I lost my father six months ago. I’d kept every card and letter I had received from him. What a treasure trove to revisit all those communications. I also have everything sent from other family and friends, some dating back to childhood. And going through my father’s things, my sister and I found old family letters and postcards, some almost 100 years old. So many memories and insights are contained in them! I miss the custom of exchanging handwritten correspondence so much.
I am very sorry for your loss. I found it so helpful to read things written by and to and about Dad after he died. How lovely for you to have this treasure trove.
I still have a box of letters in my loft from the penpal I had in India when I was 11. We still write to eat other now - but it tends to be short WhatsApp messages which isn't quite the same!
When my mother died, I found over 300 letters Mum and Dad sent to each other during the war. At first, I couldn't read them without getting angry with my mother for her complaints about being miserable and lonely at home with her mother and sisters. I had to stop reading them. Twenty years later, I am more objective. I hope to discover what my mother was really like before I came along and affected their lives.
I had a similar experience reading Mum’s teenage diaries after she died. She was foul about my grandmother who had sacrificed so much for Mum. But of course Mum was just being a typical teen and I was bringing my own stuff into things. 300 letters!! How wonderful. A real treasure trove.
I LOVE letters! I have a shared journal with friends that we send back and forth to each other, and when I moved abroad in 2023 a few of my friends decided we’d be pen pals. It is my favorite feeling in the world, opening up the post box and seeing a letter! I always send silly doodles in mind, like your sister’s. 🤭
This is gorgeous! I still keep in touch with my German pen pal from school days but it is all on WhatsApp now. We should revert to letters… I always loved her very neat handwriting. We shared silly jokes based on our favourite words in one another’s language. We still sign off “Alles Gurke” (Best cucumber/gherkin) instead of “Alles Gute” (Best wishes).
My biggest temptation is not to text my friends and let them know a letter is on the way, because the spoils the fun surprise of it all 🤭😂 also, as I am now living in Germany, THANK YOU for the phrase “Alles Gurke” … I may have to send off all my letters like that now. 🥒
I still write letters - mostly to my uni chum Lawrence. I like buying stationary from the 1970s on eBay, my favourite featured a kissing couple on rollerskates on the corner of the paper and the inside of the envelopes, The London Writers Salon has a letter writing hour on Sunday evenings which is a nice way to "allow" yourself to sit down and write a letter. xx
I must join that hour. I have let modern life get in the way. If ever I needed a lesson that letters are better, this week my Gmail has started sending important emails straight to the bin while keeping all the junk in my inbox!!
So agree, Anna. Like you, I’ve inherited my mother’s letters to her parents - in her case about family life in the early 1960s when I was a tot. It‘s a joy to hear her youthful voice through her words and see the fluency of her handwriting back then. She lost that in later life as her eyesight failed and she had strokes, so the letters have become a time capsule.
I enjoy Shaun Usher‘s Letters of Note. (Books and his Substack.) (Just realised his Substack has been quiet lately, hope he‘s ok.)
I love Letters of Note. We went to see Letters Live recently. Cried and laughed then cried again! How lovely that you have those letters. I know what you mean about handwriting. Dad had immaculate italic until the end when it went very wobbly. I still get a pang whenever I find a note written my parents’ handwriting.
These letters are wonderful! A slice of social history…and the language! “Golly” - so sweet. And so reminiscent of my childhood too. Making me want to dig out my parents’ letters all over again. Thank you for pointing me to the post, Wendy (in both senses of the word…) Your brother sounds as though he was a handful! As for the noises you made…!!
I lost my father six months ago. I’d kept every card and letter I had received from him. What a treasure trove to revisit all those communications. I also have everything sent from other family and friends, some dating back to childhood. And going through my father’s things, my sister and I found old family letters and postcards, some almost 100 years old. So many memories and insights are contained in them! I miss the custom of exchanging handwritten correspondence so much.
I am very sorry for your loss. I found it so helpful to read things written by and to and about Dad after he died. How lovely for you to have this treasure trove.
