There is only one way to express gratitude and sincere thanks and it is the same method that dates back centuries – thank you cards. Perhaps because email is so popular with today’s communication that it is officially deemed inappropriate to use as a way to thank someone for a sincere gesture or kind thought.

Nothing will replace the time you take to write out a heart felt letter of thanks on a card and send it in the mail. When your recipient spots it out amongst the pile of bills and magazine, they will be pleasantly surprised and refreshed from such an authentic and sincere gesture.

You can buy thank you cards on the internet in many different designs and colors and fonts. You can mix and match until you find the perfect combination to express your unique personality and style. You can go totally elegant and classic with cream colors, cursive font and neutral accents over embossed lettering. Or you can be more modern with bright colors, funky designs and embossed block letters or Century Gothic.

It all depends on what you like the best and you can even order two or three different sets of stationary that caters to different kinds of scenarios. Have one on hand for thanking people for gifts and kind gestures, while you other funky stationery is great to include with birthday gifts and use as friendly notes to friends and family.
No matter how much you order, just be sure that you always have some thank you cards on hand in your house. They are an extremely common gift for newly weds because these cards will always be used throughout the year – no matter what kind of person or family you are handing them off to. Remember that emails are never acceptable and can easily be taken as a rude gesture.

Take as much time to write your cards as your recipients took to think of you as they bought your gift or helped you out with a favor. Browse the selections on the internet to find the stationery that truly fits you and your personality and everyone will receive a little piece of you in the mail and then they will smile!

It always seems that you can never have enough thank you cards on hand to sincerely thank your friends and family for favors and gifts. Whether your neighbor picks up your mail for your while you are on vacation or your sister drops by with a lovely bouquet of freshly cut flowers from her garden, a small thank you card can go a long way.

Expressing your gratitude for a favor or a gift is extremely important. You want to make sure that the person that did the favor or gave you a gift knows exactly how much you appreciated it. Handwritten thank you cards are the perfect way to accomplish this. It will only take a few minutes of your time to write down how you feel and to thank someone for something that they have done for you.

With modern technology many people are skipping a few steps of the process and sending out emails to serve as thank yous. An email message simply does not have as much weight as handwritten thank you cards. They are more informal and your gratitude can be lost somewhere in cyberspace. Don’t try to save yourself some time by shooting out a quick email as a thank you because emails can come across as devoid of emotion.

If you want to genuinely thank someone it is always best to take the time to write out a card, even if it is only one or two sentences, and to sign your name in ink. It will lend a much more personal and sincere touch to your expression of gratitude and be well received by the person that you are thanking. They will know that you appreciated the gesture or the gift and feel as if their efforts were genuinely received and valued.

When it doubt always send out a quick thank you. Even if it is a small gesture it is always best to send out a thank you to express your gratitude. By having a stack of thank you notes in a handy place at home you’ll be much more apt to take the time to write one out. It is always a good idea to have these on hand and to keep some stamps along side them so that the next time that someone does you a favor you are ready to show your gratitude by sending them a handwritten thank you.

It’s funny what we remember.   I’ve been to my share of weddings and wedding receptions over the years, and my memories are not of the event, the people, the music.

I remember the details.  The stained glass windows, the flowers, the way that the food was served at the reception (brisk ?  slow ? enthusiastic ?)  But, also, I remember the napkins.  Why ?  Because I love to drink red wine at wedding receptions, and I enjoy getting a fresh napkin every time so I can situate my glass on the napkin and be sure that the glass is centered.  So, I get to know the napkins.  What am I getting to here ?  What is my point ?  All right, here we go – most napkins at wedding receptions are an afterthought.  They were ordered last … I can almost hear the conversation …

… “we almost forgot them completely” or “I thought you were ordering the napkins” …

Or:  “I think the caterer will supply the napkins”  This must be true, because some waitresses or bartenders have handed me a plain napkin.  Plain – no design, no names… blank.  Sometimes, I have done better … and the napkins had a printed design, but a generic design like a rose or iris.  Only at a very few wedding receptions (or rehearsal dinners) have I had the pleasure of a personalized napkin with a correctly executed monogram on it, or one with the bride and groom’s name and the date of the occasion.  But, here is the wonderful exception.  In September of 2008 I attended a wedding in Wheeling, West Virginia, where the cocktail napkins were exquisite.  The reception was outdoors in a large tent, there must have been 200 people there.  (Anyone famous ?  One gentleman and his colleague were rumored to be the owners or else share ownership of the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team.)  If we take into account all of the coming and going, there might have been 300 people who attended.  After all, the bar had its own tent – this was a serious wedding reception.  Anyway … the personalized napkins … they were sublime.  And simple   Five inches by five inches – standard size.  They were white with the most delicious monogram – the old classic style of engraver’s monogram that everyone sells for napkins and personalized stationery.  The center letter was “S”  Sorry, I don’t remember the side-letters.  The napkins said it all.  A lithesome young bride had married a tall, handsome young man in a simple, dignified ceremony, had an elegant wedding reception, and someone had  remembered the importance of symbolizing the event on personalized napkins.  The couple was joined by, among other things, the letter “S”



Remember when we were young and would come home from kindergarten with necklaces of raw macaroni noodles for our mothers? Sure, sometimes they were colored with markers or included different shapes like the large Rigatoni, but no matter what, there was no escaping its unfortunate label: cheap yet thoughtful. Projects for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and other holidays in elementary school used to include different homemade and cheap ways to tell kids’ mothers thank you. Cards now take the place of those endearing cutouts and noodle necklaces. So why not bring parents back with an original thank you card made directly from the heart. Thank you cards that are not store bought say more than some two cent poetry that any old quack can buy and sign.

