I’m a fountain pen snob. Snob might be too strong a word: I write with other, more pedestrian instruments much of the time without breaking out into a sweat. But I love my fountain pens. I have too many of them. I use the ink from the bottle (this ink, typically). It gets on my hands sometimes. I love it.

Anyway, I also actually write letters, by hand (even with my poor handwriting). Sure, I do a lot of email, but I still default to (fountain)pen and paper for many things. I enjoy it.

Maggi Dawn has a delightful Garrison Keillor quote up today on her blog:

The first step in writing letters is to get over the guilt of not writing. You don’t “owe” anybody a letter. Letters are a gift.

Sure, we don’t owe anyone a letter. You can call, email, text, whatever. Or not communicate. But writing a letter is a special thing. Part of that gift is the time and thought put into writing it, thinking about it, engaging it. Email is fast-food communication; the letter, more ideally an elegant meal.  Something for me to ponder…

…As I thought about it on the drive home, I can think of a few people I know and love whom I’ve not seen or spoken to in a while. A letter to them might be a nice Christmas gift.