Why Thank You Notes Are Important

When we were kids, my mother made us write thank you notes for everything. Anytime we got something – a gift, an experience, you name it, we wrote a note for it. We got in the habit of doing it, and it wasn’t so bad, no matter how much complaining we did.

Back then (seems like a million years ago) thank you notes were the norm, but so were hand written letters. This will age me (significantly) but when I was young, even in college, I wrote letters to friends and family. Not only did most people not have email, but most didn’t have cell phones either, and making phones calls you had to pay long distance (what’s that??) – which wasn’t going to happen.

So we wrote letters.

I realize that many of you now think that you are reading something that was written by your grandmother, but stick with me…

No one writes letters anymore it seems. That makes thank you notes even more special than they were before. In the mail every day we get bills, catalogs, and coupons…nothing fun. There is nothing more exciting than getting a card, note or invitation (that’s not to a fundraiser) in the mail. And I do believe a thank you note tops the list.

A thank you note can be as simple as letting someone know that a gift was received. It gives the gift giver relief that the package they sent made it to its destination. With wedding registries and everything being handled online, that is a relief sometimes!

I make my kids write thank you notes too. Actually, they are not supposed to use the gift they have been given before the note is written. Doesn’t always happen, but…

They are used to it. I assure you that doesn’t mean that there isn’t complaining when I tell them it is time to write them. And it isn’t just them – it is on me too! Two of the three of our kiddos can’t write their own letters – and none of them feel confident that they are writing what needs to be written, yet, but they are learning.         

They understand the importance of writing them and honestly, I believe it makes them enjoy the gift even more. Talking with them about what to write in the note helps them to understand that someone was thinking about them when they purchased the gift.

If they received a book in a series that they love, when you talk about it with them so they can write a note, they begin to understand that the person that gave them the book took the time to learn what they liked, so they would buy them something that they would enjoy.

Learning these things makes them feel like this person took the time to know them and when they write their letters the excitement is there.

What a wonderful feeling for Grandma to read how much they truly enjoyed the book and look forward to reading something new by their current favorite author.

Or a blanket that Grandma knitted or quilted and the time she put into something just for them that they can’t wait to cuddle with.

We aren’t perfect – a note or two slips by in our busy lives, but we try – and for me, that’s good enough.

Teaching your children at a young age to write thank you notes and getting them thinking about why a gift is special, makes them more grateful. Hopefully, they will grow into grateful adults.


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Jamie Lindamood
Jamie lives outside of Eureka on a cattle ranch with her favorites...husband, Diltz, and their three kiddos, Sydney (10), Henry (8) and Charlie (6). Works at Krehbiel Architecture in Wichita and spends quite a bit of time in her hometown working, playing, and volunteering. At home in Eureka, she is overly involved too...working with the community for revitalization and always enjoys encouraging people to learn how their food really gets to their plate as an advocate of agriculture through her Day at the Ranch tour, You Are Here agriculture education program and Greenwood County Cattlewomen social media outlets.

1 COMMENT

  1. I love receiving thank you notes. It shows me my gift was appreciated enough to take a minute to acknowledge the gift. It’s a small gift in return.

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