MM – The Art of the Thank You Card

Hello everyone! Happy Monday. Today my hand is cramping so I’ll keep it short. Why you ask? Well if the title is any indication, I just wrote over 40 thank-you cards this weekend.

I love thank-you cards. I think they’re a sweet gesture that expresses gratitude through our most valuable asset: TIME.

I have had to write my fair share of thank-you cards in my lifetime and every now and then I find myself looking up a “just in case” template to make sure I’m doing it right, but I am never satisfied with what I look up. I am particularly uncomfortable with any card that makes mention of how the gift will be used. I don’t know why. I just always thought it was strange and contrived sounding.

Like, “Thanks so much for the dish towel Susan. I’ve never owned a dish towel before. I can’t wait to use it to towel off my dishes.”

No. Just no.

Regardless of the occasion or gift, I have TWO keys to the perfect thank-you card:

Keep it simple.
Don’t start with “thank you”

Honestly, the most sincere thank-you cards are the easiest to write and for me those start with

A connection to the person I am writing to or the reason for the gift in the first place.
THEN, I go into my way of saying thanks which could include the words, “appreciate, gratitude, kindness, loving, thoughtful, perfect, hilarious, awesome,” and “thank you.”

There are only so many ways to write “thank you” without sounding disingenuous so keep it simple and true.

Example for someone I’m close to:
Dear Susan,
I am blessed to count you as a friend. This holiday season has been hectic and even though our respect and affection for each other goes without saying, I still appreciate you thinking of me. Of course the <gift> is perfection and you know why. Thanks for the love and effort. I hope to continue to provide the same as we continue our crazy friendship this next year!

Example for someone I barely know / professional:
Dear Karen,
I wanted to let you know that seeing a <whatever type of> present from you brought a smile to my face. I appreciate you thinking of me at this busy time of year. The <gift> is <adjective> and again, I am grateful for the thought. It means a lot to me. Thank you. Have a lovely <day, holiday, etc> and we’ll be seeing one another!

Remember, the art of the Thank-You card is never the verbose prose within but the time spent doing it.