Thank You Notes

Yesterday we received a handwritten note from Sam and Joshua thanking us for their wedding present. I'm no longer sure what the etiquette time line is and I think they made it. I was just so pleased to receive the note for several reasons. The first being the traditional (I'm old and believe in handwritten thank you notes). The second being that when I ordered the gift, Target sent them an email telling them what we had given them and Sam emailed me back immediately ~ so technically I had already been thanked. And the third being that I think handwritten notes have really gone out of style, which I think is a shame (see first reason). I could tell by the handwriting (in cursive, by the way!) that Sam wrote the note but Joshua signed his name. Well done, my loves!!

The other day in the post office there was a young woman putting stamps on small decorative envelopes. It didn't take Sherlock Holmes to notice the lovely engagement ring on her finger and the young man standing next to her grinning. She was stamping thank you notes for presents already received. 

I love the convenience of email and texting and when it comes to saying Thank You for a special gift, I really do like the idea of writing by hand, giving us time to think about the gift and the people who sent it and how we already delight in using it. I even have a young granddaughter who sends these notes for Christmas gifts. It has been fun to watch her notes grow from a scribble at the bottom of her mother's writing, to signing her name, to writing the entire note, to finally addressing the envelope herself. All of these young people give me hope that good manners and some traditions are still around. I really appreciate the little things that mean so much.