Saying thank you to a mail carrier is an easy and thoughtful way to share the holiday spirit with others
Through snow and rain, heat, and gloom of night, your local mail carriers deliver your letters and packages directly to your door (or at least your nearest mailbox). And, during the season of goodwill and cheer, they deserve major props. From mail carrier thank you cards to gifts for mail carriers, here are six ways to thank your mail carrier. The best part? All of these are easy for kids and fun, too (think baking cookies!).
Write a letter!
Even if you don't know your mail person by name, you can still address them in a general way, such as "Our Favorite Mailman" or "Our Faithful Carrier." A simple note that says how much you appreciate the hard work they do (extra cute if your kids can write it out) will go a long way in making your postal worker feel special. Put it in an envelope and use stickers instead of stamps. (After all, they love mail, right?) You can also nab this free, downloadable template if you need a little help!
As always, a thank you card is a lovely gesture. Let the kids draw a little picture or get creative or use a printable like this one to make a little note to attach to the flag of your mailbox. If you can afford it, add a $10 or $15 gift card for somewhere like Amazon or a nearby coffee shop in the envelope. Be sure and do something OBVIOUS to make it clear it's not a regular piece of mail.
Include a Gift Card
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If you can afford it, add a $10 or $15 gift card to somewhere like Target or a nearby coffee shop with the letter or the card. Be sure and do something obvious to make it clear it's not a regular piece of mail. Mail carriers are not legally allowed to accept single gifts valued at over $20 so keep that in mind.
A thoughtful gift (again, under $20) is another simple way to let them know you're thinking of them. Consider things like warm gloves, an insulated mug, cozy socks, or a new water bottle.
Bake Something Special
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Leave cookies in the box or on the doorstep with a clearly marked sign. Be sure to seal them in something, even a ziplock or paper bag decorated with stickers works, and attach a note that says thanks! It's a good idea to list the ingredients in case of allergies or food sensitivities.
Say It Out Loud
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Shout it out! If you're home when the mail comes, be sure to say, "Thank you!" Get the kids in the habit of saying it, too. You can always throw open a window and shout it out. A little gesture of kindness and gratitude like this can go a long way on a long day.
Spoiler alert: If your kids can read, do not let them read about how to send letters to Santa. Read this post in secret!
You stay up late wrapping presents in secret and make a show of setting out cookies and milk, but there’s one more thing you can do to prove Santa is real. This year, take the classic letter to Santa to a new level by not only sending it but also making sure your kiddos receive a response from the Jolly Old Elf himself. The USPS has an awesome program in place and if you’ve never done it before, this is your year. Here’s what you need to know.
Step 1: Write the letter to Santa!
First things first: write the letter to Santa. Kids that can’t write yet can dictate to parents and spend a little time decorating the letter with stickers or a drawing. If your kiddos are learning their letters, you can always have them trace over some of the words. For kiddos that can write, make sure they have enough paper on hand but try and keep it to one page. Remember, this does not have to be a list of all the things they want for Christmas. They can also just send a letter thanking Santa for his hard work or asking him what his life is like. Be creative!
Have them put their letter in an envelope, addressed to:
Santa Claus North Pole
Try to avoid sealing this envelope without being too obvious.
Step 2: Write a response to your child.
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Okay, here’s the spoiler part! Using your stealth parenting-in-the-night skills, the same ones that power you to wrap presents and fill stockings undetected, you will need to write out the response from Santa (disguise your writing if you think necessary) and place it in an envelope addressed to your child with a return address of Santa Claus, North Pole.
Make sure you put a stamp on this envelope: The current rate is 66 cents, or use a Forever stamp.
Tip: USPS suggests writing the response from Santa on the back of your child’s letter to save space and to make sure your kiddo will remember what they wrote (plus this way you get to keep it without giving anything away!).
Place everything into a larger envelope (like a Priority Mail Flat Rate or manilla envelope) and make sure there is adequate postage. A flat rate is great because you can buy the postage online and print the label, saving you a trip to the post office.
Remember, in your envelope, you will have:
1 letter to Santa in an envelope addressed to Santa
1 response from Santa in an envelope addressed to a child with an actual postage stamp (and Santa’s return address)
Address this larger envelope to:
North Pole Postmark Postmaster 4141 Postmark Dr. Anchorage, Ak 99530-9998
The rest is up to Santa’s busy elves at the Postal Service.
Important: The USPS recommends having the letters sent no later than Dec. 1 so that they can arrive at the Anchorage, AK office in time.
