Now that the USPS has announced that they will be no longer delivering first class mail on Saturdays starting this August, everyone is abuzz about it. I’ve heard tons of people say they wish they sent more snail mail letters. And I’ve even run across a few posts challenging people to take the time to stop what they are doing and write a letter, just because!
I have always been terrible about sending snail mail. I really hate dealing with all of the junk mail I always get and would almost rather just not get any mail. Plus I don’t really trust the postal service to always get my letters where they are supposed to go. Email and text message just seem like better options because responses are so much more immediate. So why wait on snail mail?
Then I had a friend deploy. The one thing I’ve heard over and over again from others that have been deployed is, hand written letters are the best thing they can get while they are away. So I have taken it upon myself to send my friend letters. With the sacrifice that our military undertakes to protect our freedom, letter writing seems like such a little way to say thank you.
When I sent my first letter I was terrified. Not so much that he would be like “what the heck is this,” but I was so intimidated. I can’t tell you the last time I wrote a letter! And sometimes it is hard to come up with enough to say that I can fill up a whole card. I’m sure my letters are not always interesting but hopefully it is the thought that counts and in some what it brighten’s my friends day.
In my limited experience writing letters to a soldier I have learned a few tips I thought I’d share:
First, it is practically impossible to find cards that are generic or blank that work for just saying hello. Luckily I know really creative people and have been able to work my way around that. For instance, I’ve got these adorable note cards from Calligraphy Etc. out in Lubbock that I love! But sometimes I’ve even had to force myself and get crafty and create cards by hand that aren’t all that good looking and for that I should probably apologize!
I will most likely end up making some for myself and will be sure to post them on my Etsy store, so if you’re on Etsy keep up with me here. I just need to find some time to design them.
Second, it can take about three weeks for your letter to reach the person you are writing. So if you are sending a note for a special occasion you’ll need to be sure you know how long it takes your letters to arrive and plan accordingly. A reason for this is, depending on where they are deployed they won’t get direct mail service. Sometimes letters and even packages go to the main base in the area then once the containers are full it will get sent to the specific base. My plan for a weekly note hasn’t exactly worked because of this scenario and my letters tend to arrive in bulk.
Third, don’t let yourself stress like I did! Just write from the heart whether it is to say thank you for your service, details of your day or just to say hi. The person receiving your letter will appreciate the thought and effort you put into it. If you know the service man or woman you are writing it should be pretty easy. But if you are writing to someone you don’t know, take time to introduce yourself, ask them questions and find out what they’d like to hear.
I’ve also sent a few military care packages and will be posting what I included in them and the little tips I’ve picked up along the way.
Are you a fan of letter writing? Who do you write to? Have you ever been a pen pal with a member of the military, if so what did you write about? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Reader Interactions