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Sending love through the post: tips on writing snail-mail letters
Julliana Santos, The Mike Copy-Editor
So, Valentine’s day is coming up! The world is in a state of stillness, with everyone staying home and practicing social distancing. Over these last months though, we’ve proven that being “socially-distant” does not mean being distant from the people we love. If you would like to send a letter or card to your loved ones this Valentine’s day, here are some tips and ideas to set things in motion:
- Letter writing and stationery – The thing about letters is that they keep a part of you in time. They don’t need to be old or extravagant. You don’t need to write in perfect cursive. All you need to do is send a part of your life, a memory, idea, or conversation, that you want your recipient to be able to keep. You can write to just check in, you can write about the weather, you can draw on the letter, start a game of tic-tac-toe, anything you wish! As for stationery, you can use any paper you find! If you want to decorate plain paper, you can stain it with tea (I recommend earl-grey), coffee, or watered-down paints. Make sure to press the paper flat under a book or weighted surface while it dries, so it will be easier to manage.
- Extra things to put in your letter – Paper isn’t the only thing that can be mailed over the post. You can include dried leaves/flowers, ribbons, old receipts, cut-outs, crosswords, pictures, flat origami, bookmarks, or anything else that fits the letter’s parameters! Make sure to check your postal system’s policy on unmailable items – but the general rule is nothing raised, rigid, fragile, or perishable.
- Envelopes – The base rate with the Canada Post standard Lettermail size is a maximum of 9.6” in length and 6.1” in width, so square card-sizes might fit into this. Just check your envelope before mailing it in! As long as you keep the space for the stamp, destination address and return address clear, you can draw, paint, or paste any designs you want on the outside of your envelope.
