When’s the last time you received a heartfelt, handwritten letter? How about a sweet note? What about anything besides Food City coupons in the mail?

The act of sending letters dates back over 2,500 years, according to  selectable.co.uk. “The first letter ever written was believed to be one sent by Queen Atossa of Persia in around 500 B.C.,” the site said. 

Popularity rose as more people became literate, though the notable craze has greatly declined in recent years with newer, faster methods of communication. However, there’s a reason to bring letters back into fashion. 

Handwritten letters are the easiest way to make the people you care about most feel loved, and it isn’t so bad receiving them either. And while sending a long text is always appreciated, there’s just something so precious about writing a letter for someone. 

To make the letter even more personal, consider appealing to their love language! If you didn’t know, there are five main love languages, and people will generally have one or two that they enjoy most. 

In their article on the love languages, verywellmind.com, an organization based on mental health and relationships, stated, “Knowing your partner’s love language and letting them know yours can help you both feel loved and appreciated.”

• Words of Affirmation – Your person may appreciate kind words or affirmations! This is definitely one of the easiest love languages to translate into a letter.
  • Compliments (Doesn’t have to be on appearance!)
  • Affirmation that you care about them
• Gift Giving – The letter itself is a gift but don’t be afraid to add in meaningful mementos for your person to hold on to.
  • Adding little surprises in your envelope
  • Something that reminds you of them
  • The more personal, the better
• Quality Time – This one might be difficult since physically spending time with them may not be easy, however, there are some ways around this.
  • Adding pictures with a note reminiscing 
  • A list of things you could do together like visit an aquarium, attend a concert, see an art show together, etc.
• Physical Touch – Translating this love language into a letter can be a bit tricky but again, you can find a loophole.
  • Spraying a bit of perfume/cologne
  • Shipping a hoodie or stuffed animal 
• Acts of Service – Making life a little easier for your person may mean the most, so adding their favorite candy that they run out of quickly could be helpful since it saves them from an extra trip to the store.
  • Gift cards to their favorite store or website
  • Offering help with a problem or reassuring that you’ll help if they need you