Happy Monday, again. I love Mondays, as they’re my 52 Chances a year, in which I get to share Memories of My Mom with you.
Being the second week of 2026, this is, among other things, Universal Letter Writing Week. This observance encourages us to write letters to family and friends (or even just in a diary or journal) to celebrate the lost custom of writing letters.
Incidentally, World Letter Writing Day is another opportunity to celebrate it, again, falling annually on September 1st. The basic uses for letter writing have always been to exchange information, ask questions, share news with family and friends, or conduct business.
No one teaches the etiquette of writing letters the way they did in the 1700s. During the 18th to 20th centuries, letter writing was the only way to communicate over long distances – until phones became common household items around the 1950s, thus, writing was thought of as an important skill to have for effective communication.
Among the things I inherited from my parents were their (and their parents’) treasured letters, post cards, and greeting cards. These were all valuable memorabilia to them, as they are to me, now. I have my own saved letters from a pen pal I started writing to in my early teen years. She lived in Delaware, at the time, and I was in Michigan.
We’ve known each other about 50 years – writing about everything under the sun, like we would in our diaries – yet we’ve never met in person. We started emailing each other in the late 1990s then we became Facebook friends. Although we don’t write letters anymore, we continue to “write” to each other on Facebook and Messenger.
Handwritten letters will always hold a unique emotional value for many people – I think that’s even more true among the historians and the Baby Boomers’ generation. As the frequency of letter writing dwindles, a letter’s value consequently increases. This brings to mind the old adage: “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.”
Have you ever been a pen pal? According to Wikipedia.org, pen pals “are people who regularly write to each other, particularly via postal mail. Pen pals are usually strangers whose relationship is based primarily, or even solely, on their exchange of letters.”
The term, “pen pals” (which began as “pen friends” in the 1920s), has steadily been around since the late 1930s; thanks to the Student Letter Exchange society, which formed in 1936 to help people find suitable pen pals.
The SLE helped students from different countries connect through letters, learning about each other’s cultures, while improving reading and writing skills. Many pen pal relationships start when we’re young, from a brief friendship at summer camp or as strangers that never met, through a school writing program or magazine ad. Nowadays, they’re online.
My first experience, being a pen pal, was when I was in 5th grade and “assigned” a pen pal who was also in 5th grade but in another state. That was through a national school writing program. We only corresponded for the one semester. It was wonderful, getting mail addressed to me. I loved reading about my new friend’s life in another state.
We learned about each other’s likes and dislikes, families and friends, as well as school and community events. I loved being and having a pen pal. I wrote to several others throughout the years afterward, most of whom I found through ads in various teen magazines.
As we got older and busier, most of us stopped writing. That happens often, among pen pals, as well as with in-person friends. Seldom do people ever maintain friendships from their childhood into their teen years or beyond. Mom was personal friends AND pen pals with one of her classmates that had moved to New York after graduation.
Mom also offered a monthly pen pal exchange section in her newsletter, during its first year of publication, in 1974. In addition, she always encouraged my own pen pal friendships when I was growing up.
At MarthaStewart.com, How to Find a Modern-Day Pen Pal, by Alexandra Lim-Chua Wee (April 16, 2019), is a great source from which to start, if you’re feeling nostalgic and want to establish a pen pal relationship – with a peer, an active military member or veteran, a senior citizen, a “shut-in”, or someone from another country are some examples.
If you’ve never been a pen pal, you may be wondering: “What should I write about in my first letter?” I suggest starting with where you found their details. Then begin your initial introduction with the basics of who you are – name, age, occupation (or grade, if a student), where you’re from, a little about your family/pets (if any).
Next, share your common interests and other details about yourself, such as hobbies, likes, and dislikes. You can also write about what your typical day is like. Ask your pen pal some questions about their life. Don’t overdo it, though. Save some information/news for the next letter, too.
Did you know that reading and writing have many physical, mental, and emotional benefits. They’re simple “workouts” that stimulate brain function. It’s a wonderful way for seniors (or anyone) to exercise their minds and hands. Writing is also known to help with cognitive memory function and putting your life’s events into perspective.
