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It’s an entire season of snail mail! During the first two weeks of our series we covered Pen Pals and Care Packages. We invite you to check out the links for some fun ideas and resources. Today we’re thinking through the most traditional methods of snail mail – postcards and letters to your grandchildren.
I love opening up my mailbox and discovering what I like to call ‘real mail’! The actual handwriting from someone I love, the fact that someone shared their time with me as they wrote, and the intentionality put into the message just makes my day.
Postcards
Postcards were developed as a quick and easy way to communicate, and that still holds true today! Although what fits on a postcard could be the same as a text message, it has so much meaning when received in the mail.
The Smithsonian Institution Archives has an interesting history of postcards. One fascinating thing I learned is that deltiology, is ‘the collection of postcards’.
When you’re out and about, even if it’s not a grand vacation destination, pick up a postcard, write a quick message and pop it in the mail. In fact, a postcard from your hometown might absolutely delight your grandchild, cause “that’s where Amma and Papa live!”
Postcards are a wonderful way to share your adventures with your grandkids.
They’re the perfect size to write a quick message of encouragement, share a funny joke, or maybe to invite them to a time to connect.
Who knows, maybe we will be helping our grandkids become deltiologists!
Letters
Letters have been called a ‘lost art’ by many. I decided to learn a little about the history of letter writing and was reminded of the lengths that people went to to write down important observations, traditions, and memories.
Some things used were bricks of clay, stone, plant leaves, or bark long before paper was available. And they wrote with tools made from wood, metal, bone or reeds before the pens and pencils of today. Let’s not forget that those early ‘letters’ were then delivered by carriers with chariots and horses!
So when I think about letters to grandchildren, grabbing a piece of paper and pen, writing down my thoughts to put in an envelope, adding a stamp and walking it out to my mailbox, I’m ready to go!
What To Write About
Letters to your grandchildren are a wonderful way to share a part of you with your long distance family. They can be wonderful messages of encouragement to tuck away.
A letter can describe a time when you struggled and how you persevered. Letters can help you include your grandkids in things you are experiencing and things you are looking forward to. Letters to your grandchildren don’t have to all be serious or ‘keepsake worthy’.
You can share an embarrasing moment, or detail what you did for the weekend. Athough, my guess is that those letters will be as cherished as any!
We are including some stationery templates for you in the Guide – for all ages. You can download them here!
Fun Letter Ideas
Also – if you’re looking to add a little fun into the letters to your grandchildren, here’s a couple of ideas:
- Print out a picture on photo paper or cardstock, cut it into pieces (fewer for younger kids, more pieces for older) and include the puzzle with your letter.
- Add a mad lib. Kids just love these. We made one for you and included it in the guide, or you could also create your own mad lib that corresponds with the topic of your letter.
Letters are a wonderful way to write down your traditions, memories and also create goals for the future. All in bite sized moments of time! If you’re on our newsletter list, we send “Legacy Journal Prompts” on the first of each month.
These questions are a great way to get your wheels turning and to share the big and little things with your family! Whether you write them in a journal and tuck them away for later or include the answers in a letter each month, we highly recommend utilizing the prompts.