Thank You Very Much
It’s the day after Christmas. Hopefully it’s a slow day, one in which you and your family can relax and enjoy one another’s company. It’s a day to appreciate the blessings of the season and the presents received.
It’s also time to say thanks to the generous givers of the gifts. Why? Family members and friends spend a lot of time choosing the perfect present, wrapping, and sending or delivering those special gifts. Being grateful for not only the gift but the effort made in procuring it is respectful.
Handwritten notes are not as popular as they were in the past. As a result, thank you notes are probably more appreciated, especially when written by little hands. (My mom saves each note from her grandkids!) It takes time to write a message of thanks and post it. Phone calls and emails are fast and surely appreciated but a note will show a thankful heart in a more meaningful way. And a thank you note is just plain and simple polite behavior.
Try these ideas for homemade thank you notes.
• Trace your child’s hand on colored construction paper. Cut out the handprint and glue it to a folded piece of construction paper. If your child is old enough to cut out the handprint, by all means let him do it. Let kids write out their own messages too. Help as needed.
• Take a photo of your child playing with the toy from Uncle Pete or wearing the darling outfit from Grandma. Print the photo and glue it to the note.
• Take photos of your children bending into the shape of each letter in T-H-A-N-K-S. Make a photo collage for the note.
• A simple drawing from a child can decorate the front cover of the note. Maybe a picture of the child playing with the new gift.
• Have younger children dictate why they really like the gift. Write the words in quotation marks.
• Often the first word a child can write is his own name, so have the child sign the card. Adding a few X and Os is fun too.
Write the notes soon after Christmas. You don’t want to forget what is from whom. It’s also a good practice to get into for the future. My boys received thank you notes in their stockings. Hopefully each note will be in the mail tomorrow.
Kids will be writing thank you notes for a variety of reasons and seasons in their lives. Start now to get the habit in place. Thankfulness is a great virtue to nurture in children.
I thank my God every time I remember you.
Philippians 1:3
© 2012 Becky Danielson. All rights reserved.
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Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash