Writing a thank you note is a wonderful sign of gratitude, and it is something that never gets old. Thank you notes are a great gift to send to a friend or family member who has helped you out, and it is one of the most authentic ways of saying thank you, no matter what they might have done for you.  

 Taking the time to write thank you notes or a thank you card is a mutually beneficial experience, as it provides joy to you just as much as it will to the friend who receives it. While it might seem like a basic skill to learn, being able to write authentic thank you messages can benefit your life, whether you are thanking people for their gift, their invitation, or their time.  

 Back in the day, handwriting thank you messages or sending a thank you card to a friend after they gave you a gift, invited you to their dinner party, or helped you out in some way was common practice, but this is not always the case now.  

 Many of us will send a quick thank you or message of gratitude over email if the moment requires it, but rarely do we take the time to handwrite, which is why we need to sharpen our skills when it comes to writing thank you notes.  

 This is going to be the ultimate guide to writing thank you notes, as we are not only going to show what you should write in a thank you note to bring joy and happiness to others, but we are also going to talk about why thank you notes are so valuable, even in a digital age. If you have been thinking about a new way to gift loved ones or express your gratefulness, then this is the article for you.

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When Should I Write A Thank You Note?

Giving someone a thank you card might seem out of the ordinary these days, but that is part of the charm! A thank you note today seems like such a gift, and it is something to be treasured.  

 Considering we say thank you for various things throughout the day, it might seem too formal or too much work to give out a thank you note when someone helps you or gives you a gift, but the truth is there is no job that is too small to receive a handwritten note. 

 Usually, we tend to only give out notes or cards during holidays, on birthdays or for special occasions like with a wedding gift but the truth is you do not need to wait for these large moments in life to send a thank you card. Writing a card also does not have to be reserved for only relatives or friends, as you can show your gratitude to any person who has done something for you. 

 Many small business owners understand the art of a thank you card and often send them out to their customers with orders to say thank you.  

 You can thank anyone, whether they have given you a gift, attended an event of yours, or helped you out in some other way, through a thank you note. While a handwritten thank you card has the most charm, showing your gratitude can also be in another manner.  

 For example, sending a hiring manager a thank you email after you have attended a job interview with them is a great way to show them that you are a good person and someone they would benefit from having on their team. It will also make you more memorable and help your name stick in their mind when it comes to choosing who gets the position. 

 From business to family occasions, there is nothing too small for a thank you note, and it can mean such a lot to the person who receives your kind words.

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Why You Should Send A Thank You Note

Thank you notes can work for anything, and they do not have to come across as formal if that does not work with the circumstance in which you are showing your gratitude.  

 There are lots of benefits that come from sending a thank you note or thank you card, whether this is for your business or your personal relationships. 

 If you are still not convinced about thank you notes, here are some of the ways they can benefit your life:

It Makes You Feel Good

Thank you notes are mutually beneficial as they provide joy to both the recipient and the sender. When you take time out of your day to write a thank you note, you feel good, and this feeling will be tenfold when you choose to do it through a handwritten thank you card as opposed to over a text message. This is because writing a thank you card takes a little more time and effort, which will intensify the good feelings of being grateful. 

 Likewise, receiving a thank you note or thank you card is such a positive experience and one that brings a lot of joy to the person who gets it through the mail. Knowing that you have helped someone out or made them happy in some way is a great feeling, and the fact that they were so pleased to have written a note about it makes this feeling even better!

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Gratitude Is Good For You!

There have been a lot of studies performed in recent years regarding mindfulness and the benefits it can bring to our health. A huge aspect of mindfulness and living in the present moment is gratitude, which is the whole purpose behind thank you notes. 

 Sending thank-you notes and cards is a great way to spread happiness. We typically spend a lot of time thinking about the things that annoy or upset us, but gratitude takes us away from this mindset into something much more positive. Sharing this gratitude with someone else is a great way to share positivity and show them that you are thinking about them, which is just a lovely thing to hear.

It's Easier Than You Think

We say thanks countless times a day, so much so that you might not even notice you are saying it half the time. We say thanks to the staff at the grocery store, thanks to our friends, thanks to strangers, yet when it comes to sending a note to someone saying thanks no longer feels like second nature.  

 However, writing a letter of thanks, whether it is for a gift, interview, or business venture, can be incredibly easy. No matter the occasion, writing a thank you card or thank you note can be simple.  

 With practice, it will be just as easy to write out a thank you note as it is for you to call out thanks when someone helps you out!

How To Write A Thank You Note

The reason why you might think that writing your thanks is difficult is that you do not know what you are supposed to write in a thank-you note.  

 Depending on the circumstance, your thank you card can be simple and straightforward as typically little more than the actual 'thanks' is needed. The key to getting a thank you note right is in your wording, and we are going to help with that.  

 You want the recipient, whoever that may be, to know how grateful you are for the birthday gift or invite to their baby shower, yet this is where people can put too much pressure on themselves. The wording of a thank you note is important, but the main thing that you should be thinking about is the reason for your gratitude in the first place.  

