Just read a brilliant article about thank you notes. Thank you notes are such a simple thing, but can also cause me agony. As soon as I could write, I wrote thank you notes to anyone that gave me a gift. There were no ifs, ands or buts about it. My mom made sure a thank you note in the proper format went out (Dear____, Thank you for the gift. This is why I like and/or what I'll be using it for. Thank you again. Love, me). Thank you notes are still something I do today. No ifs ands or buts about it. When Mark and I were dating and my parents would send Mark a gift I would hint that he should send a thank you. He didn't grow up with the thank you note rule and he usually grumbled a little bit. However, he is now 'trained' pretty well to send a thank you note out to people that send him gifts or treat him/us to something special (i.e. football tickets to a big game).

But what do you do now in the digital world? I feel silly sending my friends thank yous sometimes when it's simpler to text quick and say 'thanks!'. But, I still can't get my mom out of my head saying 'you need to write a thank you for that birthday gift.' In We Need a New Etiquette for Thank-You Notes, Ruth Graham asks Lizzie Post (great-great-granddaughter of Emily Post) what to do. And the best advice is given: Go ahead and text an acknowledgment right away "Your gift just arrived!" or "Thanks for thinking of me!" and then send a proper note later expressing your gratitude. Works for me!

And who doesn't love getting something in the mail that isn't a bill or junk mail? And yes, Livia will be writing thank you notes the second she knows how to write.

{image via here}