Looking for a fun activity for your parent (and maybe your whole family or your parent’s home care provider, if you keep reading)? September 1 is National Letter Writing Day – a skill that in the recent decade has really disappeared but your parent probably has lots of fun memories regarding either writing or receiving letters from friends and family.
Your parent might find it fun to celebrate this obscure holiday in several ways. Here are some ways for you or their home care aide and your parent to celebrate together.
Bring out those old letters
Does your parent have any old keepsake letters from perhaps a spouse or a loved one long ago? Maybe she’s saved birthday and Christmas cards with special messages. Often these letters and cards are stored in a box somewhere so either you or their home care provider can help your parent retrieve this box for the day and enjoy these messages from yesterday. And don’t be shy – ask your parent to tell the stories that go with each letter. You might be surprised by what you learn.
Write some new letters
If your parent is still able, have her pick a few family members or friends to send a letter, too. No matter how techy someone is, they will still love getting a letter in the mail from someone who took the time to write a special message. While you can always use whatever paper you have lying around, it would be fun to get some special stationery for the day beforehand with some fun postage stamps. Perhaps have a trip to the post office and store planned for your parent and her home care provider before September 1 to get the needed materials. Don’t forget to purchase a good pen as well. Nothing is worse than running out of ink in the middle of a letter!
If physically writing is difficult, this is something either you or their home care provider can help with by having your parent dictate her thoughts and you write them down. In the end, she could even type it up and then print it out and sign it. Whatever works best for your parent will be enjoyed by those who receive it.
Recruit other letter writers
Maybe it won’t be all about having your parent write the letters. Perhaps you’d rather flip it and have it all about her receiving a bunch of letters. Imagine her joy as she goes to get her mail around Sept 1 and keeps finding letter after letter. You can ask grandkids to practice their letter-writing skills as well as ask other family members to send little notecards or even a postcard from a vacation. Whatever your parent receives, it’ll definitely be more cherished than those bills and promotional ads that seem to fill the mailbox most days.
It can be fun to find unique and somewhat obscure little holidays to celebrate and make a routine day special. Days like these can create the best memories for the future.