Dos and Don'ts of Writing Thank You Notes

Today begins the first of a five day series on my blog 

completely devoted to writing THANK YOU NOTES!!

I've been writing thank you notes for 20+ years and am a HUGE fan.

I know it can be intimidating 

so I want to give tips and suggestions 

to make thank you note writing a part of your life!!

DOS:

1. Write handwritten notes whenever possible in your very best handwriting.  

There's no point in sending an illegible thank you note.

2. Be specific and include details in your thank you notes.

no one likes to receive a note that says thank you for the gift or I'm glad you could come to my party. People love specifics and want to feel gushed over.

3. Be genuine.

 tell the person how you plan to use the gift, why you appreciated the gesture or include any person details in the note so that they feel truly appreciated.  No one wants to receive a fake thank you.

4. Insist that your spouse help you write your wedding thank you notes.  

Many guests are from his side of the family or his family friends so insist that he helps in writing those notes.  The guests will really appreciate a note coming from him since they likely know him better.  You could also write the notes together.

5. Take note of who gave what gifts at a party, shower or wedding so that you can write notes afterwards.  Be sure to ask a very responsible friend or family member to take detailed notes about who gave what gifts.  If someone just writes down dishes or towels, it's hard to write a specific thank you note.  If they write 4 sets of your china or 6 sets of white towels, then you will have an easier time writing a note to that person.

6. Write thank yous to your co-workers and anyone who goes out of their way to be kind to you.

7. Encourage your children to start writing thank you notes early on.

My mom used to buy us a fun set of thank you notes at our birthday and Christmas so that we were excited and motivated to write our notes each time those holidays came around.  She started doing this when I was in elementary school and I have been writing thank you notes ever since.

8. Keep a stash of thank you notes and stamps at home and at work so you are prepared to write them anytime.

If you don't keep them on hand, you'll likely forget to write them and make excuses.  I keep a drawer full of them at home so that I can write them anytime.

DON'TS:

1. Ignore a gift or something special by forgetting to thank the giver.

2. Make someone have to ask you if you received their gift

3. Just assume that they know you appreciated something because you thanked them in person.

4. Don't forget your family members.

Oftentimes those closest to you get overlooked in the thank you department.  Send thank yous to your mom for cooking your favorite meal, or to your dad for picking you up at the airport.  They will appreciate you taking time to recognize their extra efforts.

5. Think a verbal thank you takes the place of a written thank you.

6. Don't rip open all of your gifts and then claim you have no clue who they came from so you are unable to write thank yous.

Did I forget any dos or don'ts??

If so, add them in my comment section!!