The Mailbox Should Feel Special Again
I want to make sure the magic of handwritten mail has a place in the next generation. A place where kids can slow down, create, and express themselves without pressure. A chance to step away from screens, put pen to paper, and find a little comfort in the simplicity of making something just because. And along the way, they get to experience the other side of the magic.. the excitement of checking the mailbox and finding something with their name handwritten on it. Something meant just for them, reminding them that someone, somewhere, was thinking of them.
Why snail mail still matters
When I moved away from my nephew, I didn't want our relationship to shrink down to a phone screen. I wanted him to feel like I was still right there cheering him on, asking about his day, making him laugh. So I started sending him letters.
In a world of instant messages and disappearing stories, something written by hand is different. It's physical. It's permanent. It's proof that someone slowed down and thought of you. A letter from a grandparent, a drawing from a little cousin, a recipe from a neighbor, a postcard from someone who loves you.. these things get saved in shoeboxes and passed down for generations. That kind of connection doesn't have a notification. It just has meaning.
Auntie Mail Club is my way of sharing that with every family.
I'm Aunt Shae
I'm a dedicated aunt to my nephew Waylon and my niece Lexie, and to the many kids who have adopted me as their Aunt Shae along the way. I married my best friend on the Fourth of July, 2021, and though our journey looks a little different than most, we've found so much fulfillment in being an aunt and uncle.
I sit right in the middle of generations.. old enough to treasure handwritten mementos, young enough to watch them disappear. I have my Mimi's handwriting tattooed on me, because that's really all I have left of her that feels truly personal. Besides her voice, it's her writing. That's what she left behind that no one can take.
I got tired of opening the mailbox and finding nothing but bills and junk. I wanted to change that & to bring a little brightness to a place that had stopped feeling special. And I love watching kids' faces when they get something in the mail that was made just for them. I write letters that ask real questions, that make them think a little deeper, that challenge them in the best way.
We're entering an era of nostalgia, and I truly believe handwritten mail cannot be a lost art. I won't let it be.
Aunt Shae — founder, letter-writer, and keeper of the lost art of snail mail.
What I know to be true
Slow is good
We can celebrate the unhurried pace of letter writing. There's no notification, no read receipt, just the sweet anticipation of waiting for a reply.
Every child can create
You don't need perfect spelling or fancy handwriting. You just need something to say. Sometimes, you don't even need words. We give kids the prompts and the confidence to put it on paper.
Connection is the point
Letters build real relationships. Between kids, between families, between generations. We're in the business of bringing people closer.
"I just want kids to know what it feels like to find something in the mailbox that was made just for them."
No screens. No notifications. Just the thrill of creating something with your own hands, sealing it up, and sending it to someone who can't wait to open it. Physical memories that last a lifetime.