The USPS also operates Operation Santa, a letter-writing program for any kid in need. Children can write to a specific address and make requests. They even have a letter-writing kit. To learn more about this program, or to answer letters and donate to kids in need, click here.
Every kid loves getting something addressed to them in the mail, but what if they received correspondence from a real astronaut? Thanks to NASA’s pen pal program, they can write and receive answers from real, live astronauts. It’s a great way to keep kids interested in science, and if a letter does come back, it’s a pretty cool item for the family “brag board.”
Step One: Pick an astronaut
Have your kids look through the list of astronauts on at NASA’s website and read through their bios to see what each one does. Maybe your kids want to know what it’s like to live on the Space Station. Maybe they are more interested in the engineering and problem-solving that goes into making a rocket fly. Picking an astronaut who deals with exactly your kid’s interests makes the NASA pen pal program process even more fun.
Step Two: Decide what to ask their astronaut of choice
Once you’ve picked your lucky astronaut, you should help your kids compose their letter (or have them write it on their own if they’re old enough). The best bet is to ask a specific question that an astronaut can answer. (Check out this amazing two-page letter one four-year-old received after her dad helped her write a letter to NASA scientist Dr. David Williams with a question about a probe headed to Jupiter’s moons.) Kids can think about what they’ve learned in school to help draft their questions. You can also make a request for an autographed photo from current astronauts who are in training or are assigned to an upcoming flight.
Step Three: Address and mail the letter to the NASA office
Any mail and photo requests can be sent to:
NASA Johnson Space Center
CB/Astronaut Office
Houston, TX 77058
You can make it easier on the astronauts by including a self-addressed and stamped return envelope.
Social distancing is good for our health, but not getting as many hugs is hard on everyone! Whether your loved ones live across the country or across the street, this easy card will brighten someone’s day. Read on for the simple tutorial.
What you’ll need:
White card stock paper
Construction paper, various colors
Printer to print picture*
Glue or tape
Markers
Scissors
*Don’t have a printer — or want a more traditional hug card? Check out this adorable and simple “Hug In An Envelope” project from MummyDeals.com.
Step 1: Trace those hugging arms
Have your kids put both hands (and as much of the arms as can fit) onto a piece of colored construction paper. Trace, then cut out along the lines.
Tip: Want to make a few cards at once? Just stack a few sheets together and cut them all simultaneously.
Step 2: Strike a pose… then cut it out
Get those adorable huggers against a wall and tell them to "Say cheese!" with great, big, outstretched arms. Then, print out your photo and cut out your little person's picture.
Step 3: Glue picture onto the card
Fold a piece of card stock paper in half to make an instant-card. Then, glue your child's picture onto the inside so that your kiddo's outstretched arms fit onto the page (if one or both arms goes over the edge of the paper a little, it's OK to cut off the overhang — you'll be glueing paper arms on top in the next step anyway).
Note: You could end the project here and you’ve got a pretty awesome card to personalize and send to the grandparents. But if you want something that gets you one step closer to a real, live hug, move onto the next step…
Step 4: Give your card some arms
Glue your child's traced arms onto the inside of your card so that they cover the arms on your child’s picture. Then, wherever the arms reach the paper's edge, fold inward so that they stay inside when the card is closed.
Step 5: Get ready for some serious “Awwwwws.”
Have your young scribes decorate the front of the card and write a fitting note to go with their hug. Then, find an oversized envelope that will hold your custom-made greeting and send it to anyone who needs an instant pick-me-up.
I’m writing this as I watch the peach, purple and blue sunrise over the mountains and through a community of Aspen trees that envelope our little cabin in Fairplay, Colorado. Our faithful dog, Harry is by my side and my family is sleeping peacefully. Tomorrow, I’ll be flying my kids, Lily Love (4 years) and Bear (1 year) back home to New York, while my husband James starts his cross country journey home with a truck full of clothes, toys and his four-legged best friend.
It’s been a month here in the mountains and I can safely say, it’s been the greatest time of my life. We, as a family journeyed here, connected to ourselves, each other and all the beauty around us. We became a more loving family and are now ready to spread that loving energy, like mists of powdery snow, sparkling all around.
Was it easy? Hell no. But nothing great ever is.
My husband and I have worked very hard for a lifestyle that allows us to work remotely. We both have our own businesses and an amazing support team that allows us to make this great escape. We purchase our Epic ski season passes 6 months in advance and rent a sweet little cabin deep in the woods, thanks to VRBO, where we negotiated a discounted rate for the longer stay. The cabin is about an hour outside of the Breckinridge Ski Mountain, making our stay more affordable and the drive to and from is nothing short of awe-inspiring.
