WHAT ARE THEY? WHAT ARE EXAMPLES? 

Love letters are a timeless tradition for holidays like Valentine’s Day and even just random occasions as a gesture of appreciation.  It takes only a pen and paper to write for someone you admire. 

There is a common misconception that it has to be a risky declaration of love or a confession. While this can be true, that isn’t the necessary requirement to make a love letter. It can be short, simple, for anyone you love, not just romantic partners, but also a good friend on their birthday. 

The tradition of writing love letters is ancient, the first documented love letter was a poem written in Ancient Mesopotamia, in a land called Sumer around 2000 BC.  Back then communicating love through poems was very common.

It was written by a wife-to-be who while she was apart from the man she was in love with.  Lovers away at war sending a series of love letters to wives is common in this day and age, just as it was in Ancient Greece, a nameless warrior in the fabled Trojan War sent three letters to his wife recounting what he has seen, and how he has missed her through it all.  

“For it was a crime that Helen was stolen away from her love. But where is my war? For I have been stolen away from you.”

People argue that nowadays there has been a decline in the art of handwritten love while others say there shows no change. 

CHANGES IN TIME

Mrs. McCord, an English teacher who also teaches college level classes, spoke about her own experience in regards to love letters, particularly in her teenage years to determine a potential change or lack thereof. 

“It was not romantic love letters, but I mean, people would pass notes in class that were flirtatious,” McCord said. 

Today, most love letters are not as symbolic or made for complex traditions but merely a note, card, or other physical writing expressing the feelings a person brings you or what you like about them.  Even a small piece of honest and kind physical writing counts. 

McCord was also asked if she thinks teens write love letters less.

 “I think they express their feelings less in writing than they used to.  I don’t know about a formal love letter,”  McCord said. 

To dive deeper, a survey was conducted to hear from the students themselves. 

The survey showed that 58.8% of all teens in the study had never received a love letter.  On the other hand, 52.9% had never written one.  It’s also important to note that the majority of the survey was taken by females and about only about a third of the takers picked either male or other.  Nearly half of the survey takers were Sophomores and the other half was made up of one fourth juniors and another fourth being seniors with a tiny percentage making up the freshmen.  A question that received a surprising response was, “Would you like to receive/write a love letter?”  The response showed that 76.5% answered ‘yes’ and 23.5% answered ‘no.’  

Liam Owens, a senior student, also participated and added, “Probably the reason why a lot of guys don’t do that is that’s very vulnerable.  Obviously some people would be afraid to end up in a text message screenshot.” 

Isabella Simmons, a senior student, says she believes, “I think it’s because it’s seen as embarrassing, like it’s very mushy, or too lovey-dovey.  People wanna be cool, or not seen as too cringey or anything.”

Liam and Isabella are not the only ones who can vouch for these perspectives.  The survey takers who selected ‘no’ when they were asked if they are interested in receiving or writing a love letter, revealed data that lines up with the students who were interviewed. 

The reasons behind their selection ranged from believing love letters were too cringey, too vulnerable, or simply thinking there was no point in doing them. 

WHY DO PEOPLE WANT THEM? 

Despite there being various reasons for people to avoid them, there are plenty of people who provide great reasons for wanting to be part of the experience or encourage the art of love letters to prosper.

Katherine Keller, a junior, thinks more people should step up to the task.  

“Because we need more good writing today. You need to just be able to express your love, and that’s a very good way to do it because it takes time, effort, yeah,” Keller said. 

Survey takers answered similarly to Katherine when asked why they want one. The people who answered ‘yes’ think love letters are a great idea because they’re something you can have to cherish forever and they’re a thoughtful form of expressing appreciation for someone. 

A majority of the males and those who picked the ‘other’ option who took the survey were not interested in receiving or giving a love letter. Although, almost every female survey taker said that they would be interested in doing either. It might benefit both parties to give it a try and see what it does for you. 

WHAT MAKES A GOOD LOVE LETTER? 

The action of writing the letter itself isn’t what makes it count.  You have to have the intention to make a lasting impact along with other special qualities.

Gabriel Whittenton, a sophomore who has written love letters, was asked if he believes they’re hard to create.  “No, not at all.  It takes about ten minutes to do it, you tell somebody what’s really on your mind, and it’s really not that difficult,” Whittenton said. 

Along with creating a lasting impact through your writing, a quality that should be kept in mind is honesty.  It creates an authentic effect that allows someone to connect individual compliments to the person giving it. 

Mrs. McCord also gave meaningful input on what she thinks makes a good love letter during her interview. 

“Someone who tells you they love you should be able to tell you why.  Like I love the way you care about things, I love the way your mind works when you’re seeking an answer to something, or your personality, something that’s not just; you’re cute,” McCord said. 

According to the survey, digging into your true feelings is a quality that many seek in others.  The females who took the survey in particular were mostly interested in love letters because they think the effort of someone saying their true  feelings about them is a quality that they seek.

Charlotte Haga, a freshman, explained what she believes needs to be put into a love letter. 

 “It’s almost like an extra way to show that you care for that person […] it’s more than just saying ‘I love you’ it’s showing why and how you love this person,” Haga said.” 

Love letters will always be a meaningful tradition for people who celebrate the ones they love.  No matter how or if people choose to do it, everyone should remember the value of written expression and the connections that can be made with it.