Whatever happened to the hand written letter?

My wife and I were chatting the other day and we could not think of the last time we received a handwritten letter from friends or family! Has technology -- text and email -- finally won and crushed the handwritten letter? What is this world coming to!!
When was the last time you wrote or received a handwritten letter?

 

I have a pen pal from down under. We write letters by hand, email, video chat, etc. There are so many ways to stay connected, but the personal touch of a handwritten letter is very special.

 

I still send and receive handwritten thank you notes.

Cursive is no longer taught in schools.
I wonder how many people are lamenting over the loss of short-hand?

Hey, it happens. Technology advances, life goes on.
There will always be things that are pushed out because of that technology and people will always remanence about "the good ol' days" and things that have passed.

And to address your question, "Has technology finally won and crushed the handwritten letter?"
The answer, technology will only win if you let it. If you stop hand writing letters...

 

A button pushed is cheaper than a stamp.
I was never a card guy away, i would prefer to give a buck than a card. But I’m not the most sofisticated guy in the world. My wife buys tissue paper to scrunch up and hide gift bag presents, always seems wasteful to me. The Walmart bag all those things purchased in would work just fine, and sometimes matches in color too, lol.

 

my wife receives a hand written letter once a month from her dad.i haven't written one in years..

 

Gone, for the most part. I have a niece that still writes hand written letters, but she is the exception. It is just the reality in a time when we can just send an email or text.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

 

Nice...what a thoughtful Dad. I am sure she will treasure those letters.

 

We don’t send them often but we recognize when they are the best choice and respond appropriately.
On a few occasions I have drafted a personal note and then used a cursive font and good stationary because my penmanship isn’t that great.

Which reminds me of one of my favorite sayings:

“No matter how much you push the envelope, it will still be stationary”

 

For special dates, I always give my woman a handwritten note. Every year at our company we select our top employees to win an award and take them and a guest on a first-class trip. I prepare a handwritten note for each winner that is waiting for them in the hotel room. I receive many handwritten notes in return thanking me. Clearly handwritten notes still have something above a text or email.

 

They stopped teaching cursive writing in school.

 

I have heard this. I still find it hard to believe. Sad really.

 

I type so much that the only thing I write anymore is when I sign checks or make a grocery list. And my handwriting has always looked somewhat like an EKG. But because I type so much and write so little even a short note has become laborious.

And I really do like nice stationery and fountain pens.

I also end up typing a lot of paper mail because anyone under a certain age right now cannot read script no matter how neatly it is done.

 

I suppose we can even "E-mail" holiday cards now. Course I'm a little behind the 8-ball on that persuasion. My handwriting matches that of @richgem.....(see above).

 

There is something really nice about good stationary and a good pen. I recently purchased my first fountain pen. I can see another rabbit hole appearing on the horizon...

 

I agree.

 

Much of the time, electronic communication or typed correspondence are more practical. But when my husband was deployed, he loved getting hand-written letters from me.

I love the feel of a high quality pen on good paper, but it’s hard to feel too motivated when no one wants to write back. On the other hand, even a typed business letter should have a hand signature and I still like using good pens for that.

 

Just wait until you get into vintage fountain pens. Which are much easier to use because they are lighter. They were designed for use not for looking. And they have all sorts of cool filling systems to use bottled ink.

 

Yikes! That's all I need...another source of temptation!

 

Vintage fountain pens are generally a lot more affordable than modern, especially if you get them at your local flea market or junk store. But you may need to do some cleaning and or minor repair on your own. Nothing too difficult though.

 

Back before COVID hit a lot of the local antique stores I kept my eye open for vintage fountain pens. I will continue my search!