Two Words +  Love = Thank You Notes

I am feeling so guilty.

The list of people is growing longer and the notes sit blank, calling out to me. 

I have been putting them off since Christmas and my birthday. The cards, envelopes, and pens are on my dining room table, waiting for me.   

Sigh. It’s hard to practice what I preach! 

This is the week I assign all of my senior students the job of writing handwritten thank you messages to their teachers who wrote them recommendations.  

To inspire me (and my students), I  did a little research on research around the value of Thank You Notes: 

• In a 2018 study at the University of Texas, Professor Amit Kumar discovered that the sending of a thank you note drastically underestimated the joy that the receiver would feel.  In reality, people who receive thank you notes described themselves as “ecstatic” upon receiving a thoughtful note. 

This got me excited! I also ordered some lovely stationery and great pens! 

Next, I googled “how to write a simple thank you note” so I could send some direction to my students. Thanks to Peggy and Emily Post I found a fews steps: 

Anatomy of a “Thank You” Note:

Step 1: 

Start with an opener or greeting: ‘It was so lovely to see you last week” 

Step 2: 

Thank them for the specific item given and tell them how you have already used the gift or plan to:

 “Thank you for the lovely bowl. It is the perfect fall color for my dining room table and I can’t wait to enjoy it all season long.”

Step 3:

Include a closing: It’s nice to include a wish for the future, but not obligatory. “I look forward to visiting in the New Year and hope you enjoy the holidays.”

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