It’s okay if you need an excuse…
Writing notes and letters makes me happy, so I rarely need encouragement to do it, but I find this is the exception rather than the rule. Some of you are intimidated because you think you don’t know what to say. Some find it difficult and therefore don’t like doing it. Yet, many of you may easily pick up a pen to write in your journal or scribble on a blank sheet of paper.
So to celebrate John Hancock’s birthday—now National Handwriting Day in the United States—let’s set aside previous hangups and think about creating a simple gift that will make someone else happy when they find real mail in their mailbox and a personal note from you inside that envelope.
And here’s a hint: it’s much more fun if you have some colorful, whimsical, or otherwise inspiring stationery to use. Then you’re only one step away from—gasp—trying an ink color other than black or blue!
My book will really give you a boost!
If you struggle with any of the roadblocks to being an enthusiastic note and letter writer—or if you could just use a bit of a nudge—you’re in for a treat when you read my book: HEARTSPOKEN: How to Write Notes that Connect, Comfort, Encourage, and Inspire. And you can continue to get tips and note-writing support when you sign up for my newsletter below.
John Hancock remembered
John Hancock, one of the original signers of the Declaration of Independence, is known primarily for his fancy signature on the document. National Handwriting Day is celebrated each year on January 23, Hancock’s birthday. The day was founded in 1977 by the Writing Instrument Manufacturers Association (WIMA) to celebrate the pleasure and satisfaction of composing a handwritten note using a high-quality writing implement.
National Handwriting Day, January 23
WIMA’s own description of the holiday resonates eloquently with my own love of writing handwritten letters and notes:
The lost art of handwriting is one of the few ways we can uniquely express ourselves. There’s something poetic about grasping a writing instrument and feeling it hit the paper as your thoughts flow through your fingers and pour into words. So, the Writing Instrument Manufacturers Association (WIMA) suggests you take advantage of National Handwriting Day on January 23 and use a pen or a pencil to rekindle that creative feeling through a handwritten note, poem, letter or journal entry.
Handwriting allows us to be artists and individuals during a time when we often use computers, faxes and e-mail to communicate. Fonts are the same no matter what computer you use or how you use it. Fonts lack a personal touch. Handwriting can add intimacy to a letter and reveal details about the writer’s personality. Throughout history, handwritten documents have sparked love affairs, started wars, established peace, freed slaves, created movements and declared independence.
…National Handwriting Day is a chance for all of us to re-explore the purity and power of handwriting.
Fun ways to celebrate National Handwriting Day
CLICK HERE to check out this fun article that suggests interesting and quirky ways to celebrate National Handwriting Day.
Interested in the history of penmanship?
If you’re of a mind to dig a bit deeper, you might enjoy this article on the History Channel website about the history of penmanship. Parchment remnants found in ancient Roman ruins suggest they were among the first to develop a script for correspondence. By the time of the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 A.D., correspondence started becoming more intimate and personal instead of formal or transactional.
Alas, many schools today have removed cursive writing from their curriculum. It makes me sad that children may soon be unable to read the notes their elders write to them, and the decision flies in the face of the positive association between cursive writing, learning, and retention.
Have fun with personalized stationery!
It’s infinitely more fun to write a note or letter when you’re writing on lovely paper that you’ve selected yourself…maybe even customized with your name and address.
Order yourself some stationery (here’s my affiliate link to some on Amazon) that fits your personality (or get two or three different styles to fit whatever mood you’re in at the time) and keep it close at hand with your favorite pen, stamps, and address book. Before you know it, you’ll find it’s easy and fun to write personal notes—notes that will connect, comfort, encourage, and inspire!
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Some of my elderly friends still write notes and address envelopes in beautiful cursive. Mine is nowhere close, so I resort to my tight, almost illegible printing. It think it’s interesting how our handwriting reflects our personalities. No wonder we lose so much without it!
Thank you so much for reading and commenting, Grace. I have had so many people who fear their handwriting is borderline legible, and that fear can really be a barrier to becoming an enthusiastic note writer. I have a couple of friends whose notes I definitely struggle to read, but it doesn’t diminish my pleasure in hearing from them at all — maybe it’s even enhanced since I have to work a bit to figure it out :-). I also have known some who set out to work on their penmanship, and there are lots of YouTube videos on how to do just that. Check out these results from searching for “improve penmanship” on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=improve+penmanship/. Best wishes!
I’m with you, Elizabeth. I hate to see cursive go by the wayside, but I understand the frustration of educators. My principal (at the school where I taught for 22 years before retirement) used to talk about squeezing the elephant curriculum through the keyhole of time. There just aren’t enough hours in the day to adequately teach reading, writing, grammar, spelling, math, social studies, science, health, computer skills, library skills, P.E., art, music, character development, etc. Something has to give, and I suppose cursive was deemed dispensable!
I’m kind of ticked about the handwriting thing in schools. Though my grands are learning to write, it’s so different from what we learned! The kids these days have so many gadgets, I’m afraid “writing a thank you” is going to become a lost art. However, it won’t be lost as long as I’m alive! I love sending and receiving handwritten notes; I often use my own artwork cards when sending cards to others. To me, that makes it even more special when I can tell the recipient, “That’s my art, did ya notice?”
I LOVE the idea of using your own cards, Karen. That makes your notes such a beautiful gift not only of your time but also your talent.
I wonder if the decisions on handwriting won’t come full circle and get reinstated later, but in the mean time there will be a lot of children who lose out.