I have heard a number of my friends mentioning the lack of
thank you notes these days, and I myself have noticed the absence of them after
sending shower/wedding/baby gifts over the last year. I know we were all raised
by good Southern women who would just die if they thought we weren’t sending
thank you notes! When my brother and I were younger, my mother would type out a
thank you note for us with blanks for who they were to, and what we were
thanking them for. And then we would sit down the day after Christmas or our
Birthday, and fill them in to be sent out. Were they cheesy? Absolutely. But
our family & friends got a kick out of those, and we now have the idea of
thank you notes hammered into our thick little heads.
What is a thank you note? It’s a quick note on cute
stationary (even Walmart carries cute thank you notes now days) thanking the
gift giver for their thoughtful gift and telling them how much you appreciate
it. Now, we’ve all received some ugly sweaters from Great Aunt Linda in the
past for Christmas. Do those warrant a thank you note? You bet your sweet ass
they do. And to really get her tickled, take a picture of yourself in said ugly
sweater and slip it in with the thank you note.
How do I send this thank you note, you ask? In the mail! You
know, the Post Office? You take yourself to the Walmarts, get yourself a 12
pack of those cute little Thank-You’s (in the stationary aisle, next to the
wrapping paper), write a sweet note, address it, stamp it, drop it in the box.
Boom! You’re done! And the receiver of the note will be tickled to not only
receive a hand-written note, but they will appreciate that you took the time to
thank them for a gift they worked hard to pick out for you.
When is it appropriate to send a thank you note, you ask?
Anytime! Here is a list of times to always send a note:
- Birthday/Wedding/Shower/Christmas Gift- It doesn’t matter
if you’ve been best friends with the gift giver for twenty years, always send a
thank you.
- Visiting a friend/family member/your sweetie’s parents-
Chances are, your host has cleaned the house and put fresh linens out for your
stay. If you’re lucky, you have friends like mine that stock the guest room
with booze and snacks! While you should always bring a host gift and be on your
best behavior all weekend (I’ll let you decide your own definition of “good
behavior.” For me, it’s not dancing on the coffee table before noon thank you
very much), it is nice to send the thank you after you’ve returned home.
- Job Interviews- You all know how busy work can get, so
imagine if you had to stop everything to interview the boss’s daughter for a
position we all know she will run into the ground. Interviewers are taking time
out of their day to give you a chance at employment. When you are finished with
the interview, kindly ask them for their business card. The MINUTE you get
home, take 5 minutes and write a quick note thanking them for their time. I had
an employer that had my thank you note hanging on his wall for almost a year.
They will think so highly of you for this, plus it keeps your name in their
mind while they are considering all the candidates.
- Your neighbor checked on Willie the Cat while you were on
vacation. Send her a note and tell her that Willie loved her so much that he
now has her picture hanging next to his litter box- not really, but you get the
point.
Need an example?
Dear Aunt Linda,
Thank you so much for the beautiful Christmas sweater from
Sears. I love it! I can’t wait to wear it to the Country Club Christmas party,
and I know that I won’t remain dateless for long in that gorgeous sweater! You
are so sweet to think of me.
Love, Lindsay
See, it’s simple. I hope this helps! When in doubt, just
send a thank you card anyway! Now go put on your Sunday best, take yourself to
the Walmarts, get yourself some of that fancy cardstock, and get to writing!
Your friends and family will love it! And as always, mind your manners!
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