While here, our daughter, Lily Love learned to ski and now loves the sport, weaving fearlessly in and out of trees. She went from crushing the bunny slope to being able to tackle groomed black diamond runs. She amazes us and has blown any expectations out of the water—children have a way of doing that.
Our son, Bear had his first experience skiing and although it took us almost 2 hours to get down the slope, due to his tiny skis falling off the chairlift, lots of picking up and resetting and a long, luxurious hot cocoa break, he did it and must have said “woaahhhh” a dozen times. My husband and I didn’t ski together once, as we took turns with our kids but that was perfectly fine, as it was incredible to witness the profound learning going on and to finally see our family having fun together and simply loving this beautiful life together. It was and will be a gift that never stops giving.
Even though my daughter proclaims her favorite moments were “swooshing” and eating Skittles on the chairlift, my favorite moments were far simpler. My son, who used to sleep in a crib, now loves snuggling up close to his big sister in a big bed and we now all enjoy stargazing under a “blanket of stars.” Lily Love’s favorite toy this whole trip was a giant icicle that grew bigger than her off the side of our cabin.
And more than anything, I was able to understand and appreciate what an amazing father my husband is and to see him become the best version of himself when given the time and space. That, to me is the greatest gift of all—allowing myself and my family the sacred opportunity to be, just be.
To play, to relax, to wander, to push the limits and to do something differently. To do it our way.
I’m a beauty hunter, a dreamer, a learner and a doer. I'm also a mama to 2 wild ones (Lily Love + Bear). As a self proclaimed forest fairy + forest school founder, I believe in nature and magic and know that growth happens when you step outside of your comfort zone.
Whether it’s located on an accent wall, behind the door or you’ve dedicated and entire corner of your home to it, a family command center (aka: the place where everyone goes to stay in the know) is the key to staying organized. Never get caught heading to practice on the wrong day or showing up late a meeting again thanks to these clever, essential items every family needs.
To define the space, @MImodfarmhouse used wallpaper on a small accent wall and then added all the essentials for a family command center. Dry erase calendar? Check. Baskets to maintain clothing madness? Check. An envelope to hold letters and other small essentials that come in and go out of the house? Check check check. To get the look, scroll below.
Baskets, shelves and a chalkboard calendar has set up Hello It's Bailey Jo's family command center for success. While some families opt for a more utilitarian look, we love that this version blends seamlessly into the style and decor of the rest of the house. Scroll below to shop a similar look.
Rainbow bright stripes separate each family member's own personal drop zone in Oh Joy!'s DIY family check-in station, guaranteeing an awesome and organized start to each day. Handy cubbies down below wait with necessities, and magnetic walls above hold keys, lists, and reminders. We love that you can mix this one up to fit your family's needs, from picking your fave colors to adding extra cubes for storage. Check out all the step-by-step instructions at Oh Joy!
Put together this family command center in less time than it takes to deliver a pizza to your front door. This color-coordinated scheduler has all of the essentials—a place to put loose papers, a handy message board, a calendar—without the sweat or expense some others require.
Ikea's Svensas magnetic white memo board is the secret ingredient that can take your family command center from good to great. These affordable magnetic boards can be hung horizontally or vertically, and they're big enough to hold everything from your child's most recent masterpiece to field trip permission slips. Hang one over a desk and put a calendar plus to-do list on it, or put one over the shoe bins in your mudroom.
The brilliant organizational wizards at The Home Edit put together this modern simple command center that you can fit just about anywhere. A rolling cart is reimagined as a family catch-all while a whiteboard calendar tracks important dates and a rolling wicker basket makes a perfect drop zone for loose papers and preschool backpacks. Check out The Home Edit's tips to create your own command center.
Give an old letter sorter new life with an electric jolt. This rustic charging station will keep cords corralled and electronic devices ready to go. It's stylish enough that you won't mind seeing it on your counter and big enough that it'll hold all your devices. Go to Driven by Decor to find out how you can create your own custom charging station.
A family command center doesn't have to take up space in the kitchen, laundry room or mud room. We love that Jaclyn of Coffee, Pancakes, and Dreams used a wall that leads to the basement to work as her family's command center. With chalkboard paint, clipboards to hold chore charts and a shiny envelope awaiting loose papers, the command center put things in their place. Check out the step-by-step on Jaclyn's blog and as a bonus, get a set of free printable chore charts.
