In a poignant moment for personal communication, the Danish postal service is preparing to deliver its final letters at the end of December. The move, attributed to society's 'increasing digitalisation', marks the end of an era for the physical mail that has connected people for generations.
While a distributor named DAO will still handle letters, the announcement prompted the Guardian to ask its readers a profound question: what would you write in your last chance to send a letter? The responses revealed a deep, emotional attachment to the art of letter writing, with messages intended for loved ones, lost partners, and even postal workers themselves.
Letters of Love and Legacy
For many, the final envelope would carry words of love to family. Philip, a 66-year-old retired poet from Reigate, Surrey, would write to his two-and-a-half-year-old grandson, Remy. He plans to include a poem attempting to pass on a lifetime's wisdom, emphasising kindness and gentleness as strength. 'It's a cliche to say that children are the hope for the future,' he said, 'but the world seems a very dark place just now.'
From Arizona, 83-year-old retired professor Chris Clark would address his last letter to his late wife, Tryn, who passed away in May 2022. Their four-year courtship in the 1960s was conducted through hundreds of letters while he served in the US Navy. His final missive would quote from their saved archive of courting letters, celebrating their 55-year marriage, five children, and grandparenthood, aiming to 'close the loop' of their written correspondence.
Annie, 68 and retired in London, would send her last postal letter to her 90-year-old mother, Mary, in Ireland. She recalled how her mother's weekly letters were a lifeline when she moved to London in 1975. 'Your letters filled me with happiness and love,' she wrote in her draft, thanking her mother for sacrifices made to raise eight children.
The Undervalued Art of Correspondence
The callout highlighted how letter writing remains a cherished, if fading, practice. Dipak, a 66-year-old civil servant from London, lamented that people now prefer texts or calls. 'Letter writing is so underrated,' he stated. He shared a philosophical 'Letter to no one in particular', reflecting on a life fully lived, which concluded: 'I was here. I tried. I felt everything.'
For some, the last letter was a chance to express long-held gratitude. Author Peter Pullman, 71, from Pennsylvania, USA, would write to his former literature teacher, Dan O'Connell, who died in 2023. 'He is always with me when I read great literature,' Pullman said, crediting the teacher with showing him how to read deeply.
Pen pals Francis O'Sullivan, 30, from Bolton, and Lucy, in the United States, have written to each other since they were children. Francis would use the final postal service to send a farewell to that mode of communication, reflecting on decades of shared letters, postcards, and discussions about Doctor Who.
Modern Love and Community Thanks
Even new relationships find romance in letters. Taylor, a 35-year-old IT auditor in Texas, plans to write to his girlfriend Dania in Mexico, calling it a 'cute way to communicate "in vintage"' despite unreliable postal systems. His draft letter acknowledges how special she is and the value of their quality time together.
Perhaps the most community-spirited response came from Beth Wood, a 64-year-old tutor from Buckinghamshire. She would address her last letter to the posties themselves. 'Thank you for everything you have done for me during my lifetime,' her draft reads, thanking them for delivering joy, job offers, and dole cheques alike, through all weathers.
The collective response paints a powerful picture of the handwritten letter's role: not merely as a tool for information, but as a vessel for memory, emotion, and profound human connection—a service whose passing is felt deeply across continents and generations.
