The Power Of Snail Mail: Everything You Need To Know About Writing Letters

Most days when I open my mailbox, it is filled with sales flyers, credit card offers, or bills.  However, when I open the box and find a handwritten note, a thoughtful package, or a postcard, it makes my day!  

In the era of email, social media messaging, and other forms of instant communication, receiving snail mail has become even more special.

The impact of a handwritten letter

When I was in college, I would sit down each weekend and write a handful of letters to family and friends.  This was in an era when email was fairly new (many of the recipients did not even have an email address) and Facebook was still just an idea in Mark Zuckerberg’s head.  However, that did not lessen the impact of those letters.  

One of my weekly snail mail recipients was my great-grandmother.  At the time she was in her 90’s and while mentally sharp, physically her world had become much smaller as she entered a nursing home and spent much of her time in a wheelchair.  I had been sending her a weekly letter for several months before I started hearing from other family members how much she appreciated those letters.  It was a one-sided correspondence, but I knew that in sending her weekly updates from my world, I was bringing a bright spot to her day.

Fast forward to today and my mother who prints out copies of her photographs on postcard paper.  Each week she writes a little note on the back of about a dozen photos, adds a stamp and sends them off.  When I open our mailbox and see a bright pop of color peering out at me, I know we have received our weekly postcard!  I am always so excited to see what photo she has chosen, to read a little dispatch from her week, and to share the photo with Adam.

You never know the impact a small gesture will make

As you might have read in previous posts, I am working to clear out a backlog of craft projects which have been waiting for me to find the time to finish them.  Many were originally intended to be gifts.  I was able to ship out several packages a few weeks ago with holiday and birthday presents which were long overdue.  Each gift went with a handwritten note letting the recipient know how much I care about them and how important it was for me to get this gift to them (no matter how belated).

Every gift was received with joy.  They arrived just when they were most needed.  And each person who opened those packages noted not just how much they appreciated the gift but also how much the note enclosed with it meant to them.

When we put pen to paper, we are imbuing that letter with love, care, and attention.  It doesn’t take much energy to send a quick text message, but it does take effort to write a letter, address an envelope, find a stamp, and get it into the hands of the post office.  And in my experience, the love, care, attention, and effort that goes into sending snail mail does not go unnoticed by the recipient.

How to get started

Are you ready to brighten someone’s day?  Really all you need is a piece of paper, a pen or pencil, an envelope and a stamp.  However, there are a few ways I like to make my letters a little more special – making them more fun to write and receive!

Pick cards and stationary you love.  You can use just a plain sheet of computer or notebook paper to write a letter.  And that does not devalue your words at all.  But it is a lot more fun to use a funny card, a beautiful piece of stationery, or a notecard which speaks to your relationship with that person.  You don’t have to spend a lot of money on these, often you can find packs of cards and stationary at the thrift store for a fraction of the cost were they new.  Open some of that junk mail that fills your mailbox – I get donation request letters which contain cards and envelopes a few times a year.

If you want to purchase something special, check Etsy for the widest range of notecards and stationary you can imagine.  Services like Shutterfly (use this link to get 10 free cards which meet the offer requirements) also send out coupon codes regularly which allow you to purchase customized cards (use your own photos of family, friends, pets, or places you have traveled) at a discount.  Ordering online provides a bonus – not only do you have something great to write on, but you also receive snail mail when the packages come to you!

Picking the right writing implement can also make a big difference in how enjoyable writing letters is.  The free pen from the hotel you stayed at last year will work.  But one that writes smoothly, or is a fun color, might make you more excited to pick up your letter writing supplies.

Many cards and stationery sets will come with envelopes.  If however, you are in need of an envelope, consider making your own from any paper you like.  Wrapping paper, magazine pages, scrapbook paper, anything which you find to be beautiful and is large enough to enclose your note and meet the post office minimum size requirements will work!