February is a busy month for the Tooth Fairy. Not only is she keeping up with all those lost teeth, but she’s celebrating Children’s Dental Health Month and Feb. 28––National Tooth Fairy Day!
In honor of this special time of month, Hold the Magic wants to give parents a way to provide a more meaningful experience beyond finding a few coins under the pillow. The website has everything you need to bring your family’s tooth fairy to life!
Hold The Magic wants to make losing teeth and an encounter with the tooth fairy more than just about money, and more about keeping childhood wonder alive with tiny gifts and stories that deliver lots of memories and a little bit of magic.
Each set is imported directly from Fairyland with gifts for three Tooth Fairy visits in each set. You’ll find a gold bag that holds a miniature treasure, a tiny Tooth Fairy letter in a sparkly envelope with a positive life lesson and of course, Fairy Dust to sprinkle lightly.
You can shop the entire selection of gifts at holdthemagic.com for $29 each. Overnight shipping is always an option, because you never know when your little might lose a tooth!
Lunar New Year begins Feb. 12. Panda Express has teamed up with Joy Cho, the Founder and Creative Director of Oh Joy! to create Lunar New Year kits so the whole family can join in on celebrating the holiday this year. The kits launch today, Jan. 11 and will be available online via the Panda Express Swag Shop.
The celebration kits include exclusive Oh Joy! child and adult aprons (hand-designed by Joy), a recipe book (including a mochi donut recipe by Joy), 8 red envelope cards with good fortunes, 15 days of LNY celebration calendar and activity ideas (including a confetti cannon developed by Joy, see below), Panda Cub Club activity sheets, and more!
“Growing up in an Asian American household, my family honored Lunar New Year traditions and built lasting memories that I cherish to this day,” said Joy Cho, founder and creative director of lifestyle brand Oh Joy! “I was thrilled when Panda Express asked me to collaborate with them to bring the vibrant celebration of Lunar New Year to families nationwide. Each year, I look forward to the memorable moments spent with my children and hope this box helps inspire and to bring joy to others this holiday.”
The total value of the curated Lunar New Year Celebration Kit is over $125 containing exclusive offers worth over $55 dollars. You can get this limited-edition kit for $50.88 plus shipping (within the U.S.) at PandaExpress.com today until supplies last. Panda Express will also be offering free shipping on all orders starting today January 11 for a limited time with the promo code PXLNYJOY.
The holidays are about traditions. Some holiday traditions are generic and some are unique to the family, some are old and some new. At some point, the job of passing on these traditions shifts from the grandparents, to parents of young children. It’s not discussed, it just happens that way. Family traditions need repetition in order to carry on, much like good habits need repetition to stick. In our half Jewish family, we do a great job with the traditions surrounding Christmas, but we are lousy about lighting the menorah at Hanukkah. This year we only remembered the first day, shame on us.
Actually, shame on my husband and me, because we need to be the ones to carry out these traditions so that they become ingrained in our children’s experience of the holidays. It’s that whole lead by example thing. Something else the kids won’t continue to do, if we don’t, and that is to properly thank their relatives for gifts received.
It’s easy to open a box under the tree, but someone made an effort to pick the gift out. Maybe they even waited in an irritatingly long line at the post office to mail it. They didn’t do it for the recognition, they did it out of love. In my opinion, they deserve more than an email or a text. Yes, even if the gift arrived in an Amazon box.
Grandparents, aunts and uncles love receiving a physical note of acknowledgement of the gifts they sent. It’s not as good as a hug or a phone call, but it is still personal. Children may not be enthusiastic about writing thank you cards, I know mine are not. They may not know what to say. They may not know how to address an envelope.
Strategies for Helping Kids Write Thank You Notes
Pre-address the envelopes for your young children. Small children love applying the stamp.
Show your older children how to address the envelope and where you keep addresses of relatives.
Write out a simple script for your younger children to follow when writing the card. Ask your child to write something specific about the gift they received (I have already built my new Star Wars Lego set) or something that they like about the giver (thanks uncle Joe, I love that you play guitar too, maybe we can play together soon).
Have the cards ready to be tackled after snack time or before video game time on the weekend.
My neighbor used this brilliant strategy: Insert a few family photos into a Word document and print out enough copies as you need cards to send. Place the printouts on the kitchen counter with a sticky note of who the recipient is. In assembly line fashion have each member of the family hand write a short note to the recipient and ta da!
Order your children their very own personalized stationery, especially as they get ready to go off to college! Tell them where to buy postage stamps (other than the post office).
