Snail mail

Posted by Emma Sibbles at 11:20 on 19 Feb 2008

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When I got home the other night there a letter waiting for me. Not a bill or takeaway flier, TV licence reminder or Clubcard points notice. But a real life, handwritten letter. And it cheered me up so much – the royal blue ink and the crinkle of the tissue paper in the envelope.

These days you tend to think letters are redundant. If you have any news, you call, or text, or email or blog or facebook. But that letter cheered me up more than any email ever has or text message ever will. Not necessarily because of the content (although the friend that wrote it is one of my oldest friends and he is hilarious) but more because he had taken the time out of his day to write it. There was no ground-breaking news, but just a description of what he was doing, what he was hoping for and little in-jokes. It was so much more personal than anything sent by electronic means.

Maybe the trend we see in fashion – moving away from cheap, fast fashion that leaves you feeling unsatisfied and more than a little dirty, like fast food – will start to affect other areas of our life. There is something so throw away about a text, however sincere the sender, whereas letters are kept and re-read.

We speak on the phone and email all the time but ever since university days we have also kept in touch via snail mail, all through his year in Australia when those light blue Air Mail envelopes would land on my door-mat describing the fun he was having, as well as the mishaps. And I sent letters in return detailing my new life in London and new job at marie claire. Even now those letters make me smile.

And so last night I scribbled out a letter on proper writing paper with a fountain pen (we are very proper) and posted it this morning.

I’m even thinking about sending postcards from Paris.

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