When we were little, many a night was spent at the kitchen table writing what then felt like an epic thank you note. We could not simply say "thanks for the loot, Grandma!" We had to outline what she gave, how we wanted it every so badly, and how we were currently using it.
Confession: I plan to do the exact same thing to Wee 'Burb.
In the world of the evite and invites via Twitter and Facebook, I know the hand-written paper thank you card is a lost art. But I will never let it go.
For right now, Wee 'Burb personalizes her thank you cards with her handprint and the date.
For my own thank you cards, I try to follow the basic rules my mom taught me.
Yes, they will likely be thrown away. Yes, other than weddings and birthdays, some people may never care about getting a thank you card. But I care.
I keep a bin of thank you cards handy for all occasions. I'm looking to renew my bin (Wee 'Burb has been the receipt of much generosity lately, the girl is cleaning out my supply...and possibly turning completely blue with the plethora of handprints she delivers) so here are a few of my most coveted:
Do you write thank you cards and/or make your kids write them? Do you think they've lost importance? If not, where do you get your favorite thank you cards? Do you pick them individually or buy a box of them?
15 comments:
Speak to my soul, sister.
I buy in boxes but I try not to send someone the same type of note twice, if that makes sense.
I think that thank you notes are SO important and I think it shows that you are willing to put in an extra bit of effort/thought for others beyond what society expects these days.
I will say that whereas my thank you notes used to be very formalized, now I write them in an extremely conversational manner. I should like to think that the gifter appreciates it more.
Yes, I still write thank you cards! It's crazy after my children's huge birthday parties how many cards we have to write, but I believe it is instilling a good practice of proper manners. A lost art really. Glad I'm not the only one!
I think thank you cards are so important. Yes, they may be thrown away, but the simple act of receiving them in the mail is a big deal these days. Most of the time, we just get an email saying thank you so an actual letter is very special to me. I save mine for sure! :)
Yes I write them!! I think since it was impressed upon me as a babe to do it, its ingrained in me that that is what you do when you receive a gift. I love that you're teaching Wee Burb so early! Gratitude is important.
I do write thank you cards, but I only learned to do this as an adult. My mother never made us do that! I think when I got graduation gifts, I knew to do it, but not just for birthdays and such.
I will never get over the fact that one of k-ster's cousins NEVER sent a thank you cards for a quilt that I made for their wedding!! I dont' need a big song and dance, but because we dropped gifts off in another room, for years I wasn't even sure she got it. And then it was too late to ask. And then I asked his grandmother. She said she had asked about why no one got thank you cards and the girl said no one does that anymore. THEY SURE DO FOR WEDDINGS!!! I call them the "no thank you" group!
Oh yes, I'm a big writer of thank you cards and have taught my children and my nieces to do the same. I also happen to have a small obsession with stationery.
Funny you would write this. I am not the best at mailing things but the other day I was in the store and came across some of the prettiest stationary. I made a mental note to start sending my friends just because written cards when they are going through a rough spell or just to let them know I love them. Thanks for the confirmation! I think I will copy your idea for Lil Mama's birthday thank yous.
I am a big believer in thank you notes and am trying to teach my kids to be ones too. We've had a flurry of them around here lately, with Baby Sister's birth followed by Little Brother's 2nd birthday and I admit that I've found them occasionally burdensome. But then I remember the effort someone made to give my children a gift and I realize that showing our gratitude for their kindness is the least I can do.
P.S. I love that you have Wee 'Burb handprint her cards. What a great idea.
I can't stand thank you cards. I try really hard to write them but they sometimes get lost in the shuffle. I know it is important and I feel really guilty about it but sometimes I just can't get to it.
I love sending cards so much, still! even though not many people do it anymore.
I'm all about the thank you notes. I'm not the most timely, but I do make sure I send them. My husband, on the other hand, never writes thank you's. Didn't do it as a kid, doesn't do it now, and it drives me crazy. Levi will be following in my thank you footsteps though.
Ok, I really wish I was more into thank you notes, but unfortuantely I'm terrible at them. It took me forever to send out wedding thank yous and honestly I still owe some ppl thank yous from the baby stuff. I think it's great you're teaching WeeBurb this!
I always write thank-yous. And yes, it totally bugs me when I don't get one for weddings or showers. After all, I feel like I spend time picking out a gift and making time to celebrate your happiness. A 2 minute card means a lot. So I always try to write one, even if it's sent a little late.
I get so frustrated with kids today (how old am I??). Can you believe I actually got a text from my husband's 15-year-old cousin thanking me for the $50 gift card I gave her? Ridiculous. I am still annoyed.
I make my 6-year-old write a thank you for each and every gift she receives. If she doesn't write the thank you note than she doesn't get to use the toy. I haven't had to act on that threat yet though because for the most part Maya wants to write the notes...it's me who sort of dreads how time consuming the whole process is. But still...I am with you Stephanie!!
Growing up I never did thank you cards, but I send them now whenever my kids receive gifts. I always keep paper invitations, cards and thank you cards and prefer to send paper instead of digital. I feel like no one does Holiday cards anymore but its one of those traditional things I just love to do.
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