I really enjoyed this! I still have boxes of letters and can relate to you honking with laughter at letters from your sister.
My husband won my heart with a letter. Smooth moves!
Oooh a love letter. Gorgeous!
I will write you a letter!
Bless you!
I still have a box of letters in my loft from the penpal I had in India when I was 11. We still write to eat other now - but it tends to be short WhatsApp messages which isn't quite the same!
Same for me and my German penpal. Sadly I threw out a lot of letters when we moved. I knew I’d regret it….
When my mother died, I found over 300 letters Mum and Dad sent to each other during the war. At first, I couldn't read them without getting angry with my mother for her complaints about being miserable and lonely at home with her mother and sisters. I had to stop reading them. Twenty years later, I am more objective. I hope to discover what my mother was really like before I came along and affected their lives.
I had a similar experience reading Mum’s teenage diaries after she died. She was foul about my grandmother who had sacrificed so much for Mum. But of course Mum was just being a typical teen and I was bringing my own stuff into things. 300 letters!! How wonderful. A real treasure trove.
Yes. But its usually a postcard over a letter. Or a note card. But always the written word is the best.
Love a postcard. Or a well chosen silly birthday card!
Both in one!
I LOVE letters! I have a shared journal with friends that we send back and forth to each other, and when I moved abroad in 2023 a few of my friends decided we’d be pen pals. It is my favorite feeling in the world, opening up the post box and seeing a letter! I always send silly doodles in mind, like your sister’s. 🤭
Aaah please do! It would be wonderful to know that phrase continues! I shall tell my pen pal! Alles Gurke! 🥒
This is gorgeous! I still keep in touch with my German pen pal from school days but it is all on WhatsApp now. We should revert to letters… I always loved her very neat handwriting. We shared silly jokes based on our favourite words in one another’s language. We still sign off “Alles Gurke” (Best cucumber/gherkin) instead of “Alles Gute” (Best wishes).
My biggest temptation is not to text my friends and let them know a letter is on the way, because the spoils the fun surprise of it all 🤭😂 also, as I am now living in Germany, THANK YOU for the phrase “Alles Gurke” … I may have to send off all my letters like that now. 🥒
I still write letters - mostly to my uni chum Lawrence. I like buying stationary from the 1970s on eBay, my favourite featured a kissing couple on rollerskates on the corner of the paper and the inside of the envelopes, The London Writers Salon has a letter writing hour on Sunday evenings which is a nice way to "allow" yourself to sit down and write a letter. xx
I must join that hour. I have let modern life get in the way. If ever I needed a lesson that letters are better, this week my Gmail has started sending important emails straight to the bin while keeping all the junk in my inbox!!
I think the whole internet is going to break soon and we will all go back to sending picture postcards in order to communicate!
You’d better give me your address then, quick 😂
😍
So agree, Anna. Like you, I’ve inherited my mother’s letters to her parents - in her case about family life in the early 1960s when I was a tot. It‘s a joy to hear her youthful voice through her words and see the fluency of her handwriting back then. She lost that in later life as her eyesight failed and she had strokes, so the letters have become a time capsule.
I enjoy Shaun Usher‘s Letters of Note. (Books and his Substack.) (Just realised his Substack has been quiet lately, hope he‘s ok.)
I love Letters of Note. We went to see Letters Live recently. Cried and laughed then cried again! How lovely that you have those letters. I know what you mean about handwriting. Dad had immaculate italic until the end when it went very wobbly. I still get a pang whenever I find a note written my parents’ handwriting.
This was the post I wrote about my mum's letters to her parents, Anna.
https://wendyvarley.substack.com/p/childhood-1960s-style
These letters are wonderful! A slice of social history…and the language! “Golly” - so sweet. And so reminiscent of my childhood too. Making me want to dig out my parents’ letters all over again. Thank you for pointing me to the post, Wendy (in both senses of the word…) Your brother sounds as though he was a handful! As for the noises you made…!!
I think my brother was a handful, yes – an enterprising escape-artist!
And yes, with all the little details, letters become a window into the times.