The Lost Art of Thank You Notes

This is the computer age. Technology enables us to shoot off four or five email messages in the time it takes to write out a few simple words on paper and mail it. We can text message each other using symbols and acronyms that meant absolutely nothing to us five years ago. In this "advanced" world, we seem to have lost the art of saying a heartfelt thank you. Nothing seems colder than a typed letter or card and yet that's what we've reduced our thank you notes to. So why in the world would we revert back to "snail mail?"

Here are a few reasons why we should re-learn the art of thank you notes and how to do so:

First, as I mentioned before, nothing seems colder than sending a typed message. Handwritten thank you notes are from the heart. Handwriting means you have stepped out of your computer comfort zone and were truly thankful for the gift.

Second, we need to send thank you notes out of uncommon courtesy. I say "uncommon" because it really is unheard of to send thank you notes. Twenty years ago, the uncommon thing was not sending notes. The gift giver spent time and money finding just the right present for you and it is good manners to acknowledge that action. Even if the gift was not something you like, it is still important to at least let the giver know his or her actions were appreciated.

Third, a thank you note is a way to let the giver know you received the present. With families and friends spread living over the country and the world, most gifts are mailed. A thoughtful note will let the sender know that his gift was received and not lost in the dead letter office.

But the gift isn't always a tangible object. It could be a gift of someone's time or resources. Send thank you notes for meals prepared for your family when you were having a baby or for help with a work project that went above and beyond the call of duty. Nothing makes someone feel better than knowing their work was helpful and appreciated.