In the last several years, with getting married and having two beautiful baby girls, I have had my fair share of bridal and baby showers. With all these exciting events going on in my life, I have come to realize how special and important personal thank you notes really are.
Getting a new set of stationary in the mail got me thinking about the importance and significance of saying the most simple two words,"Thank you!" Unfortunately, these days most thank you's are communicated through text messages, e-mails, and social media messages. Once in a great awhile you might receive a hand written thank you note and mostly likely this came from your grandparents.
So today I thought it would be nice to brush up on the Thank You note etiquette.
When to Give A Thank You
All in all, if you have received a gift or gesture from someone else you should consider spending the time and effort in returning the favor with a handwritten thank you note. The way one decides to say "thank you" and the timing of the thank you note are not as imperative as the simple act of sending one. But, I think a handwritten note is always appreciated and is my preferred method.
The one gold rule to take from this is a simple thank you in any form is the best thing you can do to show your appreciation.
Tips to Remember
- Timing, I think the most important thing about saying thank you is doing it in a timely manner. But of course, a thank you at any time is better than none at all. Sending a simple thank you within a few days is the ideal timing. It lets that special someone know that you took the time to sit down and acknowledge their kindness and that their efforts weren’t forgotten.
- Message, Something simple is always best. Yes, it’s lovely to get a thank you that is long and detailed and most of all meaningful, but a simple thank you that mentions the reason you’re thankful is plenty enough. People will appreciate the fact that you took the time out of our busy lives to send a thank you note in the first place.
- Going above and beyond, I love getting a thank you that feels personalized, decorated or has a little something special. I love when someone includes a picture of the gift being used or describes how they are going to use the gift and how it will remind them of who and how they felt when they received the gift on that very first day.
The bottom line is, saying thank you in any form is better than saying nothing at all!