I recently read "The Lost Art of the Thank You Note: Write a stand-out thank-you note to a hostess or gift-giver with our tips for a thoughtful, sincere message." It was inspiring and insightful, who doesn't like being appreciated for what they have done or getting a letter in the mail! As of today I posted 7 letters and gifts to friends and family, 2 of which were written years ago, but never sent. I took pictures of the card and the message written. I want to keep a catalog of what was sent and when. I will post a few examples to show the variety of what and how I write. As well as the postcards from years ago.
By writing letters and thank you cards, not only will you be expressing your gratitude to those around you, but you will be improving your writing and communication skills. I also believe it is wonderful to instill this habit in children and the best way to do this is to write them thank you notes for the things they do(not EVERYTHING, but when they something especially nice, make you something lovely, or are especially helpful one day). Children who have received thank you letters are far more likely to write a letter as they will remember how happy it made them. You can encourage it by saying, "Remember how happy you were when you got a thank you letter from ____, I think that ___ would love to get a letter from you and hear how happy____ made you." Children need to understand the reasons behind what they are doing.
The rewards for a child are just the same as for an adult, they practice handwriting and writing skills, communication skills, and gain a wonderful habit of thankfulness. Children will begin to understand the reason behind etiquette and manners, they will(hopefully) no longer see it as just another way for their parents to tell them what to do, but understand that it is to be grateful for what you have and to appreciate those around you, just as they want to be appreciated and loved.
So here are my not so wholesome postcards and thank you notes!
