YOU’VE GOT MAIL
(not e-mail)
(and not the movie)
Do you send or receive mail? Real mail, with hand-written messages inside paper cards or on stationery?
I do!
And I love receiving it!
When I was very young, I started writing to one of my aunts — my mom’s sister — who was, at the time, away at college. We still correspond.
And my sister’s girls — my nieces, one of whom featured in last year’s A-to-Z — now write to me (their aunt).
Throughout my life I have also corresponded with other family members via post: my siblings, my grandparents (both blood family and family-of-choice), my cousins; (former) co-workers, friends, lovers… Etcetera.
I ‘owe’ letters to a few people right now, actually.
And there is just something really special about writing them that appeals to me.
I will be penning a letter to my youngest niece about my adventures in kindergarten and probably making a book recommendation or two. I will be sending comforting words to a struggling friend when I can come up with the right ones. My aunt will get ‘the latest’ about Life As We Live It. My mom will be receiving a Mother’s Day card.
And all of these will be hand-written, stamped, and posted.
There is probably a word for my predilection to mail things. Postalphilia or some such. *laugh*
But there is just an all-around Good Feeling that infuses my energy when I put a letter in the post.
And even though I’m not a big fan of holiday cards in any variety (except home-made — LOVE those!), as they often feel like a checkmark ticked on someone’s ho-hum (or ho-humbug?) list, I even enjoy opening those envelopes. Many people hope for gift enclosures, I think. But for me, when there is a a real and genuine letter inside, that’s the best surprise!
So now, my question for you, dear reader, is:
Do you enjoy sending or receiving mail?
Please tell — I’d love to hear!
.
I agree a real letter is exciting, as opposed to an email. I have just bought a new pack of stamps so will have to write to someone. It’s usually sympathy cards that still get posted because it doesn’t seem right to send an email. I still love to read the Christmas letter enclosed in some cards although they have received bad press for being a vehicle to say how wonderful your family is. Well they are, aren’t they?
I suppose they can be. I received a very “real” note inside a Christmas card this year from a old friend who is having a tough go of it. Her family is still wonderful, no doubt, but she’s become a caretaker for one of them, and the fact that she shared that piece — even just to briefly state it — was touching.
I absolutely enjoy receiving letters and also writing them. Hand written letters of the best. They remind the forgotten yester years. I have stashes of letters which I used to write and receive. nowadays it is rare but I still manage writing sometimes.
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I meant are not of 🙂
I have stack of letters that my mother received from her grandmother (my great-grandmother) in 1976, which was the year I was born.
I rarely write letters any more except to elderly friends. Cards are something I receive as well as send and it’s fun to get them. I’m getting pretty lax about sending them out on time though.
I think it’s probably more common to send/receive letters to/from the elderly people in our lives. Perhaps it has to do with their not having (or embracing) technology? My mother, while certainly not elderly, does not use email and only recently figured out how to text. Phone calls are her preferred mode of communication, but she certainly relies on mail as well. The card in the photo on this post is from her. 🙂
I have to admit mail is very cumbersome to me. I don’t have a postbox / post office nearby, and the postal service keeps changing the cost of sending a local card / envelope. They don’t use the actual figure on it (say, 20 cents or whatever) but instead it says “local mail” on the stamp. But that keeps changing. And is only sold in booklets of 10 and if you have an old booklet it gets chucked out whenever a new price takes effect. I have thrown out many an old unused stamp. Pffft.
I’ll just send a text (with pictures!) thank you very much 😀
Oy. Yes, that is frustrating!
Many years ago (mid-90s, I think), the US Postal Service started making “forever” stamps. So if you still have a “forever” stamp that you paid 28 cents for in 1996, it’s still good to mail a letter, even though the cost of new “forever” stamps keep a rising.
I had a pen pal once – I was utterly terrible at it. I have no idea why I find it so much easier to write an email than to write a letter. I am glad sending and receiving mail brings you joy, it sounds so lovely.
Tasha
Tasha’s Thinkings: YouTube – What They Don’t Tell You (and free fiction)
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I had a lovely long email exchange with someone once, which lasted over the course of a few years. It was special in it’s own way, 🙂
I LOVE mail, and happily considering it part of my life’s mission to keep the postal service in business. I was very active as a mailartist for many years and made innumerable friends. We continue to visit each other through the mail stream. Besides the personal missives, I do large mailings each equinox and solstice, and try to create at least two zines a year. Mail, glorious mail – long may it live.
Somehow I knew you would be a mail-positive person! 🙂
I had to laugh at your “life’s mission” — I have, on occasion, felt that I was single-handedly keeping the USPS afloat! 😉
I LOVE LOVE sending and receiving mail!
It just makes me so very very happy
I also like to pretend e-mails are actual mails and put a lot of effort in drafting an email too 🤭
Email communication is important — especially when it’s business related. I’m pretty careful about drafting my emails as well.
I do love physical mail. Unfortunately there are few people that seem willing to put pen to paper and pay the postage. First class mail here has just gone up to almost £1! Anyway I recently posted my wedding invitations out and have received a few physical replies which has been lovely. Letters though are very far and few between, which is a shame.
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Awww… Hooray for wedding invitations and real-mail replies! 🙂
It would be great to still receive personal letters in the mail, but seems it’s not that fashionable any more. I still send greeting cards to family, though. I used to have lots of pen pals around the world, but with the emails coming so common, they all dropped out. 🙂
I had pen pals when I was a kid but the exchanges all petered out by the time I was in college. It used to be fun to read those letters, though — people whose lives and homes were so different than mine!
I consistently send letters (with photos of the kids) to my two elder aunts. Sometimes they return the letter, but it’s much harder for them to write and gather material. And even get stamps during COVID! So as much as I enjoy seeing something real in the mail box, I’d rather send to them.
Beth
https://bethlapinsatozblog.wordpress.com/
That’s so lovely. Tangible photos are wonderful to share; I have an aunt who very much enjoys receiving them as well. 🙂
You know, I have always loved to receive written letters, and send them too, but haven’t done so for years. There’s just something about reading it on paper, isn’t there?!
~ Marie xox
Yes there is. It’s a tactile experience.
There is something magical in this.
I think it’s nostalgic, in a way.
Life becomes so complex and fleeting that sometimes you want to nostalgic.