Snail-Mail: the antiquated art of putting an item in an envelope, affixing a stamp and dropping it in the mailbox for the postman to deliver to the intended recipient.
In today’s fast-paced world of emails, text messages and cell phones, I recently discovered, among some members of the younger generation, snail mail is quite the mystery.
The other day, members of our teen board came over to help with a mailing project. We spent the first fifteen minutes of our time together talking about how to address an envelope, where to place the stamp, etc. Much to my surprise, some of them have never personally completed such a task. When probing further (as I’m sure you can imagine my shock, surprise, and curiosity) they admitted writing thank-you notes, but then passing off the note to a parent for addressing and mailing.
I don’t think any of us know what the future holds for snail mail… will it someday be replaced by electronic communication? I hope not. In my opinion, the joy of receiving a handwritten note (or invitation) in the mail is a special gift that cannot be replaced by technology or email.
So in the meantime, show the young person in your life how we used to do it in the ‘olden days’; teach them to address an envelope and affix a stamp.
We make the process fun in our house:
Magic markers… and yes, I step aside and let him do his thing
He’s responsible for putting the note in the envelope:
Licking the envelope:
I put an ‘x’ marks the spot (just in case)
At this stage, I address it for him… much to his chagrin, I don’t think the postman can decipher his ‘writing’.
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