There really is something truly magical about holding an actual letter in your hands. A feeling that you just don’t get from reading online. At International Elf Service, we see first-hand how physical letters bring families together in ways that emails, texts or screens never could.
Go back in time to when you were a child, and try to remember… how did you feel when you saw an envelope with your name on it? The excitement, the curiosity, the wonder of what could be inside? That moment of pure anticipation is something digital messages simply can’t recreate.
A Shared Experience
Sitting down and reading a letter together—whether the parent or the child does the reading—creates a special moment of connection, just pure togetherness. Children don’t just enjoy these moments—they need them. Feeling connected, listened to, and part of something special helps them feel safe, loved and bonded as a valued family member.
A Tangible Keepsake
Unlike an email that gets lost in an inbox (or deleted by accident!), a beautiful letter can be kept, reread and treasured for years. It might end up a little dog-eared, tucked under a pillow or stored in a special box … but that’s all part of its charm. It’s a piece of childhood—a moment frozen in time, waiting to be rediscovered.
Undivided Attention
A letter holds your attention in a way screens don’t. When reading a physical letter, children (and adults!) are fully engaged with each other —there’s no swiping, no scrolling and no notifications popping up demanding your attention. Just the words on a page, imagination running wild and a feeling of being fully present. Together.
Boosting Imagination & Emotion
There’s something so special about words, beautiful illustrations, magical paper and the rustle of pages that sparks curiosity in a way a screen simply can’t. It’s such a sensory experience—touching the paper, feeling the texture, hearing the sounds as it moves—creates a deeper emotional connection to the words.
And in our case… a letter from a magical world—whether it’s from the Easter Bunny’s Underground Chocolate Laboratory, the Elves’ Workshop, or the legendary Roots of Fantastical Matters (the Most Magical Archive of all time!) —isn’t just a fun surprise. It’s proof that magic is real!
(See here why believing in magic is an important part of child development!)
Do you remember, or even still have a treasured letter, magazine or book from childhood?
Real tangible words on a piece of paper that we can hold, are the kind that stay with us forever.
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