These days, I’ve gotten a little spoiled – my mailbox is right outside my front door.  It’s pretty awesome.  I could check the mail in my jammies if I wanted to.

You see, our house was built in the 60s, back when the mail carriers walked from house to house instead of pulling up to the mailbox in their little trucks – so that’s what they still do in my neighborhood!

And if we ever get too lazy to walk three steps outside to get the mail, we could always reap the benefits of our superfluous mail slot.

I was walking in our neighborhood the other day when I noticed that one of the houses didn’t have a mailbox.  Or a mail slot.  Surely the homeowners received mail, didn’t they?  I scoped out their front porch a little further (yes, I was being snoopy), and noticed a large basket next to their front door – that was filled with mail!  A mail basket!  Just imagine a basket like this perched on the porch next to the front door:

It’s certainly a more decorative option than some of the mailboxes out there, but I wondered about practicality.  Without a lid, would the wind just blow the mail away?  What about rain?  Was this a temporary solution while they were replacing their mailbox?  Alas, no answers.

So that brings me to you guys – what do you think of this basket as a mailbox thing.  Is it a fun twist on the traditional mailbox, or just a funky fad?  Have any of you tried it?  And while you’re at it, tell us about your mailbox situation – do you hoof it to the curb or a common mail center, or does it magically appear on your door step?  Spill the beans!!

Images courtesy of GemFireAir, Zyber, cindy47452, neon anomaly, Trish Mayo, and Flickr.