Writing thank you Notes
Who has time to write thank you notes anymore? We're lucky if we get to shoot off an email saying "thank you for dinner, had a great time, nice seeing you!" But what's nicer than getting a real, handwritten thank you note? It says, "I really like you. I care about what you did. I appreciate it and you." So why do we find it so hard to write thank you notes? We hem and haw and put it off and then decide, two weeks later, it's too late anyway.
Well it's never too late. And writing a quick note of thank you doesn't have to be a long, drawn out process. You needn't gather the heavy stationery, find the fountain pen, look for the wax seal. Just grab a piece of paper - literally, a piece of paper - and jot down a big "Thank you!" Write, "Just wanted to let you know we had a great time or I love the flowers or my kid sleeps with the baseball glove." Shove it into an envelope and send it off.
Once you get into the habit of not waiting for the imaginary leisure time of sitting down with a cup of coffee and languidly rolling off ribbons of fine prose and just writing the thing instead, you'll find a world of appreciation and self-satisfaction waiting for you.
Here's how to do it:
1) Get something to write on. This could be store-bought cards (blank or with the words "Thank you" on front), or just a regular piece of paper folded to fit in an envelope you already have.
2) Write the person(s) name(s) after the word "Dear" and thank them in your own words. Or, here are some quick, cheat-sheet phrases you can use:
To thank someone for an event: "Thank you so much for ______________ (dinner, lunch, etc.) I had such a nice time. It's always great to see you and spend time together. Hope to see you again soon. All the best, ______________(your name)." See? That wasn't so hard.
To thank someone for a gift: "Thank you so much for the _____________. I (or we) love it! It was so thoughtful and kind of you and I (or we) really appreciate it.. Thanks again, ________________(your name)."
That's all you need to do. And brides, if you're dreading the mountain of thank you notes you have to write and worried that each has to be perfect and long and reflective of what a thoughtful person you are, you're missing the point. A quick, brief "thank you" is better than no acknowledgement at all. Ask any old aunt with too much time on her hands and too many bridal showers and weddings to go to. She's miffed she didn't get a note from you saying you loved the frog shaped soap holder.
So get busy. Knock 'em out. The only way to do it nowadays is quickly, briefly and don't sweat that they don't look like they came from the President's office. Have fun! Who said you couldn't draw hearts and smiley faces! The main thing is to drop them a line. A handwritten note is now, more than ever, worth its weight in pulp.
