You've got mail: How to reclaim the lost art of letter writing
We are months into the global pandemic and our hearts miss connecting with family and friends. Although things are slowly starting to reopen, my close circle of friends and family are still very much social distancing. However, being stuck inside has gotten me thinking about old memories and things we used to do when life was simpler and technology wasn’t a center point in our lives. One of my fondest memories growing up was having regular pen pals to send postcards and letters to. In elementary school, I was featured in Girls Life magazine when they had a pen pal section in their publication. I received hundreds of postcards and letters with pictures from other children around my age all around the world to a P.O. Box address my parents set up for me. I remember having bags filled with letters arriving at my P.O. Box for weeks. One of my childhood best friends moved to another state right before we started high school. She and I had a tradition of mailing letters to each other when she moved away. I also have fond memories of sending postcards after traveling to a new destination. Gone are the days of sending postcards and letters due to text messages, DMs, and email. But there is a sense of nostalgia about getting a personalized letter or package in the mail from someone.
I’m hoping to reclaim the lost art of letter writing. This week I hand wrote postcards and letters to friends and family members challenging them to be my quarantine pen pal and thanking them for their friendship during this time at home. What does a quarantine pen pal look like? You can just send a simple note to say hello or send baked goods or a recipe, consider doing a book swap and mail a book to a friend once you’ve finished. These are simple ways to stay connected during this time of social isolation.
Here a few of my favorite stationery products to get you started.
