#StillLoveSnailMail: 25 Reasons to Send a Card by Post

“In an age like ours, which is not given to letter-writing, we forget what an important part it used to play in people’s lives.”
– Anatole Broyard

One of life’s little luxuries is receiving a bit of mail with a message from a friend, wouldn’t you agree? When I was creating the new Little Observationist mini photo card sets, I was thinking about all of the ways that they could be used.

I listed 10 of them inside the lid:

1. Send a thank you note for someone’s kindness.
2. Ask a friend out to lunch or organise a date.
3. Add a note to a welcome gift or a leaving gift.
4. A photo note card can be framed after the occasion has passed or tacked to a bulletin board.
5. Make someone’s day with snail mail simply just because.
6. Tie one a mini card around a hostess gift like a bottle of wine or a box of homemade cookies.
7. Write a small message of congratulations.
8. Someone packing a suitcase? Slip a note inside to be discovered later.
9. Use the mini cards as birthday gift tags.
10. Punch a hole at the top of one of the cards and tie around a bouquet.

But there are plenty of others that wouldn’t fit in that tiny space:

11. Keep your professional network up to date if you change jobs or move to a new location.
12. Stand out by sending a handwritten thank you note after a job interview.
13. Acknowledge a quirky holiday. Sure, there’s the more obvious ones like Mother’s Day or Christmas, but why not send flower cards for Earth Day or acknowledge the International Day of Happiness or send notes to the women in your life on International Women’s Day?
14. Send a sympathy message or a get well card.
15. Is a friend taking a jump and launching her own business? Or anxious about moving to a new country? Or struggling with a project? Send a note with words of encouragement or good luck.
16. How about a good old fashioned love letter?
17. Did you mess up? Send a real card to say you’re sorry.
18. Find a quote that reminds you of a friend or a funny joke? Pop it in a mini card and stick it in the post. It’s guaranteed to bring them a smile when it unexpectedly arrives.
19. Having an art exhibition? Starring in a play? Holding an event? Send an invitation by post.
20. Work for a non-profit that takes donations or running a crowd-funding campaign? Send a handwritten thank you note to your donors.
21. Pop a card into your child’s lunchbox or backpack wishing them a good day.
22. Write a letter to Santa in the North Pole (with our without a child…)
23. Take on a challenge and write a letter to an inmate who could use a mentor through the program at Writeaprisoner.com.
24. Find a real postal pen pal through internationalpenfriends.com. It could be a great way to learn about another culture or try to connect by practicing a language you’re learning.
25. Check out Postpals.co.uk and send a card to a sick child. You can look at the profiles of each of the kids, read about their interests and send a little note to make their day.

What are your favorite reasons for sending snail mail? Join me on Twitter and Instagram with #StillLoveSnailMail and share! And, of course, check our my new mini photo note cards on etsy. 

“Sir, more than kisses, letters mingle souls; for thus friends absent speak.”
– John Donne