Mom wrote in her journals on a daily basis, like she was writing to a friend. After she got dementia it was difficult for her to relearn a lot of things, like her crocheting skills, but not writing. Her journaling became limited in content but she continued to write every day, for as long as she physically could. Writing was one of her greatest loves.
Writing about the day’s events or current affairs helps to keep one’s mind sharp, while improving communication skills, productivity, and overall happiness. Writing is also known to decrease stress and anxiety. It was that way for Mom, as it is for me, also. I loved getting stationary sets for birthday and Christmas gifts.
Letter writing has become another one of those dying traditions, especially since the new age explosions of household internet, home computers, and cell phones. Gen Z and newer generations especially love the convenience of technology over manual labor.
The writing of letters has definitely been overtaken by technology, texts, and social media platforms – basically due to their speed and convenience. In fact, these days, with the ease and access of AI, letter writing has been increasingly more usurped.
In fact, AOL’s announcement, “You’ve got mail”, became a part of the 1990s’ pulp culture craze that led to the 1998, award winning, romantic comedy movie by the same title, starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.
According to Kenneth Watkins’ 2-minute read, Does Anyone Write Letters Anymore?, part of the demise of letter writing, besides the spiraling rise in costs to mail letters, using the USPO, which has been commonly referred to as “snail mail”, is the ease and speed of using emails, instead.
Mom used to think of ALL of her subscribers as friends and family. Thus, she saw her newsletters as long letters to them. Around 1979 or 1980, when she revamped her monthly newsletter from Gloria Pitzer’s National Home News to Gloria Pitzer’s Secret Recipe Report, she decided to begin every newsletter, from then on, as a letter to them.
Subsequently, the first thing by the heading, on the front page, no matter how many times she changed up the newsletter’s format after that, was ALWAYS “Dear Friends” in big letters and, there, she would fill everyone in on the latest personal news about our family or the family business.
FROM MOM’S MEMORIES…
As seen in…
Gloria Pitzer’s Secret Recipe Report (Secret Recipe Report, St. Clair, MI; Issue 84, December 1980; p. 1)
DEAR FRIENDS
HAPPIEST OF HOLIDAYS! I could hardly wait to get the holiday issue off the drawing board and to the printer, feeling (finally) such relief that the best way of all was to return to our original style and format and cut corners someplace else – other than the product, itself!
By the time we replaced the copies, damaged by mailing, of the alternate issues, added the extra postage and increased my daily dosages of Excedrin and Rolaids, it was hardly an economical benefit to us to have tried the alternate routes to avoid inflationary increases.
So we are back to the original layout – and those hundreds of loving and supportive letters from all of you (which we are still trying to answer) helped us to make the decision.
The Dale Carnegie theory that a quality product creates its own demand, makes the optimistic continuation of our recipe research very rewarding. Until we changed the report to the alternate format, I had no idea how our readers treasured the little bits of information… I tuck in between the recipes and food news.
I have read over 1000 letters from our readers in the last few weeks, each urging us to go back to the issues they can file in notebooks to read ‘with relish’, [as] one person said – and ‘like a letter from home…’
Nowadays, most people use email, texts, and social media platforms for corresponding. But some of us “older folk” still prefer the traditional way – handwritten, with pen and paper (maybe even fancy stationary), an envelope, a stamp, and a walk to the mailbox.
It’s the simple things in life – like physically getting or sending a personal letter or card in the postal mail – that still thrill some of us and make us smile, with happy memories of days gone by. Remember when we used to send and receive handwritten greeting cards? They are all becoming dying traditions as technology takes over our lives.
