With Valentine’s Day in the recent past, and with some people having received valentines in the mail, I think it’s important to preserve that fantastic feeling of getting something in the mail. A card and candy from your mom, a handmade doodle in crayon from your kid sibling, the bi-weekly card from your great-aunt or a sonnet from your significant other, nothing beats opening your mailbox and seeing something inside!
In this day of texting, email, Twitter, Facebook, BBM, Skype and carrier pigeons (I wish), receiving a “thinking of you” card in the mail is rare. It’s even rarer to receive a text from that random someone in your contacts that you haven’t talked to in ages.
Christmas and birthday cards, wedding/baby shower invitations and magazines: these seem to be the majority of things received via the U.S. Postal Service that foster some sort of joy.
Other than that, our snail mail collection is full of duds, like jury duty notices, bills and report cards. But if you really want to show you care, and you really want to show someone that you were thinking of them, and if you really wanted to brighten their day amongst the boring predictable mail, send them a letter!
The biggest complaint about snail mail is that it takes too long. We need paper, envelopes, stamps, stickers, labels, etc. Why would I even bother with that when I could easily send an animated E-card?
Well, as with anything else, the more time you put into it, the more you’ll get out of it – which goes both ways. You will feel a sense of accomplishment and reward when you throw that envelope into the mailbox, and the level of satisfaction felt by the receiver will be just as great.
Personally, I think mail defies the economic principle of diminishing returns. Have you ever talked to someone who said they didn’t like getting thoughtful cards or funny pictures in the mail? “Please stop sending me mail that makes me smile and sometimes has money inside,”… said by no one, ever.
Technology can’t compete when it comes to the anticipation of picking up a heavy envelope that is addressed to YOU – an envelope not from a university … although it was probably more satisfying to open that acceptance letter via mail than opening it through your electronic mailbox.
Heavy envelopes mean something good is inside. Pictures, gift cards and money definitely sweeten the deal. And confetti? Sparkly doodads that fall out of the envelope and instantly beautify the ground upon which you’re standing? Virtual confetti definitely can’t compete.
You can even receive the gift of music via snail mail! The big fat square audio cards that are fun to leave open in the store when you leave the card aisle (What? Who does that?) arguably flipped the nature of snail mail upside down.
No longer would opening an audio attachment via email be the only way to send music. You can record your own audio (perhaps the recording of a song or poem you wrote,) with the big square cards and send it, which usually ensures a nice chuckle upon receiving. Music, a fat envelope and something other than a bill in the mail: three ways to guarantee a big smile.
For those who think that email and technology still trump snail mail, hear this: do you have the same satisfaction of reading through old emails as you do sifting through old cards and letters?
Can you smell things through emails? Not every piece of letter smells – don’t sniff every piece of mail you receive now either – but it could if it was written in an aromatic flower shop, or a smoke laden bar in Amsterdam (don’t forget postcards – which are a category of its own snail mail).
Can you see the stains of spilt coffee in a text message? Can you see the dried tear drops in that email? Can you feel the stiffness of the cardstock when receiving an E-vite?
When people send you a letter, they are sending you a small piece of themselves. Nobody else has your handwriting, but everyone has the option of “Times New Roman,” or “Cambria.” That letter was a part of that person’s day, and they are sharing it with you when they send it. Let’s pick up our pens and dig out the old stationary. Send that letter.