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| pic taken 12.1.10 |
Was browsing some blogs after dinner tonight... Came across one that "sparked" my interest... & especially important as we begin a "season of gifts & giving."
QUESTION: Do you write THANK YOU notes?
being a person who loves PENS (click & skip past the first picture), paper, writing, fonts, quotes... it seems natural that I would enjoy writing notes of gratitude, appreciation, etc.
being a person who loves PENS (click & skip past the first picture), paper, writing, fonts, quotes... it seems natural that I would enjoy writing notes of gratitude, appreciation, etc.
Actually, I DO... but I always struggle with getting started. Here are some tips from LESLIE.
1) Start with a greeting. Don't forget to include the person's name.
2) Express your THANKS. If you've received a monetary gift, I think it's nice to let the person know how you spent the money or whether you put any in your savings account (you have one, don't you?)... even better - if you donated some of the monetary gift to a charity.
It's even more important to write a THANK YOU for gift cards... even if you haven't spent it, at least allude to how you might spend the gift card!
It's even more important to write a THANK YOU for gift cards... even if you haven't spent it, at least allude to how you might spend the gift card!
You should also express your THANKS for a great meal... for an overnight stay... when someone has lent you a helping hand (took you shopping; helped you move; picked you up from the airport, etc).
3) Tell something about using the gift. Personally, I appreciate creative, flowery comments - anything that helps me visualize the gift and makes me smile! Remember - there is a lot of JOY in giving!!
4) LESLIE suggests you mention something about your relationship with the person! I hadn't thought about it - but I DO THIS! I can't give you any concrete examples... but I'm guilty of spending a lot of time trying to find the "perfect gift" and when the person doesn't respond appropriately, I tend to think I failed at "Gift Giving 101."
5) Give another THANK YOU! YOU'RE AWESOME! THANKS!
6) Sign off. Love, Truly Yours, In Appreciation... don't forget to include your name...
How easy is that?
Three comments (well four!)...
- I used to put a packet of cute THANK YOU cards in my daughter's (SLE & ACE) Christmas stocking... and some cool pens! One year, I had rubber stamps made with their names, so they could stamp it all over the front of their homemade cards... if you are teaching kids to write THANK YOU's (and YES, they can start at age 4, with a colorful drawing, or a picture of them holding the gift) ~ just make it FUN!
- When the girls received money or a gift card, they were not allowed to spend it until they handed me the completed THANK YOU card!!! No, I'm not mean... just instilling the importance of showing gratitude to the person who spend their "hard-earned" money on them.
- When I don't receive a note (or a homemade card) of THANKS, I get a bit sensitive about it! I haven't gone as far as eliminating the person from my gift list, but I have had to hold back from giving them a set of THANK YOU cards, a book of stamps, and a cool pen, as their next gift.
- THANK YOU's are really IMPORTANT! and everyone loves MAIL... so no matter how busy we are (NO EXCUSES!! you can't "blow this off" because: you work, are busy with sports, your kids can't write yet, you don't know what to say, etc), it's your responsibility to express appreciation and gratitude.... JUST DO IT!!! (as Nike would say!)
I am a firm beleiver in thank you notes and we totally ingrained it in my children, and I am happy that they have passed this on to their children. Sometimes a email thank you is sufficient, but a old fashion regular note is nicer...especially for formal situations. Great tips here.(-:
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reminder! Hee! Hee! I couldn't resist starting that way. My mom was a big believer in thank you notes and instilled that in me. In today's virtual world, I have found them disappearing. I must admit a little grudge I hold against several people. I had to give out a ton of baby gifts last year and received two thank you notes. One already got baby number two and I did not send another gift. Petty? Maybe but the thank you lets the person who took time to pick and find a gift for you know that you spent time thinking of them. That said I haven't sent any out in awhile myself for simple things. I think I might do that next week after my final.
ReplyDeleteThank yous are a lost art form. And you weren't the only parent withholding from children until the thank you was complete. Like Junebug, I've seen and experienced lack of thank yous, mainly from those in my own generation. I find the excuses that they are so overwhelmed with newlywed status/new baby trite since I was both (x4 on the kids) and managed to follow through just fine.
ReplyDeleteThank you! ;o)
aaaawwww... I love thank you notes.. This is so super cute.. I'm following your blog now.. And am waiting to see more christmas decors on here.. :-)
ReplyDeleteI absolutely believe in thank you notes. First of all, it's simply polite, but it also gives something back. I feel I want to let the giving person know how much I appreciate the gift that was chosen for me. My daughter has to write thank you notes as well, otherwise she gets in trouble with me and that is NO fun! And yes, if someone "forgets" a thank you for a gift that I gave I think twice before I give a gift again. Petty? Perhaps, but I don't care.
ReplyDelete