Now's the perfect time to pick up the old-fashioned art of letter-writing. In my years of running Yardia, I've discovered just how meaningful a handwritten card can be to both the sender and the recipient, and how it can develop a relationship in a much deeper way than the more immediate written communication of a text or email. Here are five reasons why you should write more handwritten cards.
Surprise and Delight
When I send a letter to a friend, whether it is on a card to acknowledge a recent event, or a postcard sent on a whim, I always receive responses of both surprise and delight once my friends have received that card. I think because we've become so used to only receiving junk mail and packages from Amazon in our mailboxes that the smallest note of friendship, encouragement or congratulations packs such a stronger impact to our emotions and send of interconnection.
Meaningful Congratulations
My favorite letters to give and receive are the ones that are unexpected. When I graduated from my Master's program and posted a photo on Instagram, the most meaningful congratulations was the card an old friend sent to me in the mail, instead of with a quick comment on social media.
Unexpected Positive Check-Ins
Sometimes we anticipate that unexpected news will always be negative: an illness, a death in the family or other hardships. Sending spontaneous greetings about everyday life can also lift up someone's spirits and provide a bit of joy. When I received a set of wooden postcards as a gift and immediately sent them off to far away friends and family as a quick life update and check-in, they were so pleased to receive such an unexpected note.
Tradition and Gratitude
As a teacher, my favorite tradition that my school employs is the act of students writing letters to their teachers prior to Christmas break. While this tradition stems from a century earlier when the school was a boarding school and students left their academic home to visit their families for the holidays, and now it simply finishes off our fall term before a two-week break of vacation, I still always love hearing from my students about their holiday traditions, their favorite memories from art class, and their wishes for me to have a restful break.
Celebrate National Letter Writing Month
Need an extra excuse to send more cards? Every April is National Letter Writing Month, but you can celebrate it any time of the year. Letter writing and picking out the perfect card for a specific person is an art form that I'm so happy to continue to encourage.
If you haven't written by hand and sent a card in the mail recently, I so encourage you to experiment with the process this month.
Not sure who to write to? Visit my post on 5 people you should send a card to this month.
Want to thank someone for a gift? Read my examples of thoughtful thank you card messages.
I hope you're inspired by my personal experiences and discover your own reasons why you should write more handwritten cards this month.
Find the perfect card for your meaningful message in the Yardia shop.