Is the art of letter writing dead?

When did you last write something longer than ten words?  With a pen?

I struggle to think if I am honest.  Which makes me think that if the art of letter writing isn’t quite dead yet it should probably be administered the last rites.

I wrote a shopping list of about 30 things on Saturday but that was probably the most I have had to physically write in a long time.   Yet I “write” every day.   Notes.   Emails.  Blog posts.   Just not with a pen.    I watched a police officer take my statement at the police station recently and she had to keep stopping as she had cramp.   Not used to writing four pages of testimony (and only doing it then as the computer was misbehaving). I miss writing letters.

And even moreso receiving them.   I do think the art of letter writing is dead.   Our children don’t write them anymore and I think the custom of sending letters will all but die out soon.   Even children that write thank you notes now (and let’s face it, they are few and far between) can use a printed page where they tick off their thanks for “the book / the game / money / voucher / Other [ please insert ] ”  Or they top and tail the letter that we type on the computer and print 20 copies of.

It saddens me.   Is there anything more lovely than finding in amongst a pile of bills a handwritten envelope, with writing from somebody you recognise?  It is one of life’s little treats.

Which is why when I came across Cardnest recently I thought a) what a fabulous idea; and b) why the hell didn’t I think of doing it?  Possibly not in that order.

The idea is very simple.   You subscribe to the site and every month they send you three cards, made exclusively for them.  You can then create your own little collection of cards.  Meaning a) you will never have to panic when you need a card and have forgotten to buy one; and b) you can send one to somebody as a little random “I was just thinking of you” card.  Maybe you see one morning on Twitter that somebody is having a tough day or you hear at the school gates that a friend is feeling under the weather.    You can send a card to them that will go a long way to making them feel a whole lot better.

You can even add stamps to your subscription so you are never without.

Subscriptions start from just£7.50 for UK, or £10 for international.

And I have a little reader discount to share with you!  If you sign up and use BARROW50 you will get a 50% discount off your first month’s subscription, and that includes the stamps too!

And because the cards are exclusive to Cardnest you can rest assured that you card is not going to sit on a mantelpiece next to three similar ones.   The cards are gorgeous in their simplicity and beautifully made.   What could be nicer than taking the one that says “thinking of you” and sending it to somebody you haven’t seen in a while?

This is one of the loveliest companies I have come across for a long time.   The ethos behind it, the product itself, the way it is packaged, it is all superb.

I think we all need a card nest in our lives, don’t we?  And to bring back to life the art of writing letters. Or sending a card for no reason whatsover.