Did you know the 26the of December is National Thank You Note Day? The day after the Christmas holiday is a perfect opportunity to send thank you notes for gifts received over the holiday season, no matter what the occasion. Sending a note shows people you care, you appreciate their gift, and that you are thinking of them.
Here are guidelines to follow whenever sending someone a thank-you note and card:
1. Write all notes by hand. Take the time, regardless of how impaired you think your handwriting looks. It shows how much you truly care about someone when notes are handwritten.
2. Send notes within 24 to 48 hours. Won’t the sender be pleasantly surprised to receive that thank you note from you within two days of receiving that gift, or having enjoyed a meal at their home? No matter how long it takes to get notes done, do it even six months later. I assure you it will still be most appreciated.
3. Be specific. When thanking someone for a meal or event, mention how happy you were to share in the experience, mention a person you enjoyed meeting, or a food you particularly liked. When thanking someone for a favor, explain how important it was for you. For physical gifts, name the item, along with something complimentary about it. Never be generic by writing, “Thank you for the lovely gift. I really like it.”
4. Sign your name clearly and include a return address. Include both a first and last name, except with immediate family and close friends who definitely know you and will recognize the handwriting and signature. It’s also a good practice to always include a return address. A return address helps return the card when it is undeliverable; and it helps the receiver identify the sender.
(NOTE: If you are the person who wrote me the lovely note shown below, please send me an email. Regrettably, I was not able to recognize the initialed signature, nor was there a return address on the envelope to help. All I know is it was postmarked in North Bay, CA.)
5. When using vertical or portrait cards, begin on the inner right side.
(The inner left side is the back of the front cover.) When your message extends beyond one page, continue writing on the back of the card, and finish the message on the inner left side of the card. If the card has printing on the back, make the message brief to only use the right and left insides of the inner card.
6. When using horizontal flip-up cards, begin writing on the inner lower half of the card.
(The upper part is the back of the front cover.) When your message extends beyond one page, continue writing on the back of the card, and finish the message on the inner upper half of the card. If the card has printing on the back, make the message brief to only use the inner lower and upper areas of the card.
7. When placing vertical cards in the envelope, place the left folded edge into the envelope, with the front of the card facing out.
Because most people are right handed, the receiver can easily open the envelope and pull the card out to view it.
8. When inserting a folded horizontal card in an envelope, place the bottom edge of card in the envelope, with the front of the card facing forward.
When the receiver opens the envelope the first thing he or she will see will be the cover of the card.
BONUS: For unfolded vertical/horizontal note cards, place the left/bottom edge respectively of the card in the envelope facing out. Otherwise it will be upside down or even backwards and upside down.
Happy Thanking!
We only have two friends who ever send us hand written notes. Birthdays, invitations, and thank you notes are all sent by e mail by all my family, as well as friends. Now that I have learned how to text, I don’t even get a call on my birthday from my kids, they just text me. I said: “not even a call on my birthday?” The response is “Dad get with the modern age.” Oh well. Don.
Don: Had to respond. It’s regrettably most young people do not have a clue about the hidden meanings to sending cards and notes… which is giving the person the gift of time, effort, and a little money. This is the best time-honored method we humans have developed to show others how much we care about them. In my mind this is often the result of parents not “making” their kids—when they were young—to take the time to write thank-you notes for their gifts received. It forms a valuable lifelong habit. Thank you for writing.
Thanks for the tip to write your notes by hand regardless of how bad you think it looks. Handwriting can make the whole note look more personal. Even simple notes like that can make someone's day.
Chris: You so right and much more… Writing someone by regular mail truly shows how much you care about the person and when it is received, that simple note, even one-liner notes, says volumes and always warms my heart about the person who sent it. Thanks for taking the time to write. For other posts, do check them out at http://www.AdvancedEtiquette.com/blog and sign up for our monthly posts. Happy Praciticng!
Thanks for the advice to send a note within two days of receiving a gift. I just had a birthday, and I received a lot of gifts from family and friends. I want to share my gratitude with everyone, so I'll make sure to send them thank-you notes.
It's great that you talked about thank you notes and how they show how much you care about someone! Recently, my wife and I decided we'd like to send thank you notes to all of our wedding guests! We believe it'd be nice to find some lovely cards and write our thoughts on them, so we'll be sure to look into it! Thanks for the advice on thank you notes and how we must handwrite them!
Where do I write on a trifold card? On the center or right
Hello Patty: The message on a trifold card begins in the middle, not the right. The right can be used for overflow writing. Happy Writing!
Great advice!