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Tips For Writing Thank You Notes

The idea of writing thank you notes can send many people running for the hills in dread. They might be having flashbacks to when they were young and were forced to sit down with long lists of people to thank after every birthday and Christmas. Or they might just be finding themselves at a complete loss of what to say and don’t want to improperly thank someone. No matter the reason, thank you notes tend to stump people. Expressing your thanks doesn’t need to be a chore. With a little practice and a few tips for writing thank you notes, your comfort and skills will improve.

Stationary

You don’t need specific thank you stationary when writing a thank you card. You can use a pretty blank card, a postcard or a nice looking piece of note paper. Avoid using filler paper as this says to the receiver that you couldn’t be bothered to extend any real effort to thank them.

Greeting

For formal events, like a wedding or a follow up to a job interview, it is best to use a more formal greeting, “Dear Mr. and Mrs. Robert Johnson.” When sending thank you notes for other occasions a less formal greeting is just fine, “Dear Uncle Bob and Aunt Jane.”

What to Write?

Start off with a simple “Thank you for the socks.” If the gift was money refer to it as “your generosity” or “your kindness.” If this is a thank you note for something like a special dinner or allowing you to stay at their home, simply thank them for their hospitality.

Follow up with a sentence saying what you like about the gift, “They look great with my favorite pair of shoes.” With money gifts, imply what you will use it for, “It will be helpful when I’m redecorating my room this spring.” For hospitality, something along the lines of “It was wonderful to be able to spend some time with you and your family.”

To round out your letter, mention a future or past interaction, “It was great to see you last summer, and I hope to see you this Thanksgiving.” If you don’t see them often or know them that well, “I hope all is well with you and your family.”

Finish off the paragraph with repeating your thanks, a simple “Thanks again for your gift/hospitality/time” will do.

Sign your regards with a “love,” or “Yours truly.” For more formal notes a “sincerely” will work too.

Time frame

It is ideal to send thank you notes as soon as possible. With weddings, most etiquette standards state that couples have up to a year to send thank you notes. For gifts and hospitality, you should aim to have thank you notes sent within two to three weeks. A late thank you is not the best, but it is better than nothing.

Keep these tips for writing thank you notes in mind the next time you’re worried about writing a proper thank you note. After all, the only wrong way to thank someone, is to not thank them at all.

This article on how to write thank you notes has been written by expert author ‘Emily Cordz‘.