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

Save the post office!

I'm just curious. How many people think that the U.S. Postal Service is really in trouble because people are writing emails and texting more than they are sending old-fashioned cards and letters? I have heard this and have a feeling that it might be true, though it would seem that junk mail alone would keep it functioning. My mail box is more full of the stuff than ever! :)

Of course, when it comes to packages, the post office cannot compete with Fed-Ex or UPS. So, that is another source of lost revenue for our letter service.

Though I love email, Facebook, phone texting, and other systems of instant communication, I don't think that they replace the wonderful feeling of receiving a hand written letter. Do you? And, somehow for me, e-cards don't replace real cards that you can hold in your hand and store away to savor on a later date. That is, e-cards don't seem as meaningful when it comes to my closest friends and family. I do think they are a lovely way to communicate with people whom you don't see as often, but whom you really do wish to remember with special greetings.

Also, it seems that feelings can somehow be communicated with more accuracy in a hand written letter than via email. I know of several cases of hurt feelings caused by misinterpreting email, while I have heard of very few instances of this with snail correspondence. I wonder if that has to do with the quickness of email conversations, where the written word flies back and forth quickly, without the usual conversational cues we glean from tone of voice and facial expressions. When this happens so rapidly, perhaps, it is easier for emotions to escalate.

In letter writing, we don't have those extra conversational clues, either. However, I think that people probably put more effort into writing a snail mail letter than in dashing off an email. Also, the person who receives a written letter probably takes more time to read it thoroughly.

Whatever the case may be, I truly do hope that we will continue to be able to send letters and cards via the post office. The p. o. has been in trouble before, so this wouldn't be the first time it has pulled out of a crises -- if it does. I know I'm going to do my part by sending cards and letters when appropriate. I'd also actually like to have an old-fashioned pen pal, though I suppose that our instant forms of communication does meet that desire in part.

What about you? How often do you send snail-mail letters and cards? Do you think it's important to do so, or is that something you can easily live without? Does it seem strange to send a written letter to someone whom you regularly email, even if they live out of town? Or, do you like to do that once in a while just to add another dimension to your friendship? If you live in another country than the U.S., how is your postal service faring?

I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Enjoy!
Elizabeth