Mail continued to bring people together this year.
Two women who are both 60 and live about 1,300 miles apart got together in 2018 after sustaining a 50-year relationship almost entirely through letters.
“There’s not too many people who have a pen pal for so many years,” one of the women said.
It was also a big year for postcards and greeting cards: a Maine restaurant began requiring customers to request reservations via postcard; two dads — one in Washington the other in Georgia — each sent daily postcards to their children to stay in touch; and an Indiana man continued his longtime tradition of mailing handmade St. Patrick’s Day cards.
Technology also helped connect people through the mail.
Singer John Mayer went on Instagram to invite people to send him typewritten letters, while up-and-coming musician Lauren Sanderson used social media to encourage her fans to put pen to paper and mail her handwritten notes.
Elsewhere, a Cleveland woman created an Instagram account to celebrate people who love letters, while a Seattle man blogged about visiting more than 340 mailboxes in his city.
Meanwhile, once word went viral on social media that a World War II veteran in Montrose, MI, was about to celebrate his 100th birthday, well-wishers flooded his mailbox with thousands of mailpieces.
“We have to take a truck to the Post Office to pick up the mail,” his thrilled daughter said.