Next month, April, is not only the time for spring showers, it’s also National Card and Letter Writing Month. We thought we’d help you celebrate with a lovely letter-writing tea party. This girlfriend celebration is a great opportunity to relax with your girlfriends while you practice the almost-lost art of letter writing. Whether it’s a simple thank-you note or a lengthy expression of gratitude, condolences, or love, letter writing is something we often mean to do but procrastinate into oblivion. So, here’s your chance to do something meaningful, together with your girlfriends, in a fun environment. We think you’ll enjoy it, and your girlfriends will be grateful that you suggested it! Photo by a.drian via flickr

As Samara O’Shea points out in this Huffington Post piece, there are many reasons to take the time to write a real, honest-to-goodness letter instead of dashing off an email or text. First of all, letters last. When they are heart-felt and well-received, we tend to keep them for years and years, which means they can even become remembrances for our children. Second, writing a letter takes more thought, time and effort than writing an email, or even picking up the phone, which ultimately makes them more meaningful. And, especially for our younger girlfriends, letter-writing practice is sorely needed. Have you noticed that fewer people seem to write thank-you notes these days? Yet this is a skill that can give our daughters an edge in their personal and professional pursuits. Why not let them have fun while learning an essential life skill? Convinced yet? Read on for all the how-to:

Setting and Setup

Be sure to have enough table space for everyone to have a stable writing surface, as well as adequate lighting. Limit your invitees to the number that will fit around your tables. Provide quality pens and pretty papers for each guest (see below for suggestions) or ask them to bring their favorite writing instrument with some stationery to share. That way, if each guest brings a box of pretty cards or stationery, you’ll have a nice selection from which to choose. The variety may even inspire you to write more letters! Soft music is appropriate, but nothing that makes concentrating difficult. A nice touch would be to provide stamps for your guests—to make sure those precious letters get mailed!

Invitations

Need we say that the invitations should ideally be handwritten? It would be a lovely touch to write each invited guest a short, personalized note explaining the concept of the party. For example:

Dear Jennifer,

I would like to invite you to a girlfriend gathering to explore the fine art of letter writing. At the party, we will each write a heartfelt letter to a deserving recipient. Tea and finger sandwiches will be served. I really hope you will come, because your sense of humor adds laughter to any gathering. The party is scheduled for Saturday, April 11, 2009 at 11:00 am. Please let me know if you can make it.

Sincerely,

Jane

Of course, who has time for that? It would be a tad ironic to email or text the invite. But that’s okay. If it’s a choice between “get it done quickly” and “not get it done at all,” then get it done quickly! You might want to cleverly point out that you’ll be making time to write letters at your party.

Food and Drink

Since we’re being civilized, how about a hip tea party theme? Simply buy a selection of teas, make some finger sandwiches, secure some scones, and you’re done. (Tip: sushi goes well with tea too, and you can buy sushi platters already made up.) For those who don’t drink tea, serve lemonade, punch, or Jones Soda. You could possibly enjoy a glass of wine, but really, you don’t want to be under the influence while you’re writing heartfelt letters. Tea parties don’t need to be fussy. But if you’d like to take a more traditional approach, see this complete guide to planning a tea party menu, at the Tea Party Girl blog. What a fantastic tea party resource! You’ll find recipes and ideas that are easy to incorporate into your menu. Or, Tea Party: 20 Themed Tea Parties with Recipes for Every Occasion, from Fabulous Showers to Intimate Gatherings is a beautifully photographed book with recipes that suit every occasion to a “tea.”

Connecting Activities

On to the main event! Start with a goal that each girlfriend will write one letter to an important person in her life. A letter of gratitude is a great place to start. Or, have everyone write letters of encouragement to someone who needs it: a new divorcee, a military wife, a girlfriend who recently lost her job, or one who is battling an illness. If you’re not quite sure where to start, find letter-writing guides here. Especially note the “friendly letter” and “thank you note” guides. You may want to print out a few copies of the sample letters for guests to use as a guide. Suggest that girlfriends share what they are writing by reading aloud (as long as they are comfortable doing so), as this may really help someone who has “writer’s block.” With luck, you’ll enjoy the letter-writing process enough to write more than one letter.

If you have a group of younger girlfriends who need practice writing, try this Friendship Letter Game,
suggested by our girlfriends at She’s Got Papers: The game offers a great way to compliment your friends by telling them why they are special to you!

1.       Each player writes their name on a slip of paper

2.       All papers are put into a hat

3.       Each player randomly draws a name

4.       Using pretty stationery or cards, (such as those pictured from She’s Got Papers), each player must write three things they love about the person they’ve selected.  Write anonymously or sign your name to the bottom of the card. 

5.       Seal the card in an envelope and write the person’s name on the front. Put it back into the hat.

6.       Each player takes the envelope with their name on it and reads it aloud to the group. Of course, she will keep the card as a reminder of what makes her special to her girlfriends.

Party Favors

Find a selection of pretty pens at book stores, or even the dollar store. They aren’t hard to find. 

Or, give each girlfriend a box of pretty notecards to take home. We do like these subtle, sophisticated, and sassy cards from She’s Got Papers, featuring sweet graphics and encouraging sayings. And guess what? Right now,

She’s Got Papers is offering GirlfriendCelebrations readers a 10% discount off its Ladies Collection notecards. That’s really write on! Use code KM808 at checkout.

Ready to write, ladies? We hope you’ll gather your girlfriends for a relaxing afternoon or evening of letter writing from the heart. Like this idea? Have a suggestion? Let us hear from you in the comments!