“Tis the Season” of course refers to the holidays and all that goes with: gift giving, give receiving, a time to be jolly, happy, & merry, time to gather with family and friends, time to eat until you bust (and it won’t be broccoli for most of us!)
It’s also a time for being thankful or grateful. We know you’ll say “thank you” and write thank you notes for your gifts, and we hope you’ll have time to reflect, internally, for all your blessings, and we also hope you’ll also consider saying, “thank you” to many others no matter what the season.
It’s also a time for new beginnings, as many of us will make resolutions for the New Year – some to stop bad habits and some to start good habits. We want to encourage you to make your spirit of gratefulness one of the good habits you add to 2015. And, actually, saying, “thank you” more often, is a great habit.
We know you like to be appreciated – everyone does! Will you make it a habit to be mindful about when good things happens to you or for you, most times, someone has helped make that happen. Tell them how much you appreciate them – even if it’s their job.
An email thank you is great, but a handwritten thank you note is the bomb! Here are 5 quick hints to writing a great thank you note:
- Write out the recipient’s name – start with the traditional, “Dear Jane or Joe or Aunt Bertha or Uncle Sam or…you get the picture.
- Don’t worry about your sentence structure or spelling or grammar – just write it from your heart. Sometimes sweating the form keeps us from even starting. “Just Do It”
- Simply start with exactly what you’re grateful for – “I’m writing to thank you for…
- Then tell them how their gift or action or thoughtfulness made you feel – how you’ll use it, how has it made a positive impact on your everyday life, or even just how it made you feel.
- Be sure to use a personal sign-off: “Love” for close family and friends, but consider, “All my best” or “Best regards” or “Fondly Yours” or even just “Yours,” for others.
A thoughtful thank you note is a wonderful way expression of personal and professional etiquette and kindness and will become part of your brand. It’ll make someone feel great, you feel great, and it’s just the right thing to do.
Happy Holidays Everyone!