How To Say Thank You and Write it In a Card!

At Give Gift Boutique Florist were obviously all about the giving, occasionally though people give something back to us. On a recent trip to visit some old friends I was overwhelmed with some of the thoughtful gifts they gave me, much time, effort and thought had gone into them. Before I headed home I wanted to thank them for the gift and all they had done for me, there w as a problem however, I’m awkward and British, public displays of emotion cause my inner britishness to say or do something stupid. That lead me to think what is the best way to say thank you?

People from all cultures and backgrounds know that saying thank you is not only good manners but helps us become more appreciative people. Expressing thanks comes in many forms, from grunting in response to someone saying “does it taste good?” as you gobble back a tasty burger at a friends BBQ, to the more modern day of using Facebook or Instagram to shout out to your peeps for a good gift or day out. It’s true phone calls, texts, emails and instant messages all can get the job done, there is though something a bit more special about a handwritten note. It tells our friends that they are important, we went out of our way to write (NOT TYPE) something just for them. I have several thank you notes from old friends, I keep them with me and they always bring a smile to my face.

So writing a card is without a doubt one of the best ways to say thanks. What though do we write? The hardest part can be putting pen to paper! Enter our handy guide to writing the best thank you cards

Step 1 - Think Who? What? And Why?

Thanks always come from appreciation so take a moment to think about who it is your are thanking, what did they do for you or what did they get for you, why did they do it, thinking breifly about these questions give you specific things to be thankful for

Step 2 - What to write…

Greeting. Get the name write and address the card to the correct person

• “Dear Aunty Jane and Uncle Jim….”

Express thanks. Here you can specifically thank them for the gift or kind action they did for

• “Thank you so much for….”
• “It was a great surprise when you…”
• “When I opened the box and saw….”

Get Personal. Add some specific details about how the gift made you feel, how it helped you, be sure to let your friend see what they did had real value

You could Take a picture of you and your gift or say things like

• “The money was so useful it will help me….”
• “This gift was exactly what I needed because…”
• “How did you know I really needed….”

Finish it well. Now you have thanked them finish off with something nice specifically targeted to the person you are thanking. Avoid being generic. Ideas could include:

• “We would love to have you over for dinner…..”
• “If you ever need someone to talk to…..”
• “I look forward to being together again soon…”

Sign the note - Sign the note with your name in your own hand, this adds a final personal touch. Also don’t forget to use the correct sign off, nothing to formal, for example:

• “With Love…”
• “Warmly….”
• “Friends Always…”
• “Thinking of you…”

Step 3 - When to send the note

Now you have a perfect note when is the best time to send it, try not to leave it too long, as soon as you receive the gift why not get to it and fire back a lovely card to them, the longer we leave it the more likely we are to forget. Having said that we are all imperfect, sometimes it can be a long time even years after that we remember a kind deed someone did for us, do not hesitate to thank them, it will make their day. It might even be time for you to give a gift back!