Whatever Happened to Thank You Notes?

I know we are in the electronic age and snail mail is soooo sloooow.  But really, how nice is it to get a small envelope in your mailbox.  It is hand addressed and may have a funny or pretty stamp on it.  You open the envelope to find a handwritten note expressing gratitude for something you did.  You may not have even done it on purpose.  Don't you get a tingle in your heart?  Isn't it great that someone went to all that trouble just to thank you?

I remember spending many evenings, after a holiday or birthday party, writing thank you notes for all my Barbie Dolls, spyro-graphs, sweaters, and delicious treats.  Of course Mom never let me in on the secret that you don't have to write a Thank You Note if you opened the gift in front of the giver.  But it became a enjoyable task when Mom reminded me how fun it was to get a real letter in the mail.  I can still hear her voice, "You have to to send mail to get mail".

With the advent of email, there is more chances to express gratitude, but more options can often cause more questions.  When is it appropriate to thank via email instead of US Mail?  For me, it depends on the situation.  If the gift was given via email, then I will thank via email.  If the gift or service was in person or through the mail, then I will thank via US Mail.  Can I just send an email to a mass distro list?  Um...no.   

Now I must confess that I have still not finished the Thank You Notes for my wedding in November.  I stopped at "S".  I will soldier on at some point, I promise.  Until then, I have another note to write:

Dear BlogHer08 Attendees,

I am writing to thank you for making me feel so welcome and supported.  Your encouragement and smiles made this outsider feel right at home.  Whenever I ran into one of you, there was a sparkle in your eye, mischief in your smile, and a card ready to be offered.

Specifically, thank you to Shark-Fu and MorningsideMom for sitting with me on breakfast on the first day and continuing to check in and chat throughout the rest of the weekend.  Switching tables was made fun by folks like camcune who offered materials from her Online Journalism class to guide my path and Ruth of the Fabulous Geezersisters who inspired my cousinblog, Viva's Girls.

And, most of all, enormous bushels of gratitude to Lisa Stone of BlogHer.  It was you who planted these seeds in my brain.  Your love and support for both personal and professional growth have made this kind of risk feel safe and easy.  I still want to grow up to be you.

Sincerely,

Zanaru

Comments

[Caroline ~ Morningsidemom]

Welcome to the blogosphere Zanaru! It's so great to have you here.

[Booker]

Stuck into my dresser mirror is a thank you note I received from a dear and deeply admired friend for some help I volunteered in aid of work she was doing at the time. All the work was done by email, and at one point, one of the emails asked for my mailing address, because (paraphrasing) sometimes it's important to put pen to paper and express feelings in tangible form. Now I have a cherished memento (sitting next to a black fedora and a wedding garter -- mementos of other dear friends, btw) where I see it everyday. And it's made all the better because I really love the way she writes a capital B.

[zanaru]

Thanks for checking in, Caroline.

Booker, mementos like that can really touch the heart.