the (recovered) art of correspondence

i hesitate to call letter-writing a "lost" art, because i think the pendulum of technology is once again swinging in favor of putting pen to paper.  and it can be beautiful and fun to draw pictures of things you at other times may snap a picture of and include in a text message.

as a child i loved to collect stickers, which has translated into a grown-up version of seeing what the new *stamps are at the post office.  (yes, i am that person who cares which design she gets, although i try to make friends with my local postal clerks and make my decision quickly if there is a line behind me.)

what are some of the best pieces of snail mail you've ever received and why?  it can be so fun when, expecting the usual bills and junk mail, a beautiful envelope tumbles out of the mailbox.  why not make someone's day...

*you may already know this, but i happily discovered that when "forever" is written on a stamp, it means that it is good for a first class letter literally forever, regardless of an increase in postage costs.