I have started 2008 by writing 3 letters – a response to my 90-year-old great-aunt across the country to her lovely Christmas card and note; a thankyou letter to my inlaws in Florida for lots of holiday gifts; and a quick little postcard to a friend in the next town whom I haven’t seen in a few months.
My goal is to write someone different once a week, and to send handwritten thank you notes/cards when I get gifts or just for someone doing something nice for me. Twenty years ago I was an exchange student in England (way pre- e-mail) and I absolutely LIVED for the mailbox. I still get a thrill at a handwritten note but only a few friends (and my great-aunt) ever send them more than a few times a year.
I didn’t send any Christmas cards out this year, but I’m using the ones I got as my “list” to start my weekly habit. I like e-mail OK for quick updates to friends or making plans for get-togethers, but usually that’s happening at work and I’m not going to pour my heart into an email from my office.
