# Regular Mailbox Surprises **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 7, 2023, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regular-mailbox-surprises/994243 "2023-12-07T15:26:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2023, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regular-mailbox-surprises/994243/41 "2023-12-13T14:22:24Z")
Me too. Sent a postcard to a friend, “Hey Bob, The weather is here, wish you were beautiful. -Sitnam”. I haven’t seen him in awhile so he might fall for it for awhile, but no matter what he’ll be the only one he knows with a postcard from there. Years ago when Colbert Report was selling Ted Cruz’s Don’t Be Gay coloring books and I sent one to my liberal parents. It was worth it for the phone call I got from them just by itself, they thought they were on some GOP mailing list despite the 30 blue signs on their front lawn every election. Those moments are priceless. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2023, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regular-mailbox-surprises/994243/42 "2023-12-13T14:45:51Z")
Gee, I get a lot of (pleasant) surprises in the mail. Many catalogs: seeds, plants, Lehman’s (amish homesteading supply), chicken hatcheries, vet supplies, goat supplies, horse supplies, garden tools, Vermont Country Store, Duluth … just lots. A very few subscription magazines – I go in and out of these, most recently Horse, Fine Gardening, Smithsonian, New York Review of Books. Chatty reports from the various organizations I donate to or belong to – the Livestock Conservancy, a monastery, my local food bank, historical society, etc. Many of these as well. And then, I write LETTERS to people. Because I enjoy the act of writing (I’m a fountain pen geek). I used to have a wide correspondence but most of these people are are now dead. I think I only physically write to four people regularly now. However, they write back, and getting real letters in the mail is always a lovely surprise. Getting my mail and most of my packages requires driving three miles to the town post office, so it is a tiny adventure in and of itself. We buy a majority of objects not food or animal feed via mail order, so there’s very often a box or two waiting as well. Presently I am composing my annual hand-written, illustrated (with pen and ink) Christmas letter, which quite a few people have told me is the only one they look forward to. Only maybe a third of the forty-odd people write back, but it’s fun to get those too. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2023, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regular-mailbox-surprises/994243/43 "2023-12-13T21:21:36Z")
I can’t say it’s a surprise since it comes every year, but it’s usually in January and it arrived yesterday. I not only participate at Burning Man, I volunteer and the department I work for sends a thank you card that has been signed by some of my fellow volunteers in the department\* plus a souvenir ticket. As part of the staff we get an RFID wristband instead of needing a paper ticket and they are works of art, embossed and foil-stamped to cut down on counterfeit tickets. The cards are sent in a bundle to various locations around the country where signing parties are held. I have participated in some of these but was unable to make it this year. \*Stamped, usually. There are about 800 cards. [![](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/7WYAAOSwgvFk1CZb/s-l1600.jpg) ](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/7WYAAOSwgvFk1CZb/s-l1600.jpg) [![](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ae895b79f8770436b7c802f/1529255005471-RHRT1JSJTUP7WYZNGUYU/burningmanticket.jpg) ](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ae895b79f8770436b7c802f/1529255005471-RHRT1JSJTUP7WYZNGUYU/burningmanticket.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2023, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regular-mailbox-surprises/994243/44 "2023-12-13T21:58:53Z")
Those are seriously cool! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regular-mailbox-surprises/994243.md?page=2)