By 9 o'clock each morning - I guesstimate that I have wished at least 6 people Happy Birthday on Facebook, texted 7 to 10 contacts, updated my status, tweeted a photo, responded to 20 e-mails and maybe returned a phone call. What! No time to Skype?
It's safe to say that people have filled in the spots with so many different forms of communication that letter-writing has gone to the wayside. At one point writing a letter was pretty much the norm for social and business correspondence. If you needed to tell people you had a baby or your daughter became engaged, you sent an announcement. If you wanted to let your home for rent or needed a secretary to help in the back office, you wrote the appropriate request. Children sent letters from school, mothers wrote to their sons at war and gentlemen proposed to a lady - all by a hand-written letter.
A good hand-written note or letter is a creative act which is expressive and reflective of the writer. Just by receiving and opening a letter, you can tell the tone of the message from the type of paper or card. Is the note hastily written or has the writer put himself into the letter documenting not only passing events, expressions of opinion and careful observances? A good letter can often be a deliberate act of exposure, a mode of vulnerability that allows the reader to feel closer and attended to - and for the price of a postage stamp this is but a small price to pay for the pleasure a kindly letter imparts.
Some of my favourite scenes in the British period drama, Downton Abbey from ITV are the letters. Everybody writes them and receives them. From the upstairs Lord and Ladies of the estate, to the shop owners, to the downstairs help, to the front lines of war - letters are magically delivered. One or two lines from these missives and the scene drastically changes. A girl can't even hide a wedding proposal without Papa finding out about it through a letter!
What I probably love the most about these scenes is that most of the letters are written on my favourite form of stationery, the folded letter sheet. Letter sheets could be used for letters of varying length and folded and sealed for delivery without the use of an envelope which was not introduced until the late 1800s. Still used today - the modernised version of the letter sheet comes in social and business sizes and can be personalised for the person or company. I use letter sheets all the time and even began a tradition of writing to our sons once a year on a letter sheet. These affectionate notes are a yearly expression of gratitude and pride that I hope our sons will know I appreciated their development and strides.
While e-mail is a wonderful invention, it lacks the authenticity a hand-written note provides. The fleeting moment of receiving and reading an e-mail is communication that is misplaced without a tangible object to hold and savour. And it goes without saying that a well-worded thank you note on special paper is not only one of the loveliest of traditions it should not be compromised by the computer age. Simple notecards with your name or monogram can be purchased at specialty stores to discount printers. Each of our sons have their own collection and have used them time and time again for their thank you notes and gift giving.
I am such a big believer in letter writing, that I have an entire cabinet devoted to my stationery wardrobe. From letter sheets, to informals, to house stationery to condolence cards - our family is equipped with the necessities of social and business stationery.
Most importantly, if you are not a letter writer - don't fear the blank page. In these modern times, with the use of texting, e-mails and Facebook postings, you can relax the rules a bit. If your letter writing skills are a tad rusty, the best way to overcome any fear is to write. Over time, your letters and notes will improve with frequency especially when your friends and loved ones tell you how much they enjoyed receiving your note. And I am not kidding when you begin to notice that these same people will actually do nice things for you since you were so kind to send a note. Every gift or gesture deserves recognition. Time to set the precedent and keep up with your letter writing!
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I haven't written a letter in years. I used to be a big letter writer, but eventually gave up from lack of replies. You've made me want to seek out my stationary and try again.
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