Let's Start Writing Letters Again
It's good for everyone.
My friend was just updating me on some pretty significant life events over WhatsApp, using the voice recording function. I tried my darndest to respond in an eloquent and thoughtful manner, but every time I would hit the record button, my thoughts would get lost in a whirlpool of cluttered satellite thoughts, and it would all just come out in an awkward, rhythmless word-salad. I just kept wishing that I had the time to write it all down and respond to her in text. I think I might be ten times more skilled (or at least capable) of written communication than verbal communication.
I miss writing letters, and I'd like to get back into the habit! Personal, vulnerable, thoughtful one-on-one communication is a beautiful thing, and the act of handwriting a letter (long or short) is good for the heart, the soul, and the brain. And it isn’t just good for the individual doing the writing: It’s also good for the receiver and the relationship between the two. Heck, it’s good for human culture in general.
Letter writing is also another way we can slow down with intention. Our modern world tells us to be obsessed with productivity, which in turn means being obsessed with efficiency. As the machines get faster and faster, we think we need to get faster and faster to keep up. People tend to forget that John Henry dies of exhaustion at the end of his story, you know?
In this chaotic and impersonal world, letter writing is (in many ways) an act of resistance. It’s unfiltered, limited only by our own creativity. It exists outside of (and in spite of) the realm of social media, the reach of AI, and the lure of capitalism.
…Also, it’s fun and crafty!
I’ve always enjoyed writing and receiving letters, but I particularly got into it in 2017 when my literacy organization was doing one of my favorite fundraisers: Signed, Sealed, Delivered. By donating to my team, loved ones could request a personal letter or postcard from any member of my family. They could add on other goodies like a drawing from me or a personalized limerick from Stephen. It was an awesome excuse to get in touch with family and friends that I don’t talk to regularly. In many cases, it resulted in ongoing written correspondences that lasted months.
My last big surge of letter writing happened in 2020, when (you may recall) we were all in lockdown due to COVID. I’m glad that I decided to use that time to write letters because the letters I received in return are now a very lovely time-capsule of how odd that time was and how we were all doing our best to make the most of a really bleak situation. Among the letters I saved are a handful from Stephen’s Aunt Mary, who we lost as a result of the pandemic. She was one of my favorite people ever, and I absolutely cherish those letters, written in her own handwriting.
In recent months, I’ve been looking for ways to slow life down, distance myself from social media, and refocus on things that are more important to me. It feels like it’s the moment for letter writing. The nice thing about it is that you can do it with next to nothing. You just need an envelope, a stamp, a pen or pencil, and any scrap of paper. I love a good pack of stationery, but a legal pad works just as well. The back of a flier also works! Maybe we should be normalizing using odd junk mail as stationery and home-made envelopes. Those are the bare bones though: pen, paper, envelope, and stamp. You can even skip the envelope if your piece of paper is the size and weight of a postcard!
Stamps are really the only piece of the equation that have rigid parameters: It has to be a real US postage stamp (although I’ve heard old family stories about the post office letting a letter slide in decades past with just an Easter Seal or a Green Stamp from the grocery store). That stamp also has to represent the right increment of postage. Currently, the postage rate for a letter (1 oz or less) is $0.73 and a postcard is $0.56. Those rates are going to go up on July 13 (to $0.78 and $0.61 respectively), in a little less than two weeks.
If you read that last paragraph and gasped, you are not alone! During my last surge of letter writing, a stamp cost $0.55, so when I looked it up just now, I was guessing it was going to be $0.56 or even $0.60. If you are wondering what the timeline of rate increases looks like, worry you not! I’ve just made a line graph! (And you can also find a full timeline of the increases here on aboutUSPS.com.)
I suppose I can’t really sugarcoat that part… Stamps are expensive, man. In the 20th century, the price of US postage increased (on average) about once every 6 years. Now, in the 21st century, it increases (on average) about once every 15 months. But here’s the good news: On April 12, 2007, the US Postal Service introduced our hero, the Forever Stamp.
