To our recent graduates: Along with all those graduation gifts you received come THANK YOU NOTES!
Our society has become technology-infused, but the hand written thank you note should be written for all gifts, even if you (the graduate) have already thanked someone in person. The hand written note leaves a good impression on your friends and family when you write one.
A friend and junior cotillion director from Oklahoma has devised a clever way for graduates to express their gratitude for gifts they received. It’s an easy system I’d like to share.
4-3-2-1, presto! Your notes are written!
4—minutes it takes to write a thank you note. Not long at all!
3—sentences are adequate to express appreciation, excluding the salutation and signature.
• Line 1—“Thank you for the (gift, name it here). If you received money, don’t mention the amount, but just describe how you plan on spending it. (See Line 2)
• Line 2—Tell how you appreciate the gift and how you will use it. If you don’t love the gift, focus on your gratitude for the gesture.)
• Line 3—Thank them again for the gift and their friendship or relationship to you.
2—days are the best length time to get the note in the mail. You can wait longer, but don’t forget. Etiquette experts say that three days is max!
1—real stamp. Adding an interesting, nostalgic stamp adds a special touch. Most importantly, skip the postage meter!
It’s really that simple!
A few “Did You Knows” for friends who love trivia:
Did you know that Barbara Bush (wife to President Bush, the elder) attended functions all the time as First Lady. After returning home from an event, she wrote a thank you note to the host before she went to bed that evening!
Did you also know that Neil Cavuto (another very busy person) of the Fox Business News organization writes 4-5 thank you notes a day to express gratitude to his co-workers.
If you would like to read a delightful book on how expressing gratitude through writing thank you notes literally changed a person’s life, check out 365 Thank Yous: The Year a Simple Act of Daily Gratitude Changed My Life by John Kralik.
