Technology and Obsolescence

Do you still have stationery, greeting cards, and letterhead paper in your drawers? I just found a whole pile of stationery for the era in which I used Nancy Cane as my pseudonym. It’s a pack of lovely designed letterhead stationery to fit into a printer back in the day when I answered fan letters via snail mail. I could try to use it now to answer the few handwritten letters that still come my way (and I love those!), but it might confuse readers who have no idea I’m Nancy Cane.

So what to do with these relics of a bygone era? Turn them over and recycle them? That would be a shame, considering that I likely spent a lot of money on this personalized supply. I don’t see an alternative, however. Even if I crossed out Cane and wrote in Cohen, I rarely send letters via snail mail to fans anymore.

I still have boxes of lovely stationery, too. Don’t you miss the thrill of getting a handwritten letter from a friend or relative? Of course, I don’t miss the thrill of writing one. Typing is faster. I use this stationery now for note paper. Even when I have to jot a message to someone, I have personalized notepads that serve that purpose.

Greeting cards can still be useful. It’s good to keep a supply of birthday, get well, and sympathy cards handy. Friends still really appreciate it when you take the time to write a note and mail it. If we’re neglectful, the greeting card companies will be sure to remind us of upcoming holidays.

My cousin mentioned an idea for recycling cards. Cut out the picture part and slap it between two laminated sheets, then use it as a coaster. As for Christmas cards, I save them each year. After a few years have passed, I cut out the picture half and donate a batch of them along with other goods to a local charity. I figure someone there might have the talent to turn these into a craft project.

So do you have any old-fashioned stationery lying around your house? Or any ideas for using letterhead imprinted paper with an outdated name or address?