Personal thank you notes show gratitude and reaffirm connections with relatives. Hopefully this good habit turns into a tradition in our family. My hope is that one day, when I am the grandma or someone’s distant aunt, someone much younger than me will keep up this tradition and maintain a connection with those older or living far away.
I am a professional home organizer at Simplify Experts, a blogger, and a mom of two boys ages 11 and 13. I blog about home organizing for busy families, especially those impacted by ADHD.
I came home the other day to find a white envelope sitting on my front doorstep—its bright whiteness caught my attention immediately and I hesitated to pick it up. When I unfolded the note from inside, I immediately wondered if this writer had ever mailed a letter before; the plain, unlined paper was folded in the most unintuitive way.
In looping blue handwriting it literally said:
“We are all so disappointed in how you have let this beautiful front yard go down the tabes. We pride in our neighborhood and were so proud of the previous owner. Don’t let this street go to waste!! Please!! gin pride to our street and ownership.”
After spending 18 months house hunting, putting in seven unsuccessful offers on other houses, we took a long break from looking for a place to buy. It was with great hesitation when we started looking again, and it was with mixed emotions that we submitted an offer on our current home.
My husband and I debated as to how much money to put down. I wanted to keep cash on hand to proceed with egg donation, after the crippling realization that I was just too damn old to have a second baby. My husband thought it would be best to put more money down and finance the egg donation. I cried and then agreed that in the long run, it would make more financial sense.
Ten days after moving in, at the end of January 2020, my husband was laid off without notice and given one final paycheck.
My anger turned to the house. I hated the house. I had three bedrooms but no baby to place in the third bedroom. I cried. I went to therapy.
Six weeks later my son’s preschool shut down due to COVID. The next day I was sent to work from home. We quarantined. It was a wet spring with lots of rain. Spring turned to summer. We stayed home. The 4th of July came without fireworks and the heat of the summer brought the end of July, along with a single file line of tall weeds between the garden’s front wall and the sidewalk, the unexpected diagnosis of my mom’s brain tumor, and the bright white envelope on my doorstep—four days before my mom’s surgery.
My anger was hot and quick—every neighbor turned into a suspect, and any peace that I had made with this house and its bedroom void of a crib was shattered. I penned a response the same night:
“Dear Passive-Aggressive Neighbor and author of the above note which you anonymously left on my porch,
If you have a problem with my yard, my house, my cars, my dog, my kid or my family, knock & talk to me. Talking is neighborly and achieves results.
We pride ourselves on a well-educated neighborhood and neighbors who spell correctly. So please use your spare time to work on your spelling and grammar. There are multiple mistakes in your short note.
1. Disappointed is spelled with one “s”
2. It’s “down the tubes” not “tabes”
3. Gin is a beverage, “give” is a verb
4. And the sentence should read, “we TAKE pride in our ….”
I’m homeschooling my son, while working, supporting my family on a single income, and caring for a sick parent but I have time to tutor you as well since you obviously need it. Please knock and we can arrange your first tutoring session.
Sincerely,
Your neighbor”
I bought poster board and fantasized about posting both notes in the front yard.
My mom had her surgery, her attempt at recovery, the discovery of a bacterial infection on her brain, a second surgery, and the note ate away at me in the back of my mind. My neighborhood was no longer a place of comfort where I could get out of my car in proximity of my house coming back from my mom’s and feel relief that I was home. I felt guarded. My house was no longer the place where I could be as is; I stubbornly forbid my husband to pull the weeds, but he did it anyway.
And I felt the tiredness of it, of having a young kid and an old parent, watching a savings account disappear and not knowing what happens when it runs out, being old and infertile, but junior staff in my third career, of losing the safe space of community, of being judged. But mostly I felt tired of greeting the world with kindness and feeling minimal returns.
August has turned into September. My mom’s doing well and my son started Kindergarten online. Some days, I still fantasize about posting both notes in the front yard but for now, the poster board has been put to use for a Kindergarten project. And some nights I still dream about holding a tiny baby in that third bedroom, but most days I know I’m just too damn tired for that, and the third bedroom makes a nice home office.
And two days ago I found out the neighbors on either side of me, both single retired men, each got a note as well. We had the best neighborly chat on the sidewalk comparing notes. It is a different kind of community than I had hoped for, but it sure was fun!
I live with my husband, son and dog! When not at my desk working, I can be found in the backyard playing lava-guys or ice climbers. I have a day job, but being a mom is my favorite job!