Homemade thank you cards should be used for every occasion. And we’re not talking about busting out the Crayola crayons and markers for that juvenile feel. It is as simple as finding an image on the computer and printing it out. You don’t even need to handwrite anything if you don’t want to: all the way to printing directly on the envelope the name and address.

Gifts are overdone. Show your true appreciation through a personalized thank you card that depicts the details and depth of your sincere gratefulness. A thank you card is great for any occasion and there is no time that it is deemed inappropriate. You can dress a card up with flowery design or dress it down with no extravagant pictures, images or words. Keep it simple by merely saying thank you and addressing the thing of which you are thanking.

A thank you card is an excellent way to show your gratitude and appreciation through a thoughtful message and a corresponding picture. Maybe of a cake, or balloons, maybe even a clever cliché coming from a chimpanzee. Whatever you choose, make sure you are picking the right card for your recipient. Whether thanking someone for a gift or a good time, you want to show the right amount of appreciation and consideration. You do not want to send a card that is too over the top with bustling designs or too much loud color. Cards like these tend to come off as tacky and redundant, instead of sweet and loving.

Thank you’s are often overlooked, but they are important in keeping and maintaining strong friendships through out the years.

A woman recently told the story about how she sat down to write thank you cards after a series of interviews for a job… and she could barely write. She says she can’t even remember the last time she wrote something down on paper instead of shooting it off in an email or typing it up in a document. It’s crazy that we spend so much of our times online, but putting pen to paper is still important. One reason you still need to write is to send notes of appreciation to interviewers for positions you have interviewed for.

It can be easy to get carried away on thank you cards for potential employers, but there is no reason to rewrite your resume on the card. Try to stick to a few points. The first point is that you are grateful they took the time to interview you. You are grateful! It is getting you that much closer to a job. Let them know you are happy you had the chance to talk and express your interest and suitability for the position.

The great thing about thank you cards for interviews is that you can take the opportunity to clarify or explain anything that you felt wasn’t laid out properly in an interview. Often, we remember something or regret a statement in an interview and want to be able to let the employer what you really meant. This is that chance. Don’t delve into details or apologize for anything that came off funny. Be simple, direct and clear. An employer will surely appreciate the extra information, but if you come off as desperate or you keep apologizing, that might leave a bad taste.

The more you can pull out from the interview and mention in the card, the better. Bring up a funny anecdote that the interviewer told or mention that you did look at that competitor’s website that they mentioned. It shows that you have a good memory and can help them remember your interview as well. Often companies will interview several people for a job, so making them remember you or recall you later is a great way to stick out.

Finally, scrap all of these rules if you have good intuition and feel like you understand the interviewer’s tastes and needs. If the interviewer likes details and plenty of information, then give him a longer card reiterating all of the skills you have and what you would do for the company. If the interviewer was lighthearted and looking for someone that fit the personality of the company, then let yours out in the card. Good luck!

Has someone shown you an unexpected kindness that you truly appreciate because it brightened your day and made your routine seem a bit more manageable? Or, has someone bought you a very expensive or thoughtful present in honor of a special occasion? In either case, you should send out thank you cards to let these people know how much you appreciate their gestures. Mailing thank you cards as opposed to making a phone call or writing a fast e-mail is a much better way to tell them that you care.

People love getting mail from friends and family members; therefore, they’ll feel special when they see an envelope that contains a letter from you nestled in their stack of mail. They’ll be eager to open it to see what kind of card you picked out, and they will probably keep it for a long time. They might put it at their desk at work, or put it up on their refrigerator at home.

Another reason that you should send out some letters to show your appreciation is that the people will know that their gift meant something to you, and that you didn’t merely think of it as something that was a necessity at a big event. This is especially the case if you have a lavish wedding reception or large birthday party that includes lots of guests and presents. Let each individual guest know that you are truly thankful.

You also should sometimes send out thank you notes in the workplace. They are appropriate to send after an interview if someone spent a substantial amount of time with you. Or, if a colleague does you a kind deed and works particularly hard on a certain project for your company, you might want to show them your appreciation by leaving a nice handwritten note on their desk.

Make sure that you always have the proper stationery on hand if you think you might need to send some thank you notes in the near future. This will make it much easier for you to correspond with people since you won’t have to rush out to the store just to pick up some note cards. You also can be sure that your stationery is tasteful and beautiful if you’ve chosen it well in advance.

