Thank you...NOT

I really love Thank You cards.  Receiving them and sending them.  I think there's something special about receiving a hand written card in the mail about something that occurred recently.  It shows that someone took the time to sit, think about what to write, and personally thank you for it.  In a day where it's so easy to send a text or an email blurbing, THANX!  I really feel there is something unique about a hand-written thank you.  

Now I like sending thank you's when someone has gone out of their way to help me in some way, or has given me a gift. Or if I want to thank someone for something they did.  Now am I sending thank yous to friends who buy me a cup of coffee?  Probably not.  I would rather save it for other occasions so the charm isn't lost.  Opening a card from me, thanking you about something you probably don't remember doing isn't in the best taste. 

That's another thing with thank you's, they don't have to be for close friends only.  Co workers, friends of friends, everyone likes being thanked. It's a great way to let someone know their efforts have been appreciated.  Speaking from a business perspective, someone is more likely to help you in time of need, or work with you again, if you sealed the deal with a personalized thank you.

Their are other events in life where other forms of thank yous may be needed.  You guessed it, parties!  Be it graduation, wedding, any form of shower, birthdays- any function where you received gifts, you should probably send a thank you for it.  I understand that depending on the type of party of was, it may range from close friends ( i.e birthday) to friends of friends, or distant family ( i.e wedding).  Writing a thank you for a gift you didn't love to someone you barely know may pose as difficult, and a little awkward.  A few tips on this, always use their name, try and add something personal about them that you were able to pick up in conversation, (I HOPE you talked to this person attending your event, even if only casually for a short time) and name a few uses for the gift and thank them for it!

A few years ago, my family opened a thank you from a wedding we attended that was neither hand written, nor personal.  It was typed, saying something along the lines about thanking us for our gift and our presence during the wedding.  Imagine my surprise when I learned everyone received the same thank you.  I know writing thank yous to 250 guests can be tiring, but guess what, those guests brought you gifts.  Don't want to write thank yous to that many people? Then don't invite that many people.  Bringing a gift to a wedding is essentially MANDATORY, and so is writing the thank you for it.  Typed & identical thank yous?  That's a NO THANK YOU in my book.

Next, I recently attended a shower, despite not really knowing the person very well. But I attended, helped set-up, laughed, clapped, smiled, took pictures, played games, but most importantly- brought a gift.  A few weeks later I opened " Dear J___Y, thank you for coming to my shower and for all your help.  Thank you for our lovely gift!"  Could this have been any more vague?  This was one hand written, so I do appreciate that.  Maybe I'm expecting too much, but what do you think about this?  I would've tried to write a little more had it been me.  It's not awful and it's not great.  I guess the best way to describe it is that it's just....lacking.

What are your thoughts on this?  Am I a Thank-You-Nazi and need to loosen up a bit?  Or would this be upsetting to you as well?

THANK YOU for reading ;)

XoXo,

Jullz