The Art of the Thank You Note

Is it "art of the thank you note" or the "lost art of the thank you note"? I guess it all depends who you are dealing with!

I'm a big believer in a written thank you note for any gift. If someone takes the time to buy a gift, the least the receiver can do is show some appreciation. You don't have to buy the person a gift in return, or do anything lavish. Just pick up a pen and let them know you received the gift. And no, email does not count.

I've heard all kinds of excuses for not writing thank you notes. Some are just a difference in philosophy (not writing thank you notes for gifts given in person). Others are just lazy and selfish in my opinion (for reasons such as being "too busy", or "having done enough already"). We actually decided several years ago that if anyone consistently sends no thank you note or acknowledgement of any kind, then we stop giving that person gifts.

I've been very pleased by some totally unexpected thank you notes recently. After I created a website for my MOPS group, the group leader wrote me a note thanking me for all my hard work. After my first meeting with the Assimilation Team at church, the leader wrote me a note thanking me for being part of the group. It is really nice when someone takes the time to let you know you are appreciated.

And thank you notes can even do remarkable things. We recently received a lovely thank you note in response to a gift we had sent to someone. That thank you note has led to new communications a lot of healing what had been a fractured relationship. We are very grateful for that. See what a thank you note can do!

So if you have any thank you's left outstanding, go take a minute and jot down a little note. It will be appreciated! And that reminds me, I still have one note for a recent new-baby-gift for Matthew that I need to go write....