Thank-You Notes Are an Expression of Gratefulness | Baby care ...

Yesterday I received a note from a friend, thanking me for the hostess gift I gave her. I was touched by her thoughtfulness. Though handwritten notes are disappearing in our society, some people still write them. Years ago, mothers taught their children to write thank-you notes for the holiday and birthday gifts they received. This practice was passed from generation to generation.

I made my daughters write thank-you notes for the Christmas presents they received. On Christmas morning, before either of them opened a gift, I would get a pencil and pad to write down each gift and the giver. ?Your note doesn?t have to be long,? I said, ?but you have to write it.?

Instead of handwritten notes some send thank-you cards, a quick solution. Others send their thanks via email. While I understand this and have done it myself, there is nothing like handwritten notes. Why should you write them?

First, the giver has taken time to buy the gift. This is especially true during the holidays, when shoppers brave traffic jams and jostling crowds. Second, the giver has taken the time to wrap the gift, deliver it to you, or mail it to you, actions that require time and effort.

If you have not written a thank-you before the idea may be daunting. Leslie Harpold offers tips in her article, ?How to Write a Thank-You Note,? published in ?The Morning News,? a weekly online magazine. Gratitude is the purpose of any thank-you note, she says, and writers need to craft them carefully. The writer should avoid the ?just? trap,? Harpold continues, as in ?just writing to say,? a statement of the obvious. Never mention money and, instead, say the gift was appreciated.

According to Harpold, jargon can make a gift sound unattractive. Rather than saying, ?Thanks for letting us crash at your place,? you should thank the host/hostess for their hospitality.

More tips are available on The Letter Writing Guide website. Mentioning something specific about the gift, such as the color, is a good idea. Close with a personal statement, such as ?I will wear it often.? Kids will be more apt to write thank-you notes if you have note cards and stamps on hand.

Robin McClure, author of ?Child Behavior: Writing Thank-You Notes,? says young children may write notes that require them to fill in blanks only. Very young children may create crayon picture thank-you ?notes.? McClure says a handwritten thank-you ?is not necessarily required if a child thanks someone in person when opening a gift,? especially if the gift is from a relative.

Before I write a handwritten note I write a practice letter on the computer. This helps me with tone and flow. One thank-you note touched the recipient so much she sent me a thank-you for my thank-you! Whether it is a crayon picture from a child, a fill-in-the-blanks missive. scrawl from a grade school child, or touching note from an adult, thank-you notes say we care. Even in our high-tech age that is important.

Copyright 2012 by Harriet Hodgson

http://www.harriethodgson.com/

Harriet Hodgson has been an independent journalist for 35+ years and is the author of 30 published books. She is the author of six grief resources, including ?Smiling Through Your Tears: Anticipating Grief,? Lois Krahn, MD, co-author, ?Writing to Recover,? ?Writing to Recover Journal,? ?The Spiritual Woman: Quotes to Refresh and Sustain Your Soul,? ?101 Affirmations to Ease Your Grief Journey,? and ?Happy Again! Your New and Meaningful Life After Loss.? Please visit her website and learn more about this busy author.

Source: http://www.womenfavor.com/home-and-family/thank-you-notes-are-an-expression-of-gratefulness-2.html

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