I am just seven months away from my wedding date, and we are already receiving so many gifts to our registry and mailboxes. We are living in such gratitude to everyone’s kindness. One thing I always looked forward to, as a child, was receiving what we now call “snail mail”. E-mail has been king for decades, now, but to get a handwritten letter… I was fascinated by it. I loved getting letters and writing back to pen pals all over the world. In college, I took a course called “Reading and Writing Letters” where I studied actual physical letters of the Bronte sisters in the basement of my college library. You can learn so much about the emotions of the letter writer when the notes are handwritten.
Seven months away, but I am already on the hunt for the perfect “Thank You” cards to send out for all the presents we are receiving. I choose to live my life in gratitude, no matter any gifts, and I love sending notes out in snail mail to lift people up and let them know that they are appreciated. Humans get a psychological boost when they speak and think in gratitude, did you know that? I won’t cite sources, look it up, it will make you happy!
Appreciation matters. Being sincere and concise always works best.
How to Write a Letter of Appreciation
Greeting
Casual Correspondence: “Hi [Name]”,
Formal Correspondence: “Dear [Name]”,
Business Correspondence: “Dear Ms./Mr. [Last Name],”:
Body
It’s best to start with the thing the recipient of your letter gave you. Being general doesn’t come off as sincere, if you write something like… “Thanks for the gift, or job interview, or what have you.” Specificity is where it is at! “Thanks so much for the beautiful hand knitted blanket you sent. We can tell how much love and care you put into this for us. It matches our home perfectly!”
(Especially when sending thank you notes for weddings, it is important to keep accurate records of gifts and acknowledge them by name, which shows that you truly care and paid attention.)
Closing
In closing, it is perfectly fine to repeat and say “Thanks, again” with your signature.
While prepping for how I will manage sending all these thank you cards after our wedding, I found this cool site called Handywrytten which can either use your own handwriting sample (a pricier option) to create handwritten notes or something close to it, done by robots. The site has pricing options for all budgets, so don’t let my last comment scare you off. Seeing how my own handwriting has declined over these computer years, I thought I would investigate it. They have simple setups where you can send cards without any particular contract starting at about $3.25/card, but if you are looking for a bulk option, they have subscription plans and discounts.
It looks pretty darn good to me. I know I was just saying being genuine and sincere is key, but you can still do that with this company, even though they are doing the laborious work. Everything is customizable on the site. One of the coolest things I found on the site is that you can send them your logo design files and they will get your stationery printed on great stock: #120 vellum cardstock. They use quality paper and make sure the ink will not get smeared during the writing process. If you have ever handwritten many letters in a row, you know all about the smear!
When it comes to sending notes of gratitude in business, it can also act as a mode of following up, to show the placement person that you care, as well as remind them that you are available.
The past few years have been difficult for the world, and I enjoy letting people know when they have done an exceptional job, since we are all pretty much trying to be back at work. When great customer service that goes above and beyond the norm happens, sometimes a note of gratitude is in order. A great resource:
A Guide to Writing a Customer Appreciation Letter
Any handwritten gratitude links or pointers you would like to share? Reach out!
"I’ve had the most wonderful mentors and I’m super grateful that I had the right people championing me along the way." - Tamela D'Amico-
