I made another new friend through the mail, Kathleen. She penned a sweet note on classic letter writing paper (so lovely and woefully underused if you ask me). Best of all, she asked some thoughtful questions which made writing her back all the more fun.
I know I’m a week (and a day) late. But I haven’t plowed through all my candy and the Easter Bunny was especially thoughtful this year. Amid the chocolate bunnies and lip gloss was a silver platter, just for mail. It’s perfect.
A few years ago a friend gifted me Love Letters of Great Men. Fans of Sex and the City (the movie) rushed out to buy a book of love letters that didn’t exist. Low and behold, a book a was created. It’s surprisingly quite good. Really.
I love editor Ursula Doyle’s forward, where she speaks about the claim that these flowery declarations were more for show than a genuine expression. “But to claim that a text message saying IN PUB FTBL XTR TIMe BACK LATER XX is more genuine, and therefore romantic, than a declaration such as Byron’s that ‘I more than love you and cannot cease to love you’ is obviously nonsense.
Some days I long for a time when correspondence was rich with meaning and emotion–not 140 characters. While I love the convenience of modern technology, nothing beats a flowery letter, especially a letter from your lover.
Genuine or not, that Lord Byron is good. I agree whole-heartedly with his claim, “Letter writing is the only device for combining solitude with good company.”
Who are you writing to this weekend? Hope it’s a good one friends!
Thanks for sticking with me friends. My apologies for the unplanned four-day disappearance. I traveled down south for some Easter rest and relaxation (and a wee-bit of wedding stuff). It was a blissful vacation full of family, friends, good food + bunnies! Consequently, not many letters were penned. Since my return, I’ve been dreaming of chicken salad.
In the Middle Ages, wax seals were used to protect an envelope’s contents and to indicate the sender’s identity (aristocrats often used their family crest to seal a letter). While such seals are unnecessary in today’s correspondence, they do add a some panache to the envelope. And a girl like me can’t help but fall victim to nostalgia, especially when it comes to letters.
I am completely taken with the P.S. Write Soon stamp series (I gushed about them here last week!). The postage was issued on February 25, 1980 to commemorate National Letter Writing Week. How great is that?! The face value was a mere fifteen cents. Best of all, each sheet had multiple designs, all of which needed a good lick to stick. The stamps focused on the importance of letter writing, using phrases like “Letters Lift Spirits” and “Letters Preserve Memories”.
I recently snagged a full sheet of sixty on ebay–victory! Do you have a favorite stamp? I’m also quite taken with the recent love stamp issue–swoon!
P.S. More exciting vintage stamp news!
With eggs still on the brain, I prepared a little Easter basket for three of my favorite New York City kiddos. The kids range in age, but are all old enough to reach the counter and engage in some egg dying.
I don’t get excited for every holiday, honest. But I do love Easter. Mostly because of Cadbury mini eggs–be still my beating heart! And it’s just five days away friends. Time to pop those egg greetings in the mail. Here are three of my favorites!
1. Urbanic
2. Hello Lucky
P.S. Some custom Easter stamps!
Adam and I live in a charming pre-war building in New York City. Besides the moldings and the proper foyer, my favorite feature is our mail chute. A clear shaft runs from the top floor of the building straight to the lobby where a letter box awaits. Envelopes have been known to get stuck in between floors, so I avoid the chute when it comes to very important correspondence (bills, checks, etc.). But our post man empties the letter box daily!
A little bit of mail chute trivia: the McGraw-Hill Building had a mail chute which often became congested (the building has 50 floors). Cinder blocks had to be removed to dislodge more than 40,000 pieces of mail. The rescued envelopes filled 23 postal sacks. Needless to say, the mail chute was shuttered shortly after the recovery efforts.
P.S. The 102-story Empire State Building still has four functioning mail chutes!
I discovered Annie’s blog, The Elements of Style in early January. I quickly noted, ‘we have so many things in common’ and have been itching to send her a note ever since. When she announced her pregnancy a couple of weeks ago, I finally got up the courage to put pen to paper.
