For hundreds of years communication took place through just a couple of ways, you either sat down and had a conversation with someone or you wrote your thoughts and feelings down on a letter and had it delivered to them by courier. The nature of letters made them incredibly intimate, as each carried the indelible mark of its creator.
Everything from the subtle scents of your home and perfume, to snippings from your garden could be included in a mailed letter. Digital media just doesn’t quite carry the same personal level as this old method, and Letter Writing Day is your opportunity to remember the wonders of the hand-written word.
Learn about Letter Writing Day
Letter Writing Day is all about paying tribute to the age-old form of communication; letter writing. Letter Writing Day presents you with a great opportunity to reconnect with people that you may not have spoken to for quite some time now. It also helps you to think before you write. With modern connection forms, we don’t tend to reflect and think before we communicate with someone. However, a letter gives you the perfect opportunity to do this.
History of Letter Writing Day
World Letter Writing Day was established by Richard Simpkin as a tribute to the joy and excitement he felt when a hand-written letter would arrive in his mailbox. His appreciation of the hand-written word came about as a result of a project he was working on called “Australian Legends”, he would send out letters to everyone he considered to be an Australian Legend with the interest of arranging a personal interview and photography session. There was just something amazing about receiving a letter with the legends own personal touch to it, and it certainly doesn’t hurt that while hand-written letters are collectible, digital communication certainly is not.
How to celebrate Letter Writing Day
Get out the pen and paper and start writing! Picking who to write too can often be the hardest thing, but you should select an old friend or family member of any age. For the young it can be novel for them to receive a written personal letter, it’s just something that isn’t done anymore and through doing so you can share with them that unique and personal experience that is receiving a written letter from a loved one. If saved, it’s something you can hold on to long past the time they fade from this earth, and you can’t hold a digital email.
Another option is to send it to a grandparent or parent who was around when there was no other option when you wanted to communicate with someone far away. Phone calls were all very well and good, but they were quite expensive, and letters were cheap to send through the post. Take the opportunity provided by Letter Writing Day to work on your writing skills, and let a loved one know they’re worth a little extra effort.
You don’t have to send your letter to a friend or family member, though. There are plenty of other options. You could write a letter of encouragement to a patient in your local hospital. Something like this could really put a smile on someone’s face and help them to push through with a difficult day. You could also write a letter of appreciation to an older mentor or you could write a letter of encouragement and thanks to someone who is currently serving in the Military or has served in the Military. Or, why not write a thank you letter to a physical therapist, dentist, or doctor who has made a difference in your life? A thank you letter can go a very long way and make the recipient feel appreciated.
Another option is to write a letter to your future self. This is something that a lot of people like to do. You can write about what your favorite things are at the moment, as well as describing what life is like now. The letter can be stored somewhere safe so that you can open it in the future when a number of years have passed by. You could even give it to a friend and instruct that they do not give it to you until you have reached a certain age. Or, you may want to do the opposite, and write a letter to your pest self instead, reminding you of the lessons you have learned so far?
You could also celebrate Letter Writing Day by practicing calligraphy. After all, letters look better when they are written in a beautiful way, right? Calligraphy is simply the art of creating decorative lettering or handwriting with a brush or pen. You can easily but calligraphy pens on the Internet, and there are a lot of tutorials and videos to help you get started if this is something you are interested in.
Of course, if you really want to create a beautiful impression, you’re going to need some nice paper to go along with your new-found skill of calligraphy? Why not head to one of your local stationery stores and you will be able to choose from different types of paper, boating various colors, weights, and textures. Plus, if you really want to create an impression on the person that is receiving the letter, why not buy some old-fashioned sealing wax and you can then seal your initial on it? This is guaranteed to impress.
