Whether it is a wedding, bridal shower, birthday, or other special holiday, thank you notes are an important aspect of thanking those who have given gifts. This is somewhat of a lost art, but is still considered a must in polite society. Even before children can write, they can learn about the importance of thank you notes. They cannot write their name, but they can color or decorate a thank you note for someone who has given them something special. Older children can write their own thank you notes, and should be encouraged to do so at every opportunity. They don’t have to be wordy and long, a simple ‘thank you for the wonderful gift’ will suffice. The most important part of thank you notes is that they are done.

Thank you notes come in all shapes and sizes. Many invitation kits come with thank you notes included. They can also be made by buying specialty paper, or by getting ready-made thank you notes from a department or specialty store. What should be included on and in thank you notes is up to you. You can put a simple design on the front and include a short note inside. Make the note personal and have it written in your own handwriting. Thank you notes that are pre-printed tend to feel impersonal.

Another important aspect of thank you notes is getting them out into the mail as soon as you can. Many think they have a year to send out thank you notes after a wedding, but many consider this to be very rude. Get them written and out the door within a month of the wedding. For bridal showers, it has become a custom to have everyone address their own envelopes for the thank you notes to be mailed in at a later date. While this is considered to be a way for a busy bride-to-be to save time and effort before her wedding, many see it as extremely tacky. This may not be the best approach.

If you have more time, try to add a longer personal note to those that live far away when writing your thank you notes. For those you have not seen in a long time, it is nice to include a few things you have been doing to let them know you are happy to have heard from them, and that their gift was appreciated. No matter what you do for thank you notes, the important part is that you write them. Many forget this common courtesy and they don’t realize this leaves their friends and families feeling a bit put out. Remember they probably spent a good deal of time choosing the perfect gift for you, so give them that time in return with personal and timely thank you notes.