Our 8-year-old grandson loves checking the mail. Doesn’t matter if it’s Sunday or a holiday – he’ll ride his skateboard down to the street and check the box every time he’s here.

I remember when getting the mail was a big deal, especially around our birthdays.

Our grandparents sent birthday cards, usually with a couple of dollars inside. We loved the money, but having an actual letter addressed to us was the biggest thrill.

I wrote letters to my grandparents and my aunt because they lived far away from us. I’m sure my letters were filled with inconsequential details, but they were a glimpse into our daily lives.

I found a letter I’d written to my dad over 20 years ago after we’d taken our one and only trip to Europe. I could see the trip again in my mind from the details I gave him. I switched gears and detailed some of the frustrations of having temperamental toddlers.

My handwriting’s gotten a little sloppier over the years, but seeing my thoughts written in my own hand brought back memories of those long-ago days.

The last time I got an honest-to-goodness hand-written letter was last year from my cousin, Vickie. We’ve always called her Aunt Vickie and she’s an incredible writer. Her letters are like her – organized and filled with news about her children.

She always asks about my family, and always asks me to send her best to her cousin, my mom. My reply to her was typed because it’s faster, but I’m regretting I don’t take the time to actually write her a letter like she did for me.

These days, our mail consists of flyers from roofing companies or coupons from the local pizza restaurants. Occasionally we’ll get a bill from a doctor’s office, but for the most part, almost all of our mail is in the junk mail category.

I, for one, buck the trend. I have a box of greeting cards for all occasions, but the biggest section is for birthday cards. There’s cards with dinosaurs on the front, kids playing soccer, heart-felt cards and cards with hunting or fishing scenes.

My calendar lets me know when birthday are coming up, and I’m often on time when it comes to dropping a card in the mail. I know it’s old fashioned, but my young great nieces and nephews love getting a letter in the mail. My nieces tell me their children carry the card around all day.

It doesn’t matter that most people use e-mail or text messages to wish someone a happy birthday. I believe in the old ways when it comes to certain things like sending birthday cards in the mail. I suppose I’m also one of the few that also plays VHS tapes and has a box of floppy discs in my closet.

There’s no denying it’s easier, cheaper and quicker to send an email. I try to make the typed words in the response personal, but there’s no personality to a Times New Roman font. There is in someone’s handwriting – a flourish here, slanted letters there, little hearts in the margin and at the bottom.

Even though it’s not expensive stationery, I think I’ll pull out a few sheets of loose-leaf paper and write a letter to my Aunt Vickie with all the small, seemingly inconsequential details of our lives. Even though it’ll take a few days to get to her, something tells me she’ll enjoy getting a letter like that much more than an email.

Old fashioned? Yep, but sometimes, the old ways are best.

 

This column was originally published in The Fort Bend Herald.