer. In fact, right now I’m in the middle of setting up a pen pal for Precocious, just so she can have the glorious experience of a regular note in the mail. Something to anticipate and savor, to re-read when things get a little rough. I don’t do that with emails, but I still have hand written cards tucked into my scriptures, journal, and nightstand.
I personally don’t think you can go wrong saying hello to someone you love. I’m a big believer in not leaving things unsaid. If you care about someone, I personally think they have the right to hear just how marvelous you think they are, just how happy they make you to be alive.
How often do you write hand written notes? Is it only for the invitations and thank you’s, or are you a regular letter writer?
— Hallmark sponsored this post. I’m partnering with Hallmark to shine a light to the Life Is A Special Occasion blogger campaign for the rest of this year. Everything about my kids in this post is the honest to goodness truth; I couldnt make it up if I tried.
If you’re interested, here’s a link where you can sign up for Hallmark email to be notified about special offers.
Allison
Hello there! I'm Allison Czarnecki, founder + editor of Petit Elefant, a blog all about style on a budget for every part of your life: style / home / travel / family. I do a lot of how-to beauty + style tutorials, travel posts, easy recipes, home remodel projects, and cool DIY crafts you totally want to try. I'm super happily married (to a hot Polish immigrant) and am the mother of two kids, a daughter and son, all of whom are featured here on the regular. We live in the country but we're a little bit rock + roll. Welcome!
Love this post! It reminds me of my writing back and forth to my cousin through elementary and junior high. We became the best of friends through snail mail. :) I wish I were better about writing little notes nowadays. It’s always a good feeling to send someone a little love.
Isn’t it sad? I mean, I love the internet more than the next person, but I miss that personalized touch you just can’t get from email.
I hardly ever do it anymore and it makes me sad. I LOVE to write them and LOVE to get them. Your card was a perfect little bright spot in my day!!
I’m so happy you loved it! I need to make it more a part of my regular routine, no matter how busy I am. It’s so important to connect.
Beautiful :)
Thank you.
I was a major letter writer all my life, and I’ve saved most of the letters friends have written to me (including notes passed in school dating back to fourth grade). I’m sentimental, what can I say? I still love to write letters, but I rarely do it, but I will occasionally find a funny postcard and drop it in the mail to a friend I’m thinking of. When my father passed away last spring, I was surprised at how many friends sent handwritten cards or notes, and at how deeply that touched me.
I think it’s kind of sad that kids these days won’t have all those emails and texts to look back on to remember key times or people in their lives.
What a great post! It’s true, there really is nothing like a handwritten letter to lift your spirits! It inspired me to sit down and write a letter to a friend or family member. If it weren’t so late, I would do it right now. I will surely do it sometime by the end of the week.