National letter writing month?

I saw something in a magazine that said that January is national letter writing month. I've been meaning to blog about that fact ever since I first read it and was bemoaning the fact that I had just gotten around to it during the last few days of this month.

However, when I tried to find out more details, I learned that National Card and Letter Writing Month -- at least as it has been established by the U.S. Postal Service is actually April. Perhaps, there are two organizations who have designated two different months in the year to be devoted to the lovely art of writing personal letters. Or, maybe, the post office has changed their month to January this year.

Whatever the case is, I love the idea of devoting a month to writing personal letters! Of course, Email and even quicker forms of electronic communication are wonderful. Now, we can communicate so rapidly with our loved ones. Those of us who have relatives living far away are truly blessed; consider the many mothers of pioneers and missionaries, for example, who had to wait months or even a year for a letter from their offspring. Even at that, communiques might be lost. Now, we can even chat real-time via things like Skype.

Even so, an actual hand-written note carries a charm that electronic forms of communication just can't provide. Receiving a card or letter in the mailbox brightens the day. It is a spot of cheer amidst the bills and junk mail. If you regularly receive such written missives, it makes going to the mailbox a whole lot more fun. Plus, a hand-written letter can be savored again at a later date and can be shared with others as is appropriate.

Writing cards and letters is actually a great exercise in writing. We tend to be more careful with our choice of words when writing a letter versus sending some sort of electronic message. Plus, we tend to include lovely little details in a letter that we might not care to record on a venue like Facebook or Email.

So, why not designate every month as National Letter Writing Month? Or, if a year seems to daunting to you, pick one month of the calendar to be your personal letter writing month and send out as many cards and letters as you can. If your budget allows, indulge in some lovely stationary to inspire your efforts. Otherwise, use whatever paper and envelopes you have on hand.

Happy letter writing!

Enjoy!
Elizabeth