Do you hear that? The roar of the marching band or the hypnotizing beat of Pachelbel's Canon? It’s graduation time. It’s wedding time. It’s birthday and anniversary time. Celebrations these days are abundant. We seem to be packing all of the canceled events from the last two years into one Summer.
But there is good news, of course. We get to see the friends we haven’t seen since 2019, we get to celebrate together, breathe the same air, and if we are lucky, we get gifts! But, what comes with gifts is the dreaded task of writing the thank you note.
Now, obviously, we are all grateful. But once the party is over, life starts up again. We are busy, filling our days with summer activities – vacation, camp and concerts — and writing those notes keeps falling to the bottom of the to-do list.
Well, we’ve got you covered. Here is the fail-safe guide to writing the perfect thank you note, so instead of spending weeks dreading it, you can get straight to work.
1) Start off strong
The easiest part of the thank you note is the first line — as long as you’ve kept track of who gave you what. A “Dear Aunt Violet” or “Dearest Lily” will do. Now that you’ve begun, all you have to do is finish.
2) The hard part
Once you get this part down, everything else is smooth sailing. This is the time to be specific. You get to thank your gift giver for their present — say this Adelfi notebook trio — and say exactly why this gift is meaningful. For example: “Thank you for the notebooks! You know how much I love journaling, and the cover designs are so sweet. I can’t wait to use them.”
2.5) The second most challenging part
If your gift-giver was at an event with you, now’s a great moment to bring it up. “It was so great getting to see you after all this time! I would love to hear more about Great Aunt Lilac sometime. She sounds like a real character.”
3) The pre-sign off
Here is where you can toss in some last remarks. Show how much you enjoyed the party or what your future plans are. Don’t feel pressured to make the note too long. A thank you note should be simple, elegant, and concise.
4) The Sign-off
This last step can be needlessly stressful, especially if you are unsure what your relationship to the gift-giver is. If they are a family member or close friend, “lots of love” or “with love” should work. If they are a co-worker or a parent’s friend, then “many thanks” or “gratefully” works!
Don’t overthink it. Write with confidence and gratitude, and the task will appear less daunting. Bonus points for a cute card! Check out our newest Thank You card sinle, or pack of 8 (because you can never have too many on hand).
