May 2018

May 2018

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Thank You Note

Today I received a hand-written thank you note. It made me so happy. I've lamented for several years that this simple but kind and thoughtful gesture is extremely rare.

At first I thought it was just a generation thing. That a formal thank you was a foreign concept to anyone younger than 40. But I know that's not true. Because the parents of the young adults I've gifted taught them differently.

And then I found that my generation was no longer politely expressing thanks either. Yes, life can get crazy, but how many hours a week do most of us spend on the internet? How much time and effort can it possibly take to send an email acknowledging that a gift has been received and appreciated? Email eliminates excuses such as my handwriting is terrible or I didn't have stationery, a stamp, or your street address.

In my opinion, not to send thanks, especially for a gift sent, can only be due to laziness, rudeness, or ignorance. Whatever the reason, I find the thank you note's apparent quickening demise extremely sad.

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