PenPal & Holiday Letter Party

Grace L., a new member of the McMaster University Chapter, shares her experience writing to seniors and the virtual events her chapter held.

This fall, I joined my GlamourGals chapter as a volunteer amidst a pandemic. This meant we were not able to give in person makeovers to the seniors, but the execs still did an amazing job of engaging with us over email. I attended the first letter writing party and got to meet some new faces. It was my first time writing a physical letter in maybe 8 years. I noticed that I had to be mindful of making my letter positive and lighthearted, since the goal is to brighten a senior's day. I talked a bit about my life during this past year, like how I was able to get back into doing art. I was reminded of how much I had to be grateful for. It was so exciting to seal it in the envelope, put on a stamp, and mail it out. I hope in the next semester, we can meet some of the seniors virtually.

For our chapter's last event of the year, we had another letter writing party complete with a movie night. It was a very nice break during a stressful finals season. Over zoom, some members shared their adorable holiday mugs and Christmas sweaters. I was having apple cinnamon tea. 

This time, I decided to write my letter on my iPad so it could be sent virtually. I would love to write more physical letters in the future, and it would be wonderful to get one back. At the same time, I understand that a lot of seniors may not have time to write. In this letter, I reflected a bit on how I learned to manage my mood in the last months. I realized that 90% of the time, our worries are mind-created and rarely ever manifest. We just have to worry about the next step, not the next 50 steps.