One frustrated aunt sighed in exasperation this Christmas after yet another beautiful gift was sent to her 15-year-old niece and yet no thank you cards arrived. She had spent over a decade sending specially selected gifts to her favorite niece and hearing nary a word about the packages. The aunt knew they were used, loved and appreciated – phone calls would usually elicit appreciation for the new objects. And she knew who the real wrongdoers were – the parents, her sister and brother-in-law.

Teaching your children to send thank you notes is a great way to show them how to be appreciative and how to follow rules of etiquette. In this day of evites and social networks, it might seem silly to your child to sit down and put pen to paper. It’s an important lesson, and it should be taught early.

Teaching by example is a great way to show your kids the importance of sending thank you notes. Take the time after the holidays to sit down as a family and write thank yous. Start this at an early age and your child will learn by route that this is the proper etiquette. Make writing out thank yous fun – let them pick out their own thank you stationary, or have them make individual cards for each person that sent them a gift.

Show your child thank yous that other people send to your house. Make sure you point out how important you thought it was, and how kind it was for that person to send along a note. When your child knows that thank yous are noted and appreciated, they will see their importance and necessity.

Make sure your child knows that thank you notes aren’t only for gifts. When someone does something kind, send him or her a thank you note. Tell your child what you are doing, and when your child experiences touching kindness, make sure you have them write out a card as well. By showing your child that thank you notes are important year-round and not just on birthdays, they will begin to use them regularly to express gratitude.

These touches will not only make your child versed with etiquette – sending thank yous in the business world is a great way to be noticed, to stand out from a crowded employment pool and to build relationships within the office and with clients. It might seem like yet another thing you have to force your child to do, but by starting early and incorporating it into your family’s life, you can be sure that your child will be a model of gratitude throughout their life.

Has someone gone out of their way to show you unexpected kindness?

Have you received an extremely thoughtful and caring gift from someone?

Perhaps while you were feeling under the weather, a neighbor picked some groceries up for you and brought them to your apartment?

If any of these scenarios are true, it’s important for you to send out proper thank you cards to show your appreciation. The sender who brightened your day will know that you truly feel honored and special because they took time out of their schedule to improve your life.

When you’re picking out your thank you cards, you can decide what style and design you think might be the most appropriate.

If you think you’re going to mostly send them out to business associates, you might want to opt for a more formal choice. Try cards that have an elegant script or are printed on a heavy card stock in a more subtle color.

If you think you’re going to be giving them to your friends, you can have more fun with the font and choose one of your favorite colors. You can even add some fun designs that suit your personality.

You also might want to consider sending out trendy Eco-friendly cards. They are great for the environment, definitely in style and they make a unique impression.

Eco-friendly cards come in an excellent assortment of colors and designs, so don’t fall into the common misconception that they have to be boring, brown and dull.

Regardless of the kind of thank you cards you choose to send, they are a very important way for you to let people know you care.

It’s easy to just write a quick e-mail to convey your message, but taking the time to sit down and write a letter is much more personal and intimate.

Plus, when you pre-order thank you notes and have them on hand for occasions such as this, then writing your thank you notes by hand can easily become as simple as e-mail.

One thing is always for sure: you will make your recipient feel just as special as you felt when you received their thoughtful gift.

Writing business thank you notes is the just the first step in mastering business thank you note etiquette

They say that golf is essential to doing business. I don’t know about that, but I do know that etiquette is. Practicing proper business etiquette takes you (and your business) to the next level of professionalism in the eyes of your business partners, vendors and clients. That’s why learning how to write business thank you cards is so important.

Writing business thank you notes gives you a competitive edge

Knowing how to write a business thank you gives you the leg up

Business thank you note etiquette ranks among the top skills all professionals should hone in their arsenal of business etiquette tactics. Writing business thank you notes is as important as paying your bills on time and knowing your competitors’ strengths and weaknesses. Believe it or not, learning how to write business thank you cards gives you a competitive edge. Continue reading ‘How To Write A Business Thank You Note and When To Send It’ »

Write a thank you message that captures the power of Thank You

One of my most important goals in life is to teach my children that the simple act of saying ‘thank you’ is among the most important things they can do. Of course, saying ‘please’ ranks right up there, but ‘thank you’ takes the cake for me.

Teach children to say thank you

Two simple words – thank you – hold so much power. Saying thank you not only expresses gratitude but also respect, courtesy and often love. For a child, saying thank you is short and sweet. For us grown-ups, it can become a more intricate task, especially when we are putting our thoughts into writing.

I would certainly say there is an art to good thank you note wording.

My mom writes me thank you messages for just about everything. I save all of them, not only because it makes me feel good to read them, but also because they are treasure troves of memories, helping me recall how we celebrated special occasions and how I expressed my love to her in gifts.

How to Write Thank You Notes

For me, the number one rule in how to write thank you cards is to try not to make it read like a thank you note. Confused? How boring is it to read “Thank you for the blender. It blends really well. We will get a lot of use out of our blender. Thanks again.” Blah. Instead, try something like… Continue reading ‘Thank You Card Wording And How To Write Thank You Notes’ »