Have you written a letter this year?

Question

Did you sit down and write a letter with pen and paper, address the envelope and mail it someone this year? I've written 3 or 4 letters this year to a sister who lives in another state. She has those "limited cell phone minutes" and no internet so other forms of communication are limited. I also wrote a short letter to my husband's aunt who is celebrating her birthday #91. I used to write 2 or 3 letters a week when I was young. Long distance calls were a luxury and stamps were cheap. I'm afraid that letter writing and penmanship are lost arts.

Answer 1

Miz D:

In a word, the answer to your question is "no" I haven't written any letters. In my defense I will say, all my children are close by. I am estranged from a female sibling but my brother lives a couple of blocks away and we see each other frequently. He is a local call away and there are very few days that we couldn't meet if the situation called for it. In addition my grand-kids are all close. I have two friends, one next door and one a few thousand miles away. My neighbor and I see each other daily and the long distance guy and I exchange email and phone calls very frequently. We both have that "One price pays all, long distance service" so we have no excuses.

As an old retired guy I spend way to much time on Y/A. I don't limit myself to the senior section so I see many questions and answers written by younger people. While we can speculate about letter writing and penmanship I am certain spelling or even the use of a spell checker and grammar are lost in this electronic media.

Don't stop writing. There really is something about paper and ink that is special, perhaps magical. My mother wrote but her real forte was the Christmas Card. She sent about 100 every year with a note or short letter in most of them. Her card work started in October and she mailed them all at once. I know the count because my parents didn't have much money and my brother and I made absolutely certain that Mother had her cards and postage. It was a very special time for us.

Merry Christmas Miz D and may I wish you many more.

Miz D, I want to thank you. Mother and Dad have been gone for years but for the short time it took to write this note they were both very much alive and here with me.

Answer 2

Actually I have . About a dozen in my christmas cards and a couple to government agencies I needed to complain to. LOL

It's really rare nowadays to get handwritten letters anymore, which is a shame.

Emails are so impersonal alot of the times, where letters , if they are written well , can be as interesting as a good book.

I had lots of penpals as a teenager and into my twenties, three have kept up and it's been forty years plus since we started writing. They use emails now too.

And yeah my penmanship has deteriorated over time . Do they even still teach it in school nowadays?

Answer 3

I have not written a letter this year. I've barely wrote anything in general. When it comes to schoolwork, I rely heavily on my laptop and typing things up. I dont really have friends or relatives that I generally keep in touch with living far from me, so I havent written and/or sent one out this year. But even if I did know people that lived far from me - and I wanted to tell them something - it's more likely I would send out an email or call them up if needed.

It's funny, cuz I had gotten a letter from someone a couple days ago, and I was a little insulted when I saw that they typed up their letter, haha.

As far as the loss of letter writing and penmanship, I think your fear is definitely legitimate... especially with everybody using a computer/laptop to type things that were written years ago... and using cell phones n PDAs to communicate.

Answer 4

A lady after my own heart ,I was just asking about pen pals. My penmanship is very bad now, but on good days I try to get a letter off to someone. Wasn't it fun watchung for the mail to see if you had a letter?

Answer 5

Good One, my dear. Yes I have written many letters. I love penmanship. I have 6 very good penpals. I buy special paper and make cards and I am also a creative writer.
I won't give up the pen and ink. I love brown ink and stamps of all kinds. My old habits won't change. email me
[e-mail] and I will write to you. via snail mail.....thank you.

Answer 6

My grandmother loves handwritten letters from me. We do talk on the phone but I send her a letter every few weeks with pictures. She lives way up north and I live way down south so I only see her once a year. I also write my boyfriend letters when we are having a disagreement, that way he has my thoughts in front of him and has to read them without interrupting me while I'm trying to explain something to him

Answer 7

I was just lamenting that fact myself. How lovely it would be to get a lovely letter in the mail instead of the phone bill.
We should get a penpal club going shouldnt we.
I always had penpals when I was younger and used a lilac envelope and paper with a nice scalloped edge.
When you open your letter box you would know immediately that you had a letter from me.

Answer 8

If i were to write a letter to the person i was hating 4 years ago, i would make myself tell people that im sorry for the things that happened and the things i couldnt control but wish i could have. I would change where i am today - i would change how i overreact, how my childhood played out, and how i treated my father. I would change his anger, his hatred, and his disorders. I would change everything just to have him here today, because i wish i could take everything back, and i wish my father could see me graduate, get married, and grow up. But because of my attitude, my actions, and my past, my father is dead and i can't bring him back.

Answer 9

Yes,I often write letters because I want to add a personal
touch to what I have to say.E-mails are all very well but a bit
lifeless.

Answer 10

It has been awhile. Should do that one of these days.