When To Send a Handwritten Note
Sending a text or an email has become the go-to means of communication. It’s so simple and immediate, but there are many times when sending a handwritten note is the better choice; here’s a guide.
Handwritten notes are rare, making them very special.
We hardly ever receive a handwritten letter these days. Come to think of it, there’s not much in our mailboxes aside from junk and bills! Think of the joy of sorting through the day’s mail and coming across a letter.
When thanking someone for a gift, send a handwritten note.
This simple act communicates the best response to receiving a gift: gratitude. When you’ve been given a gift, it means someone took time to tell you how much you mean. Return the favor with a few simple, handwritten words to express your appreciation for their kindness and generosity. The impact of receiving a thank you can’t be overestimated. And don’t forgot to thank people for the gift of their time. Not all gifts come wrapped in paper -- some of the best gifts are times people take to share a conversation, a coffee break, a zoom call. Thank them with a note!
After spending time at someone’s home
Your host expended a lot of time and energy to make your stay at their home comfortable and enjoyable. A sweet note acknowledging that your time together was special is the perfect response. This can apply to someone who hosts a video get together as well.
A few more thoughts on sending handwritten letters.
When you take the time to select paper, pen, and even ink, your personality becomes part of the process. The combination of stationary, stamp, envelope and most important, your words is a lovely mixture that only you can create.
When you send a letter, you are sending the best gift of all: your time. It’s an amazing expression of your love and friendship.
The recipient will realize it takes time to gather paper, pen, stamp and envelope, write the letter and take it to the post box/office. It’s a statement that expresses this: You MATTER to me. People only invest this kind of time and effort in those whom they love and care about.
It’s also important to state something that is often forgotten -- your handwriting (it doesn’t matter if it’s neat, sprawling, or nearly indecipherable!) is a visceral reminder of the person you are. Receiving your letter will create a lasting impact on your reader. Don’t believe me? Think of the importance of celebrity autographs. Why do they matter? Because it is a remnant of something that came directly from the hand of a beloved person. We don’t even care if they are illegible!
Writing about time reminds me that lack of it is the reason many people give for skipping hand-written notes, but it doesn’t have to be time-consuming. The key is to have materials on-hand, so you don’t need to make a trip to the store. Because by the time you get around to doing this, the window of opportunity to wish a happy birthday or send a timely congratulatory note may have passed. Keep a box of letter-writing supplies on hand, so you can jot a letter at a moment’s notice.
Finally, handwritten letters inhabit a place in the physical world that digital communication cannot.
I have caches of letters and postcards saved from my husband, my kids, from high-school friends, childhood pals and more. I revisit them, look at the pictures in the margins, the doodles, the paper they were written on, big, childish circles that hover over lower-case letter “i” or Strawberry Shortcake stickers, and I’m brought back to a very specific place in time.
When my mom sends me a text I know she’s thinking of me, but when she writes something to me, her handwriting takes me back to homework she signed when I was a child, letters she wrote to me while I was in college, recipes she had saved on index cards.
Seeing her handwriting is just as much a physical reminder of my mother as getting a whiff of her perfume: it is personal, unique and belongs to her.
You might be surprised by the joy you feel when you send a letter and anticipate the reaction of the person who receives it. There’s no doubt that within the envelope is a piece of paper marked with ink, but it also carries your heart along with it.
Sending handwritten letters is a way to express yourself creatively and send an unexpected gift for about fifty-five cents--the price of a Forever stamp. Send a handwritten letter to someone you love and enjoy the results!