The only thing more gracious than receiving a thoughtful gift, beautifully wrapped… is receiving a handwritten thank you note.
Etiquette dictates a few formal rules regarding when a thank you note is required…
- Whenever a gift is not opened in the giver’s presence
- For all wedding and shower gifts
- For all holiday, birthday, graduations presents
- The note should be prompt (though it is never too late to write a thank you)
There are also rules about what should be included in the note, such as:
- The letter should be specific
- The note should be personal (no commercial sentiments)
- The note should include how the gift will be used
- Thank yous should not include the dollar amount of a money gift
However, in order to write a gracious thank you note, one must go beyond the formal rules….The secret to saying thank you, is to be thoughtful and personal. You are not just thanking the giver for the gift, but also for the time and thought they put into the gift. You are thanking them for their kindness, their generosity, their time, and most of all…their friendship…
The art of saying thank you is in expressing your gratitude for all of those things…and that will require a gift from you…a little bit of your time.
