I will do an extensive blog post on the mail that is shown with my letter opener, but for now I want to talk about the tool itself.
I cannot deal with my mail without my letter opener. Anyone who thinks they are an extravagance either doesn't get much mail or has never used one. I confess I do enjoy the trappings of all things epistolary, and the letter opener is no exception; I used to have one just for decoration, but now - trust me - this baby gets a lot of action. It's crucial for opening envelopes just so, so that you don't tear them or mangle them, and it saves your fingers from paper cuts and general dryness.
I liked the weight and heft of my old letter opener better - you can see it in the top right photo in my header - but I lost it, so this new one is its replacement. This new one does its job well, though: sharp enough to tear through paper cleanly, with the proper motions, but not sharp enough to wound clumsy me.
If you get a lot of mail and haven't tried a letter opener, I highly recommend one.
