Let’s face it, there’s something about receiving an email that just isn’t as exciting as tearing open a colorful envelope or brown paper package that comes via snail mail. Sure, email is the higher tech way to deliver messages and small surprises, but the best thing you’ll get out of it is an attachment, or maybe if someone really loves you, an eCard.

There are certain things that are just downright better when they are delivered the traditional, now “slow,” way. Here are 5 of them.

Holiday Cards

Any kind of greeting card in general is better when it’s delivered by snail mail, but there’s something about holiday cards, in particular, that bring an added charm.

Think about what would happen to things like card trees or decorate card garlands strung up around peoples houses around the holidays if everyone were to replace their holiday cards with eCards. The horror!

Holiday cards are a great way for families to show off their beautiful lives and beautiful children and beautiful vacations to everyone they love. And really, we all love receiving them! They’re colorful and heartfelt, and there’s no way they’ll ever be replaced with the quick and thoughtless e-version imitators.

Postcards

Along the same lines as the holiday cards, you would never want to get an email from a close friend or family member on an exotic vacation. It shows no personal touch or sentiment, plus you don’t get to actually see where the person is!

Something about knowing your loved one is somewhere far away and exotic and waiting at home to receive a postcard from them is so classic and traditional that it makes you overwhelmingly happy when you finally receive one in the mail.

Plus, postcards are fun to buy when you’re the one on vacation. You get a chance to show off your tropical surroundings to all of your people who are stuck back in the cold of your hometown!

Many people even have collections of postcards to commemorate trips they’ve taken themselves or their families have taken. There’s no way to collect e-postcards, except stored in your inbox where they’ll probably never be looked at again.

Packages From Mom

Perhaps the one that may never be replaced by technology – the good old care package from Mom that comes out of nowhere.

Getting packages in the mail from your mother brings you back to a time of summer camps and sleepaways, and the goodies inside are usually adorable and heartfelt. Maybe she baked you cookies, or sent you some cash, or a funny stuffed animal or some candy – whatever is in the box, you’ll always smile knowing that your mom was thinking of you when she stuffed it all in the box, wrapped it all up and took it proudly to the post office.

If you live far away from your family, there’s nothing like the good ‘ole care package.

Letters From Friends

A hand written letter is so much more personal than an email that took all of 30 seconds to craft. If you have friends that you enjoy staying in touch with who live outside of your hometown, instead of a phone call or an email, try surprising them with a hand written letter!

The classic lined notebook paper will bring friends back to the days of high school or college, or if you choose a pretty stationary, you can show off a little bit of your personality that your friends love so much.

Decorated envelopes are the best, too. Throw on some stickers, doodles or even ribbons, and make sure the envelope either matches your stationary or is at least a bright neon color that your friend will be excited to see poking through the pile of bills in their mailbox!

Products Ordered Online

So this one technically can’t come via email anyway, but how awesome is it to finally receive a package you’ve been waiting for that you ordered weeks ago?

That feeling when you walk up to your front door and there’s a big, pretty brown package that you’ve been waiting oh so long for is unmatched. Something about the waiting patiently part of buying items online adds so much excitement to the day that you actually receive your products.

Certain things just will never be replaced by email, and others are obviously just better when received via snail mail than over the computer! So the next time you think about sending an email to an old friend, write a letter to send instead, or better yet – send a hand written greeting card. The person on the other end will be sure to appreciate it a whole lot more than just a simple typed email!

Jade Evans is a freelance writer for several publications. She loves sending snail mail to everyone she loves and the couriers in her area love picking up her mail because it’s always so colorful, creative and cheerful!

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