Handwriting and letter writing are becoming things of the past – nostalgia keeps it hanging on by a thin thread, though. In From Me, With Love: The Lost Art of Letter Writing (Nov. 26, 2016), as seen on TheGuardian.com, the author, Jon McGregor, wrote:
“I asked people to send us letters; real letters, written by hand and sent through the post. I sat in the office with my student assistants and waited for the letters to arrive. There was something exciting about sorting through the pile, letters from Canada and the US, from Spain and Germany and France, from Donegal and Dublin and Brighton and Tring. We set to work with the letter knives and started to read. I was hoping that they would, while still being framed as letters, take the form of stories, essays, poems, memoirs, criticism. What actually happened was that almost everyone wrote about the nostalgic and rare pleasure of sitting down to write a letter at all.”
[NOTE: Sunday is, among other things, NATIONAL MICHIGAN DAY.]
MORE FROM MOM’S MEMORIES…
As seen in…
Gloria Pitzer’s Secret Recipe Report (Secret Recipe Report, St. Clair, MI; Volume 8, Number 4; Issue 88, April 1981; p. 6)
[THE MAIL BAG]
THE MAIL BAG INCLUDED a lovely letter from Helen Milliken, wife of the Governor of Michigan, telling us how pleasurable it has been to receive and browse through our monthly “Report”.
She commented that the tips and recipes are marvelous but the added personal touch makes the publication outstanding and offered every good wish for our continued success.
This compliment brought heartfelt tears of appreciation to my eyes, having just spent 6 hours of a sleepless night, trying to compose a reply to the Stouffer Corporation’s attorneys for their forceful attempt to frighten me into admitting to something of which I was not guilty.
Thank you, Helen, for your very thoughtful support and encouragement. Among my cherished memories, will always be [of] the luncheon at your home 8 years ago, with the other members of our Michigan Federation of Press Women, and the most gracious hostess that you were to us.
Our friendship has meant a great deal to me and may I wish you and the Governor – also – continued success in the marvelous job you are both doing for Michigan – and its history. Thank you.
LAST THOUGHTS…
Thanks for visiting! I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about my memories of my mom, her memories, and other related things. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email me at therecipedetective@outlook.com. You can also find me on Facebook: @TheRecipeDetective.
IN CLOSING…
In honor of TODAY, being National Marzipan Day, here’s Mom’s secret recipe for Marzipan Candy; as seen in her self-published newsletter, Gloria Pitzer’s Secret Recipes Newsletter (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; Nov.-Dec. 1997, p. 10). As always, I’m asking only for proper credit if you care to re-share it.
P.S. Food-for-thought until next Monday…
The month of January observes… National Blood Donor Month, National Hobby Month, National Hot Tea Month, National Mentoring Month, National Oatmeal Month, National Slow Cooking Month, National Soup Month, National Sunday Supper Month, and more.
The second week of January (11th-17th, for 2026) celebrates, among other things… National Mocktail Week and National Pizza Week, which always start on the second Sunday of the year.
Today is also… National Curried Chicken Day. Plus, as the second Monday in January (for 2026), it’s also… National Clean Off Your Desk Day.
Tomorrow is… Korean American Day, National Peach Melba Day, and National Sticker Day. Plus, as the second Tuesday in January (for 2026), it’s also… Shop for Travel Day.
Wednesday, January 14th, is… National Dress Up Your Pet Day, National Hot Pastrami Sandwich Day, and National Ratification Day.
January 15th is… National Bagel Day, National Booch Day, National Hat Day, and National Strawberry Ice Cream Day. Plus, as the third Thursday of the first quarter (for 2026), it’s also… Get to Know Your Customers Day.
Friday, January 16th, is… National Fig Newton Day, National Nothing Day, and National Religious Freedom Day.
January 17th is… National Bootlegger’s Day and National Hot Buttered Rum Day. Plus, as the third Saturday in January (for 2026), it’s also… National Use Your Gift Card Day.
Sunday, January 18th, is… National Peking Duck Day and National Thesaurus Day. Plus, as the start of the third week (for 2026), it’s also the start of… Hunt for Happiness Week, National Healthy Weight Week, World Kiwanis Week, and National Fresh Squeezed Juice Week.
Have a great week!
…2 down, 50 to go!
