Many of us send Christmas or Happy Holidays cards as we approach the holiday season, but does this include Thanksgiving? Some would say yes, but given that most holiday cards start arriving after Thanksgiving, that doesn’t seem to be the case. It would appear that Thanksgiving is the red-headed stepchild of the “holidays” family. We all celebrate it (in the U.S.), but the venerable holiday doesn’t make it into holiday cards. 

 A growing contingent of people is rectifying this oversight by sending Thanksgiving cards. It might seem odd or wasteful to send a second holiday card so close to the one we’re all familiar with, but the sentiments contained aren’t the same. Whereas standard holiday/Christmas cards focus on happiness, joy, and good tidings for the coming year, Thanksgiving cards remind us to be thankful in the moment for the things we already have. They’re an excellent way to spread feelings of gratitude to those you love. 

 But what should you write? It’s likely you’ve never sent a Thanksgiving card, so you may not know where to start. Not to fear. At Simply Noted, we see tens of thousands of holiday messages each year. We can help get you started with your Thanksgiving cards. Take these suggestions as a starting point, and then build your own!

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GENERAL THANKSGIVING CARD POINTERS

At the most basic level, Thanksgiving cards are easy. Just write what you’re thankful for! The holiday counts gratitude as its foundation, so focus on the things you’re most grateful for. You could talk about things that happened over the year, speak to something you’re thankful for more generally, or look to the future and express gratitude for good things heading your way. 

 It’s good to express gratitude toward your recipient as well. It’s a nice way to personalize your Thanksgiving card. If you can’t think of anything specific, you can simply thank them for being a loyal friend. It’s a small but important gesture because it lets your recipient know how they’ve impacted your life.

Remember, keep things positive. The goal of a Thanksgiving card is to share the good in your life with the people you love and remind them to examine the beneficial things in their lives. Negativity and pessimism have no place here. Below you’ll find some general thoughts to build from.

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SENTIMENTS FOR YOUR THANKSGIVING CARDS

In addition to what you’re thankful for, here are some other ideas for sentiments you might include. We’ve divided these into logical categories, but there’s certainly some crossover between them.

Thanksgiving Wishes For Friends and Family

• “It’s been a year of struggles and a year of triumphs. Here’s wishing your family more of the second in the upcoming year.” 
•  “You’ve been an integral part of our lives for years, and we’re thankful for every moment we’ve gotten to spend with you.” 
•  “We can’t be with you to celebrate Thanksgiving in person, but we hope your table is filled with those that you love and cherish the most.” 
•  “Wishing you a wonderful day of feasting and fun, with all the gratitude you and yours can muster.” 
•  “Here’s to hoping that you have so much to be grateful for this Thanksgiving that one meal isn’t enough to express it.” 
•  “We single out one day of the year to express our thanks for the other 364. Here’s hoping you have something to be thankful for every day of the year!”

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Thanksgiving Wishes For Professional Contacts

• “Sharing a workspace with you makes Mondays less painful and brings Fridays around so much faster. I want to let you know how much I appreciate you as a coworker.” 
•  “On Thanksgiving, I like to think about you, my clients. You make the meal I sit out for my family possible, and I’m forever grateful that you’ve chosen to work with me.” 
•  “We often say to ourselves, ‘I’m thankful to have a job,’ but at Thanksgiving time, it’s worth thinking about what that really means. Thanks for taking a chance on me.” 
•  “Our customers are the lifeblood of our company. We couldn’t do what we do without you, so, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you.”

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Thanksgiving Quotes - Inspirational

• "No one who achieves success does so without acknowledging the help of others. The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude." — Alfred North Whitehead
•  "Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom." — Marcel Proust 
•  "If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough." — Meister Eckhart 
•  "Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend." — Melody Beattie 
•  "At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us." — Albert Schweitzer 
•  "He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has." — Epictetus

SEE ALSO: Celebrating National Thank a Mail Carrier Day

Thanksgiving Quotes - Funny

• "For those of you who cannot be with family this Thanksgiving, please resist the urge to brag." — Andy Borowitz 
•  "Coexistence: What the farmer does with the turkey—until Thanksgiving." — Mike Connolly 
•  "Thanksgiving is America’s national chow-down feast, the one occasion each year when gluttony becomes a patriotic duty." — Michael Dresser 
•  “Thanksgiving dinners take 18 hours to prepare. They are consumed in 12 minutes. Half-times take 12 minutes. This is not a coincidence.” — Erma Bombeck 
•  “If a fellow isn’t thankful for what he’s got, he isn’t likely to be thankful for what he’s going to get.” — Frank A. Clark 
•  “Gratitude is the wine for the soul. Go on. Get drunk.” — Rumi 
•  “I feel a very unusual sensation – if it is not indigestion, I think it must be gratitude.” — Benjamin Disraeli

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PUT YOUR THANKSGIVING CARDS ON AUTOPILOT

Sending Thanksgiving cards is a nice touch for a wonderful holiday, but the process is time-consuming. Simply Noted has a better way. 

 Take advantage of our automated handwriting machines to send out your handwritten thanksgiving wishes as easily as an email. All you have to do is upload your messages and addresses, and we’ll create and send warm, authentic-feeling handwritten cards to everyone on your list. Do it now and have the cards sent precisely when you want them. Simply Noted makes sending your Thanksgiving wishes easy!