1. Deliver Delight

This is the North Star of our mission. Delight should be woven into every part of your experience with us. When you open your mailbox, browse our website, or read our stories, we want it to feel like a burst of sunshine on a crisp Canadian morning. Our narratives will always be crafted with optimism, hope, and charm. We want you to eagerly await each envelope and finish each letter with a contented smile. Your entire journey with us, whether you are giving or receiving, should be one of simple, heartfelt delight.

A few months ago, two members of our team in our small workshop told me they had done something for a subscriber. They had been tracking a package to a small community in rural Newfoundland that was experiencing mail delays due to a storm. On their own, they sent a personal postcard with a warm note, simply letting the customer know they were thinking of them and that their next letter was on its way, no matter the delay.

When they told me, my immediate reaction was purely logistical. My mind filled with questions: “How can we scale that? We can’t do that for everyone from Victoria to St. John’s. How do we track these one-off gestures? What is the cost?” In that moment, I told them something to the effect of, “That was thoughtful, but please don’t do it again.”

The next morning, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had been wrong. My response felt cold and contrary to why we started this company. Yes, it’s not a scalable action, and yes, it adds a small cost. But they weren’t following a process; they were following an impulse to make one person’s experience better. They saw a fellow Canadian, isolated by a storm, and reached out with a human touch. I realized my response could stifle the very spirit we claim to champion. So, I sent them this message:

“I need to apologize for my reaction yesterday. What you did for our customer in Newfoundland was exactly right. I am retracting my advice not to do it again. My advice should have been this: Always be looking for ways we can reasonably go the extra kilometre for our customers. Your job is to deliver delight, offer comfort, forge connections, and spark curiosity. I don’t ever want to discourage you from doing what feels right for the people we serve. My reaction was a deterrent, and for that, I am truly sorry. Please continue to follow that instinct.”

2. Offer a Haven

We are keenly aware of the noise and pressures of the modern world. We’ve heard from so many of you about the darkness and anxiety that can feel overwhelming. Shortly after we launched, we received an email from a subscriber who was a new immigrant to Canada, living in a large, bustling city. They spoke of feeling isolated and homesick, struggling to find their footing. They described how our letters, arriving predictably each week, became a “safe harbour.” They were a quiet, gentle ritual in their week—something to look forward to that felt calm and kind.

This was a pivotal moment for us, and offering a haven became a cornerstone of our mission. This means our stories are a guaranteed refuge. They are wholesome and can be shared with the entire family. In our narratives, goodness and resilience will be clear, and you will find yourself rooting for characters who embody courage and integrity. We will also do everything we can outside of the stories, in our direct interactions with you, to provide a sense of relief and security.

3. Forge Connections, Coast to Coast

A sense of belonging is a fundamental human need. In a country as vast as ours, connection is both a challenge and a lifeline. In 2022, a note from a subscriber brought this pillar of our mission into sharp focus. She wrote about her best friend from university; one of them now lived in Vancouver, BC, and the other in Halifax, NS. They hadn’t seen each other in years due to the distance and cost of travel. She decided to gift them both a subscription.

She told us that the letters became their long-distance book club. Every week, after getting their letters, they would schedule a video call to discuss the story. It was their excuse to bridge the 4,400 kilometres between them, ensuring they spoke meaningfully every single week. Her friend’s mother, who was elderly, would even listen in on the calls, enjoying the story alongside them.

This was not something we had fully anticipated when we began. But since then, we have heard countless similar stories. Grandparents in the Prairies reading the letters over the phone to their grandchildren in Ontario. Couples using them as a quiet “date night” activity. We’ve learned that the magic of these connections has less to do with us and more to do with the profound, pre-existing desire to connect with family and friends. If our letters can be the catalyst—the simple excuse to pick up the phone or schedule a visit—then we are deeply honoured to play that role.

4. Explore Our Shared Tapestry

When we founded this company, we knew we wanted our stories to be doorways into the past, specifically our own Canadian past. Our purpose is to keep our history alive, enriching your mind by immersing you in the moments that have shaped our nation. So far, we have explored the following uniquely Canadian eras: