Handwritten Notes

My darling DIL has asked me if I think the hand written thank you note has gone the way of the newsy letter? It seems like more and more often, we are exchanging greetings via email or phone. Less often, we are taking the time to hand write a personal note.

Because of that, I think the hand written note is actually gaining prominence in most people's lives.

If you take the time to write a thank you note, then the gift was of great or exceptional value, or the occasion was a special one. I still expect hand written notes from brides. When houseguests stay for a while, or someone uses a car or other big ticket item, it seems okay to just give thanks face to face.

On big gift giving occasions, like Christmas, I still think you need to send thank you notes to anyone who mailed you a present. It's the one way they are SURE that you received the gift. However, if you call on Christmas day, to exchange greetings, you can wax effusive about the gifts and preclude the need to write a note. If the person is sitting in the room with you, a sincere 'thank you' ought to cover it.

I try to write thank you notes. I don't always do so. I think there have been some holidays where I didn't write a single note... but I normally try to get them off into the mail before New Year's Day. I do feel guilty if I don't get them written.

Good manners never go out of style. There is no time when someone would open a hand written thank you and think, "why did they bother with this?" or "they could have just texted me!" Even though it's going out of vogue, hand written thank yous will always have a place in our high tech society. They are a sign of affection, gratitude and respect.

I don't write many newsy letters long hand any more. Most of my family is Internet capable and technology literate. They are easy to text, skype and email. But each year, I will send out Christmas cards and thank you notes. I think everyone enjoys a little personal contact once in a while.

--Sandee Wagner