Month of Letters – Postcrossing Challenge – February 2022

The Month of Letters 2022 challenge starts in a few days!
What? A month of letters?! What fun! Wanna try it?


Here are the rules, rather informal since the first personal Month of Letters challenge:

  • During the month of February, mail at least one item through the post every day. Write a postcard, a letter, send a picture or a cutting from a newspaper… anything goes!
  • Write back to everyone who writes to you. This can count as one of your mailed items.

Simple, right? — and really, just guidelines. The whole idea is to have fun, so … go ahead … bend ‘the rules’ as you need!
Last year was the first time I participated. I enjoyed it so much that I decided to extend my month of letters into a Year of Letters. It wasn’t always easy to achieve my goal of a daily bit of mail, but it has been interesting and fun!

After all, it’s always nice to have an excuse to send a bit more mail!

And, it was nice to receive happy feedback from people I hadn’t been in touch with as often as I’d like; especially, during these times.

People do like to get mail!

You’re invited to join in this fun month of mail! And, we can support each other and share about our mailings in this topic.

Here are some ideas to help you get started:

  • Birthdays, anniversaries, Valentine’s Day … any day that you can send a bit of especially happy mail.
  • Thank a Mail Carrier Day – February 4, 2022. Now there’s a person who will be exceptionally happy to get mail from you! Maybe a nice thank you note and/or a gift certificate for a cup of coffee?
  • Does your country have a special holiday in February? For instance, six provinces in Canada (none of the territories) celebrate Family Day on the 3rd Monday of the month. A day off work, giving us a long weekend, to spend with our families. I’ll write to family living in the U.S. to let them know I’m thinking of them.
  • Check out holiday calendars such as HolidaySmart where you can find all sorts of interesting holidays to celebrate with someone. For instance, who knew that February 1st is Give Kids a Smile Day, Decorate a Cake Day, and Spunky Old Broads Day – think Inge Löök cards! Or, the 15th is Hippo Day or Butterscotch Day. And February 28: Chocolate Soufflé Day and Public Sleeping Day (NOT in cold Canada, to be sure - except on public transit, perhaps).
    So many Postcrossing possibilities!

Please share other ideas here so we can all tap into creative, interesting, and fun ways to check off each day of February with one piece of mail.

And don’t worry if your postal service doesn’t pick up mail on a weekend or on a holiday. Just write your letters or postcards on mail days. Or, if you want to go all out for 28 days, mail them the next day that mail service operates. You’re still covered … in my eyes anyway! :wink:

Looking forward to hearing from those who decide to participate.

Please share some of the ways you are celebrating the Month of Letters, how your month is going, and we’d love to read about the Happy Mail that you receive - and send!

38 Likes

The first three people to write a note here will receive a postcard from me. I’ll try to match a preference on your profile, and will PM you for your address. Happy Month of Letters! :email:

12 Likes

Hi! I’m happy to see this topic pop up. I was just making a list of mail that I need to reply to because my mail is all backed up for a few months now. LetterMo is always a good time to catch up, but I think about a third of my LetterMo mail will be official Postcrossing cards. I would share my list written in my bullet journal but for the sake of privacy and keeping it a surprise for the people I’m writing to, I’d better not. But I am enjoying looking over this list and I hope I will make the target this year because I always end up giving up halfway because life gets in the way. So instead of a piece of mail a day, I am aiming for 28 pieces over the course of one month, however I can possibly pace it out. We shall see! I hope by this post I can motivate myself to stick with the challenge! :slight_smile:

11 Likes

Great idea @scrutiny to pace yourself! No point setting objectives that you know are difficult to achieve.

This does sound like fun! Thank you for the details and ideas @HookedonPostcards. I think I’m going to give it a whirl! Keeping track, and sharing in here will be fun too. All the best for your month of letters! :+1:t2:

My Month of Mail Summary:

1st Feb - Postcard to Canada - Direct Swap
2nd Feb - Postcard to Germany - WOTM FEB
3rd Feb - Postcard to Switzerland - Surprise Mail
4th Feb - Postcard to Netherlands - Surprise Mail
4th Feb - Postcard to Hong Kong - Official
4th Feb - Postcard to China - Official
5th Feb - Postcard to USA - Bingo Congrats
6th Feb - Postcard to Germany - Official
7th Feb - Postcard to Australia - Surprise Mail
7th Feb - Postcard to Ukraine - Official
7th Feb - Postcard to India - Official
8th Feb - Postcard to USA - Surprise Mail
9th Feb - Postcard to Germany - Surprise Mail
10th Feb - Postcard to USA - Boxset Tag
11th Feb - Postcard to Netherlands - Favs Tag
12th Feb - Postcard to Russia - Surprise Mail
13th Feb - Postcard to Hong Kong - Direct Swap
14th Feb - Postcard to USA - Official
15th Feb - Postcard to Canada - Blue Cats Tag
16th Feb - Postcard to Poland - Official
17th Feb - Postcard to Germany - Blue Cats Tag

5 Likes

Last year I did send more letters/cards than those 28 in February, although I did not manage to write them every day nor mail them in every possible mail day. I did not even pace myself, but wrote as many cards and letters I wanted at one go… This year I would not have troubles reaching and exceeding 28 cards as I am attending a big card group in Handmade RR and there are namedays, birthdays, anniversaries and Friend’s Day to remember.

