December - Write to a Friend Month

December is a month that marks many occasions. A few of those: 

  • The winter solstice brings us into a new winter season. This year the winter solstice is on December 22nd.
  • There are many different holidays celebrated around the world all throughout the month. (Check out this site discussing all the multicultural holidays in December here). 
  •  December also marks the end of the calendar year. 

A lesser known tidbit about December is that it is:

 "Write to a Friend" Month
We're not talking about texting, messaging, or emailing a friend. We're talking about good old fashioned hand written letters. Do you remember this lost art? It used to be a common way to communicate with friends and family. Probably even more common than keeping up with friends on social media, such as Facebook. 
When is the last time you wrote someone a handwritten letter? 

Who doesn't like receiving mail? The majority of letters most people find in their mailboxes nowadays are bills. Getting a handwritten letter from a friend would most definitely be a fantastic smile-making feat. 

 Why stop at writing your friends? 

There are many people in this world that could use a nice letter to encourage them and brighten their day. Especially during the month of December, when winter is on its way and the holidays are approaching. Here are some links for you to write to those in need:

  • The World Needs More Love Letters - created by a woman who was battling depression and found solace in writing letters and leaving them for strangers around NYC.
  • Operation Gratitude - write letters to deployed service members, new recruits, and wounded service members.
  • Write A Prisoner - research shows that prisoners who maintain positive contact from outside of prison are least likely to end up back in prison.  

Write a friend, write a family member.
Write a stranger.

 Pull out that neglected stationary, dip that quill in your ink jar, and get to writing, you scribe you. 

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