Welcome to February!
Ahh February. The month of love. Obviously, the idea revolves around Valentine's Day, the pillar of romance and endearment. But what was originally a holiday meant to celebrate the love between couples has blossomed into a whole movement called, Feb-YOU-ary, promoting the importance of self-care - be it in health and wellness, self-indulgence or investing in the friendships we cherish just as deeply as our spouse.
In matching the theme of the month, let's put a new twist on an old favorite (a specialty here at A Milkhouse Party!), the love letter.
Love Letters.
Everyone can relate to the romance of a love letter. They are a tale as old as time...literally. The first documented love letter was from over 5000 years ago (thanks, Wikipedia), and they're categorized pretty generally as any written form declaring one's feelings for another. The gesture as become modernized and simplified from olden times - hello, heart-eyed emoji - but the sweet feeling remains the same because like flowers, it's an expression that never goes out of style.
For Yourself
There is nobody in your life that can love you as much as you! Too often we as people, women especially, are too hard on ourselves or let our energy deplete by trying to take care of other people and things. This month, take time to focus on you! For your own love letter, find a quote - on Pinterest, from your favorite wellness blog or Instagram account or in a home decor store - that really speaks to you on self-love. Print it out, trace it, take a picture of it and make it a part of your everyday routine. You can order it as a custom sign, write it on a chalkboard, stick it to your mirror or put it on your desk or coffee mug and let it be your daily love letter to yourself!
Of course we chose this one from Pinterest
Have you seen our "love letters" to ourselves at A Milkhouse Party?
Platonic
Greeting cards are one of the most over-looked, underrated gestures we have to date. In a world of texting, snapchatting and DM'ing, there are so many faster and more convenient ways to communicate with those in our social circles. But think about when you get the mail and there's an envelope with your handwritten address sprawled across the front. I LOVE when that happens, and it's an instant day brightener to receive something personalized in a pile of bills and junk mail.
There's no shortage of adorable greeting cards in Homegoods, or Target or even online (we love Papersource.) Buy 1 really cute one and say hello to an old friend or a pack of 10 and reach out to a group. It doesn't matter if you saw them yesterday ("I had such a nice time") or in 2 years ("was thinking about you and hope you're doing well!"). Showing that you made the effort to reach out to that specific person instead of just "liking" a picture in a sea of other "liked" pictures will go a long way and is good for both their soul and your own.
Loved this card from Etsy
Stuck on what to write?
Blue Mountain Blog has a list of some helpful prompts.
Romantic
Going for the obvious here, but yes! Write a love letter to your loved one! Send a cute text just because, put a post-it note on their steering wheel or take the time to really delve into why you love and appreciate them with a cursive letter on nice paper. It's so easy to fall into a rut with our daily routines that taking the time, whether it's a quick phrase or a long letter - is a great way to put a spark in the day. If you want to get really fancy schmancy here's a great calligraphy tutorial.
Swoon! Of course Etsy offers custom calligraphy letters to order.
Need a little boost to get out of your writer's block? Both Buzzfeed and The Art of Manliness wrote articles to help give you a jumpstart on your love letter-writing inspiration.