In our calendar: Feb 5th is Runeberg’s Day (Finnish national poet), 6th is Sámi National Day, 14th is Friend’s Day, 27th is Shrove Sunday and 28th is the Day of Finnish Culture and Kalevala (national epic).

I am tempted to take up the challenge of writing something daily, but I am not sure about the second rule. Of course I reply to the letters I receive (I have many penpals ), but it could get overwhelming to reply all the cards (officials, RRs, tags…) Those who have attended Month of Letters, how have you managed with that rule?

2 Likes

Thank you @Kanerva for sharing some Finnish February days! Love the Friend’s Day on Valentine’s Day! :purple_heart:

I think I want to try the challenge too!! :thinking:

If I do a combination of postcrossing official and forum cards, penpal letters, letters to family, and… idk what else :sweat_smile: I can probably make it to 28 pieces of correspondence!

Although I’m not gonna plan to have one in the mail every day. I tend to send batches of penpal letters in a single envelope, and I usually try to get my postcards out once a week. So that’ll be my goal! Write every day, and get things actually mailed out once or twice a week. :slight_smile:

8 Likes

Sounds like a fun and manageable variety for your Month of Letters @halflingstory !

1 Like

Thank you!! I hope so :crossed_fingers:

1 Like

I am so going to do the “Month of Letters”.
I’m writing down ideas for a topic every day, for each letter. This will be quite entertaining and enjoyable for me

2 Likes

Awesome @LaurnaH ! Perhaps you’d like to pop in here every-now-and-then to share some of your ideas. I’m wondering … how are you going to start the month? Have you though about how you might end the month?
I’ve got my start mapped out; but, for now, am going to wing-it for the last week … :butterfly:

I am writing ideas right now, but not sure what topic I will start with. I have ideas but for sure , February 3, will be about birthday cause that is mine😄

4 Likes

This is so YOU @HookedonPostcards to post something so FUN and get everybody excited‼️
Count me in💌

2 Likes

Awesome! @Nique I know how creative you are, so hope you share some of your ideas here! :hugs:

1 Like

I wanted to share some February holidays that might make good writing prompts. The ones with “national” in the name refer to the US, but anyone anywhere could still celebrate them.

Feb 1 - National Green Week begins, and National Freedom Day
Feb 2 - World Wetlands Day
Feb 3 - Feed the Birds Day, and Carrot Cake Day
Feb 4 - Homemade Soup Day, and Rosa Parks’ Birthday
Feb 5 - Weatherperson’s Day
Feb 7 - Send a Card to a Friend Day, and Charles Dickens’ Birthday
Feb 8 - Boy Scout Day
Feb 10 - Random Acts of Kindness Week begins
Feb 11 - International Day of Women and Girls in Science
Feb 12 - Darwin Day
Feb 15 - Susan B. Anthony’s Birthday and Galileo’s Birthday
Feb 16 - Snow Moon
Feb 17 - Random Acts of Kindness Day
Feb 19 - Solar System Day
Feb 20 - Love Your Pet Day, Day of Social Justice, and Frederick Douglass’ Birthday
Feb 21 - Family Day
Feb 23 - World Understanding Day, and Banana Bread Day
Feb 24 - Global Warming Day
Feb 25 - National Pancake Day
Feb 26 - Tell a Fairy Tale Day
Feb 27 - Polar Bear Day
Feb 28 - National Science Day

20 Likes

The National and International Days tag was started last year to support people taking part in LetterMo. So anyone running out of ideas or a receiver for your daily mail, this can save you! :wink:

https://community.postcrossing.com/t/international-and-national-days-tag/59372?u=scubaet

6 Likes

Thank you, @Tara_Bell, for sharing these days ideas! :purple_heart: Can’t wait for Banana Bread Day and Pancake Day! :pancakes:

Awesome @ScubaET! And helpful… Thank you for sharing! Already bookmarked! :dancer:

1 Like

Hi All -

Please let me know if this is not allowed and I’ll remove this post.

I participate each month in letter writing for Love For Our Elders (Letters — Love For Our Elders). Each month, there is a new list of individuals who you can send snail mail to. I’m planning on participating in the Month of Letters and getting some of my addresses from this organization.

Best,
Tara

10 Likes