This blog was started so I could share my IBS experiences with others so maybe someone, even if it is one person, doesn’t feel alone in their intestinal struggles. There are uncomfortable situations we all find ourselves in. While the blog has a focus on IBS, it also falls into a lifestyle blog. Or maybe it is more of a Dear Abby situation with life advice/etiquette. With that disclaimer, I need to harp on the value of thank-you notes.
History Lesson regarding the value of thank-you notes
Thank you notes can be traced back to the 1400s, when Europeans exchanged greeting cards with friends and family, often delivered by hand. They were exchanged after someone invited you to their home. In the United States greeting cards and thank you note cards were first circulated in the mail with the invention of the postage stamp in 1840. Mass manufacturing in 1856 led to the practice of sending thank you notes for attending weddings, showers, parties, and to acknowledge the receipt of a gift.
Sending a hand-written thank you note, rather than a letter, after a casual business encounter became an accepted and even preferred custom in the mid-1900s. Letters are still used today, but a thank you note still reigns supreme according to etiquette.
Both the receiver and sender of a thank note get benefits. Expressing gratitude benefits us physically, emotionally, and psychologically. Studies show that reading and writing sincere expressions from a thankful heart lowers blood pressure, increases serotonin levels in the brain, and creates a feeling of calm.
Now can someone tell me why…
So, why do the youngsters not send a thank you note? Why do they not value the thank-you note? Must not have had my mother. I have a rule and I have learned this from my mother, an enforcer of thank you note writing, that if I give you a gift for say, a wedding and you do not write a thank you note, I will not give any more gifts going forward.
Great. You are having a baby. Congratulations. You won’t be getting a gift from me, due to the fact of the lack of thank yous for the last gift.
It takes the gift giver more time to shop for a gift and mail it than it does for the receiver to sit down and handwrite a thank you note. Not only to mention the time but the gift giver has spent money to give you a present.
Gifts received should be acknowledged. Therefore the giver knows they have been received and it shows appreciation for their efforts, time, and money.
Thank you notes do not have to be long. They should mention the gift and include that thank you. Probably should send that out in about a two-week timeframe. Done. Just like that. My grandmother would send a thank you note for the thank you note that I would send for a gift she gave me. That would drive me crazy. My mom does that now.
Wrap it up
Just like the gift you received, we can wrap this up by saying, YES, send a thank you. The gift giver will want to thank you for the thank you. It will be appreciated and hold more value than you could ever imagine. The value of thank-you notes is a strong one.
Do you think thank you notes are a thing of the past?
Did your parent make you write your thank yous?