A Forever Stamp is good forever. If you bought a pack of them on the date they were released in 2007, at the rate of $0.41 per stamp, and then you found them in a drawer today, you could still use each one of them to send a 1 oz letter at a postage rate of $0.73. If you set aside $0.41 in change on that same day in 2007, and then you found it in a drawer today, you still need to dig through the couch to find another $0.32. Forever Stamps are a fun and cool investment, if you are a nerd like myself.
The Postal Service is constantly coming up with new sexy stamps! I love a good Forever Stamp, but I’ll sometimes also buy sheets of the smaller increments ($0.05, $0.10, $0.01) just to have the pleasure of using more than one on an envelope. They are part of what makes a piece of mail so exciting!
The current lineup of offerings is excellent as always. There are stamps honoring Betty White, Hank Aaron, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, John Lewis, Pete Seeger, and Chief Standing Bear. There are also stamps celebrating Native American powwows, Dungeons & Dragons, and the book Goodnight Moon. Those are just my favorites! There are dozens of others as well, and some cool ones on the Coming Soon list, including a very cute sheet celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Postal Service.
In addition to stamps, I love leveling up my letters with completely unnecessary embellishments. I highly recommend getting sealing wax and a fun stamp. (If you do, avoid the glittery wax. It’s pretty, but it sparks when the wick is let, and you WILL set your envelope on fire.) I started out using the commonly found sealing wax that comes in sticks, each containing their own wick. I’ve since moved on to the beads of wax that melt in a special spoon over a candle. Sealing wax is also available in stick form that can be used in a hot glue gun, for those of you who want a little more control and a little less actual fire.
Fun pens are always a treat as well. Sometimes, I like using gel pens with brightly colored ink. Sometimes it just feels decadent to use a really great black pen with exactly the kind of tip I like. And sometimes I love breaking out the old-timey dip pen or even a quill. Those dip penned letters are always covered in messy little splatters and smudges, but that’s all part of the story the letter tells. I like it that way.
Another great way to dress up a letter is to add a sticker or two. …Or twelve. I somehow happen upon stickers all the time, and I don’t have a great use for them. For example, a sheet of them was included in a package with a shirt I ordered recently, as a thank you gift from the seller. They seem to find their way to me in the oddest ways, but now I have them! Letters are the destiny that these wayward stickers have been searching for. I love putting a few on the outside of the envelope, and I oftentimes use little ones to cover up misspelled words or awkward phrases that I don’t have the option of deleting. It’s an excellent way to add flourish and hide your mistakes at the same time!
Regardless of whether you want to really savor the experience and decorate your letters into oblivion or just pen a few lines on a sheet of notebook paper and call it a day, I really do think you should join me in writing more letters. It’s a worthwhile way to spend your time and energy, and it will probably make someone’s day to find your letter in their mailbox.
A Few More Treasures for the Road
｡･:*˚:✧｡
I recently sent out invitations to Bean’s 2nd birthday party. I made a Google form for the event where guests could RSVP and provide a few other details. My final question in the form was “Anything else you'd like us to know?” Most people used this as an opportunity to wish Bean a happy birthday or tell us that they are excited to see us. One friend, however, wrote this: “The speed of sound at approximately 68 degrees F is around 1,125 feet per second, but that varies based on humidity and other factors.” …And my mind was blown. Did you all know this??? It’s bonkers.
｡･:*˚:✧｡
I’m taking a poll! Until now, I done my best to abstain from writing posts about vampires because the topic could so easily take over my newsletter. I’m toying with the idea of writing my vampire posts (about movies, folklore, history, etc.) and then releasing them in a subsection of The Old Shoebox that you (my current subscribers) could either opt into or ignore. I’m curious how many of you would be genuinely interested, and I would love to hear from you!
Thanks, gang! Until we meet again!
Check out postcrossing.com
if you want to dip your toe into handwritten notes. It’s low commitment, lots of fun, and connects me with beauty and humanity from around the world.
The only cost….a postcard and stamp. It’s like getting a hug in your mailbox! 📪