Dear Reader,
Drumroll please… I’m proud to announce that I have accomplished what I set out to do 364 (tomorrow will be 365) days ago: I handwrote one letter every day in 2025.
Unlike my half-year summary back in July, where I gave stats, and wrote about what I learned and what I got from this handwriting journey (all of which are still true), for this end-of-the year summary, I’ve decided, along with the final stats, to include a few clips from the letters. These are from family and friends, both old and new.
First, the final stats for 2025
364: Number of handwritten letters sent (Tomorrow it will be 365!)
116: Number of handwritten letters I received (Majority are spread out in the video!)
122: Number of responses I received to my letters by email, text or calls
24: Number of different states I mailed letters to
3: Number of different countries I mailed letters to
8: Number of letters that came back “Return to Sender” (since resent!)
61: Total estimated hours spent writing letters (approx. 10 minutes per letter)
7: Number of letters I received NOT initiated by a letter from me, but motivated by my letter quest. (And yes, each received a handwritten letter back.)
$288: Approximate amount spent on stamps (Note: while there was a cost of stamp increase in July, I had forever stamps, many of which were gifts from family and friends.)
Priceless: Value of this experiment (the same as in July.)
Clips from Letters I received in 2025
“My summer was good. Mom turned 97 and is still a pain in my butt, but she’s still chugging along like somebody a decade or two younger!”
“Greetings from London!”
“I saw an exhibit of Jane Austen’s letters in honor of her 250th birthday. One was a letter written to her niece that was written completely backwards. They didn’t have TV back then so I guess that was considered entertainment.”
“The handwritten letter is a lost art, I’m glad you’re bringing it back.”
“I have a sweet, tiny little house in a beautiful place on the coast of Maine, about an hour north of Portland.”
“Your 2025 letter writing campaign inspired me so that I took the proactive approach of reaching out to you first… I thought this would be a great time to let you know that I find you and your family very inspirational.”
“Waiting for your letter made me check my mail way more than I normally do.”
“I am reading a book, The Correspondent, that made me think of you. The story is told via letters she wrote and received.”
“This is the first letter I’ve written in 50 years!”
“I would like to play tennis or pickleball with you. Let’s stay friends.”
To everyone I wrote to—whether you wrote me back or not—thank you for being part of this crazy, but special journey.
The best outcome is that I feel more connected to the people in my life, something that Facebook (or any social media) just cannot do.
With love (and a renewed enthusiasm to keep writing letters (maybe not everyday) in 2026),
Felice
P.S. Do you have a resolution for 2026? Please share!
SONG OF THE WEEK
Dear Friend by Wings (Paul McCartney)
ATTENTION BOOK LOVERS: Your Dream Cruise Is Here!
Felice Cohen is an award-winning author, best known for squeezing big ideas into small spaces—like her 90-square-foot NYC apartment (yes, really). Her books include Half In: A Coming-of-Age Memoir of Forbidden Love, 90 Lessons for Living Large in 90 Square Feet, and What Papa Told Me, with praise from legends like Elie Wiesel and Rita Mae Brown. Her viral YouTube tour has racked up over 25 million views—mostly from people wondering where she kept her shoes. More at felicecohen.com.
