It started with a birthday. Instead of sending the usual text, Megan wrote a card to her grandmother, a proper one with a few paragraphs, and posted it. A week later, a reply arrived in careful handwriting, and we both stood in the hallway reading it twice. Something about holding a letter in your hand changes the way you receive it.
The slowness is the point
A message arrives in seconds, and often disappears from memory just as quickly. A letter takes time to write, time to travel, and time to answer. That delay is not a flaw. It makes us think about what we want to say. It also gives the person receiving it something to look forward to.
What we write about
Our letters are rarely dramatic. We write about the weather, what we have been cooking, a book we loved, a small thing that made us laugh. The tone is easy, a little like talking over a cup of tea. Strangely, we often say things on paper that we would not mention in a message, perhaps because there is no instant reply waiting.
How to start
- Choose one person who you think would enjoy receiving a letter.
- Pick nice paper, but do not worry if it is simple. A plain card works beautifully.
- Write for ten minutes. Do not edit too much; let your voice come through.
- Post it. Buy stamps in advance so there is no excuse.
Keeping a letter box
We keep the letters we receive in a small wooden box. On quiet evenings we sometimes take out a few and read them again. They are a kind of record of our friendships: handwriting that has changed over the years, jokes that only we understand, news we had almost forgotten.
It does not have to be long
Some of our favourite letters are only a few lines. A postcard from a trip, a note tucked into a parcel, a thank-you card with a sentence or two. What matters is the gesture: someone took time to think of you.
If you have not written a letter in years, we invite you to try. Choose someone you care about, find a pen, and see what you want to say. We think you will be surprised by how much it means, to them and to you.