 To help you get started with writing thank you notes, we are going to provide some message examples and outline a basic structure that you can follow for every thank you card you write out. 

 When you want to say thanks to someone, whether that is for a gift, their time, or an invitation, there are five main things that you need to include:

1) Salutation

This is an obvious one, as no letter or card would be complete without a greeting to get started. The key to making a thank you note work well is by including the name of the recipient if you can, as this makes it seem more personal and intentional.  

 Depending on the occasion, you can use a formal greeting such as 'Dear [Name]' or for more informal messages you can start with a standard greeting of 'Hello!' or 'Hey!'

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2) Say Thanks

The whole purpose of a thank you message is to say thanks to the recipient, so you do not need to waste time padding out your message with pointless details and can instead get right into it. 

 When writing messages of thanks, get your gratitude out early and thank the recipient for whatever it is they did, whether you want to say:

• Thank you so much for attending my birthday party 
•  Thank you for inviting us to your baby shower 
•  Thank you for the gift for our child's bar mitzvah 
•  Thank you so much for your order from my business 
•  Thank you for taking care of my home while we were on vacation

As we have mentioned, there is no place that a thank you will not be appreciated, and they can be used for almost any occasion.  

 Make your message of thanks clear, and try to be as personal as you can when saying thank you, such as mentioning the thoughtful gift someone bought you for your birthday or the invitation to their baby shower. The more specific you are in your letter, the better the message will seem as you have clearly written a personal message for the recipient.

3) Explain What It Meant

This is the part of the thank you card when you can go into more detail and truly show your appreciation for the gift, invitation, or whatever the event may be.  

 Saying 'thank you so much' makes for a kind note, but this where you can show the recipient how much they have impacted your life through what they have done for you. 

 Explain that it is such a blessing to be invited to baby showers or that you are so grateful for the housewarming gift they sent because it will fit into your home perfectly. If someone has sent you a gift card or money, share with them what you are going to be doing with that extra money in your account and how happy you are for it.  

 This is where you need to get thinking more on your wording, as you want to be as precise as possible when thanking someone for their gift or invitation to an event. As we have said, the more personal a thank you letter is, the more impactful it will be, so make sure you reference people by name and reference specifically what they have done.  

 Being specific can be hard when you are sending out a lot of thank you notes, such as after an event or for wedding gifts where you have more than one, but try to be as personal as possible. When you throw a party, try to keep a note of the gifts you received and who sent them so you can send a message of thanks later. Likewise, if you are interviewing for a job and want to send a message of thanks afterward, write down the hiring manager's name so you can create personal messages.

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4) Get A Little Personal

The level of how personal you want to be in your thank you note will differ based on the occasion. For example, thanking family members for gifts allows you to be more open in your message, but writing a letter to your work team after they have succeeded on a project does not require many personal touches from you. 

 Regardless of how personal you need to go in your note, one of the best ways to end a thank you letter is by inciting a response. Even if you are just thanking someone for their wedding or birthday gift basket, it is still good manners to leave them with something they could respond to.  

 The words you use here do not have to be too deep, as you could simply wish them well for the holidays if any holidays are coming up, but you could also offer an invitation to your home in the future or share something more personal about yourself with them if the occasion suits it.  

 As long as your words express your happiness and gratitude, it should be more than enough. The main purpose of this part of the card is to express the pleasure that they brought to you, whether it is a wedding invite or a gift card for your birthday, so make sure your words express this.

5) Sign Off

Before ending your thank you note, you could express your thanks once more by saying something like 'thank you for taking the time to read this letter,’ which works particularly well with longer notes, or a friendly send-off such as 'look forward to hearing from you soon.'  

 Depending on the occasion, you can change your wording to suit whether you are being formal or informal throughout your letter of thanks.  

 Regardless of what kind of thank you note you are writing, it is always better to sign off with something more than just the standard 'sincerely.' You can add some personality to your thank you letter closings while still keeping it suitable for the occasion such as 'warm regards' or 'best wishes.' 

 When you are handwriting a thank you note, make sure to always sign the bottom of the card for the finishing touch.

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In Closing

Thank you are two of the most meaningful words we have at our disposal, yet many of us have forgotten this because we say them so often. This is why taking the time to write out a card or note that says thank you is such a wonderful idea, and it is a great way to show how much you appreciate someone's gifts, time, or invitation.  

 In this article, we have shared the importance of thank you notes and offered some steps to follow when it comes to writing one of your own. Words can have such a positive impact on other people, and you can share your thanks with people in a variety of different ways, but sitting down to write your thank you message can have the most impact. 

 If you have been thinking that writing thank you notes seems too formal or takes up too much time, we hope we have managed to change your mind through this article.  

 To learn more about how writing can impact your life, search through our catalog of blog posts at the sidebar or subscribe for more. If you want to get started with writing your own thank you cards or looking for a great gift to give, we have a wide range of tools to help with that. Simply search through our online store and add items to your cart.  

 Thank you so much for reading!