Then, pick your stamps.  A first class stamp costs the same regardless of the design.  Why buy the same flag stamps all of the boring mail comes with when you could have stamps featuring flowers, wildlife, nature scenes, famous actors, social icons, and more?  When you go into the post office, they usually have a small display sign on the counter with the newest stamps on offer – just ask for the ones you like the best!

Finally, you may want to have a special box or drawer in your desk where you keep all of your letter writing supplies.  This will make it easy to pull everything out when you are ready to sit down and write a letter.  If I had to gather the card from one area, find my favorite pen in another, and then locate my address book in a third location, I would never send any snail mail!  The point is to make the process enjoyable and easy – when you are forming new habits, you want to remove as many barriers to success as possible.

I have my supplies, but I have no idea what to write

This will probably depend on the recipient and how often you write them a letter.  If you are planning to send someone a weekly letter, think about something interesting or exciting that happened during the week you would like to share with them.  If it is a one time recipient or you are sending a letter along with a gift, let them know why they are special to you or perhaps list ways in which you are grateful for them.

For snail mail recipients who I write to semi-regularly (every few months), I like to provide more of a life update – here are the big things happening in my world.  These usually have a little of the weekly letter content in them as well.

Depending on the recipient, I sometimes like to enclose a little gift with the note.  These paper birds would be an easy gift to make and add to a card – they can be sent flat with a note including directions on how to assemble them.  I also like to send off blessing flags to people who are celebrating milestones in their lives or who I think could use a little pick-me-up.  As long as your letter (including any little gift) and envelope is under 1 ounce (you can use a kitchen scale if you are worried about this), and less than ¼” thick, you can mail it anywhere in the US with a single first class stamp.

And if you are really struggling with words, consider creating a little bit of art to send them instead.  Part of what makes the postcards from my mother so special is they are her photographs, she is sharing her art with me.  I also cherish a postcard I received from someone which had few words but a beautiful watercolor picture taking up most of the area where a message would go.  Sometimes I will pull out colored pencils or markers and create a little doodle on a plain white envelope to make it a little more special when the recipient opens their mailbox.

No matter what, try not to put pressure on yourself to come up with the “perfect” message.  While the words you write can have a deep impact, the thought behind the letter is just as important.

I just don’t know who I could send a letter to. . .

If you are feeling like you don’t know who would actually appreciate receiving a letter from you, there are a few places to start.  Do you have living grandparents, great-grandparents, or great aunts and uncles?  As people get older, they tend to become more isolated.  Even if you never had a deep relationship with them, they might love to experience a brief moment in your busy life vicariously through you.

Parents, siblings, and close friends are a group you might not send a weekly letter to, but they are all people in my experience who cherish a letter letting them know how important they are to you.  And what about the aunt, uncle, or cousin you received a long rambling holiday letter from but never got around to connecting with?  I bet they would appreciate receiving a bit of snail mail with an update on your life.

Once you work your way through those lists, pull out your phone, look through your contacts, and pick the first five people you haven’t talked to in a few months (or years).  Try dropping them a letter in the mail instead of a text (although you might have to text some to ask for their mailing address).  If you have a paper address book or perhaps a list of addresses you sent wedding invitations to, these are great ways to identify more people who probably haven’t heard from you in a while and would love a letter to update them on your life.

If you find you love writing letters, there are several non-profit organizations and charitable groups which facilitate getting snail mail from those who are interested in writing letters to those who would most benefit from them.  You can start by checking out Love for the Elderly and More Love Letters.  And then do a Google search for “writing letters to those in need” and look for an organization in alignment with your values and interests.

There is one more person you should add to this list of letter recipients.  I encourage you to periodically write letters to yourself.  If you are embarking on a new adventure, write a letter of support and encouragement to yourself.  Perhaps write a letter to your future self reminding them how much they are loved and appreciated.  Place these letters in sealed envelopes and save them for a moment when you need a pick-me-up.  No one knows you better than you know yourself, and reading words of reassurance from yourself can make all the different during a tough time.

Regardless of who you write to, never underestimate the impact that heartfelt words written by hand can have on changing the tide in someone’s day.

Wishing you the joy that comes from sharing love one letter at a time.