REMEMBER THE EXCITEMENT of getting a letter?

It’s still kind of thrilling to get a bit of post in a handwritten envelope, but it doesn’t happen very often these days.

Here are some amazing letters that’ll make you want to ditch texting, emailing and Facebook chatting for good old pen and paper.

This letter from John Cleese to a 14-year-old fan

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And Michael Palin’s follow-up letter:

This sweet letter to Santa from a very concerned brother

Eight-year-old Ryan was upset that kids at school bullied his sister Amber, so he asked Santa to sort it out.

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This lovely thank-you letter by Roald Dahl

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Gandhi’s letter to Adolf Hitler, which never reached him

Wonder what his answer would have been if it had?

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This mother’s letter to her gay son

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This letter from author Kurt Vonnegut to a group of high school students

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Practice any art, music, singing, dancing, acting, drawing, painting, sculpting, poetry, fiction, essays, reportage, no matter how well or badly, not to get money and fame, but to experience becoming, to find out what’s inside you, to make your soul grow.

(You can read a transcript here.)

And this letter from Tom Hanks to to the makers of the Nerdist podcast

They thought sending him a typewriter might convince him to appear on the show. It did.

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“Damn you all to hell.”

Previously: Primary school sends adorable letter to outgoing students>