I promise this tip will be quick....after I make a confession....
When I got married, it took me a long time to send out thank you cards for our wedding gifts.
Like, a really long time.
So long that people were calling to make sure I'd received their gift. In fact (here's the really horrible part) by the time I got around to the last few thank you cards, it had been so long that I was ashamed to send them at all. Some people never received thank you cards.
I know, I know....that's awful.
As a result, I am now very prompt with thank you cards.
So here's the simple tip. Because I like to keep things simple.
- Keep the cards where you can easily grab one
- Write it out and address it right away so that it isn't just one more thing to do hanging over your head.
I keep some thank you cards, and blank note cards in an organizer on my counter. When I come home with a gift or from a nice visit that warrants a thank you card, I prepare a thank you card, address the envelope and put it by the front door, ready to leave the house next time I do.
Right now I have generic thank you cards in that spot, but while we were receiving gifts for the twins I replaced them with a stack of baby themed thank you cards.
(Before I bought this pretty white organizer, I used a basket as seen in this post. Now that basket is holding pumpkins in the living room as seen in this post. I move things around. A LOT. Tweak your home until it works for you. When it stops working, tweak again!)
Anybody else ever let a Thank You card go so long that they were too ashamed to send one at all? Or is that just me?
You are not the only one - I did the same thing - I am terrible at sending thank-you notes!!
ReplyDeleteI have had to learn the hard way with this too, you're not alone! I have come to the same conclusion for myself, and last time Michael's had some cute cards in their $1 rack I stocked up and now have them sitting ready to use!
ReplyDeleteI've had much the same problem and came to the same conclusion - cards need to kept in stock, stored in a convenient spot and put immediately next to the door so they go out. I can't tell you how many times I would write a card and never get as far as mailing it before I put a holder next to my door for mail! Thanks for this great tip!
ReplyDeleteHow about this story...
ReplyDeleteI *thought* I had mailed all my thank you notes after my wedding. When we moved 2 years later, I found a HUGE stack that never got sent. They were written, addressed, and only needed a stamp. I was WAY too ashamed to send those! I was much, much faster with my baby thank you notes. I did what you talked about. When I got a gift, I instantly wrote the card and addressed it. It made things so much easier!
Oh my goodness! I have (almost) the exact same story. We are going to be married 5 years this year and I don't know who got a "Thank You" and who didn't. Because I am crazy at organizing, I still have the wedding gift list...so I think I may send out a "5-year-update/thank you again"...with my head hung low and my tail between my legs.
DeleteShame on me!
Thank-you so much for admitting your shame!!!!!! I too left my Thank-you cards so long that I felt ashamed...I'm sure I missed a few people as well. One thing I did the following year (which I hope gives some inspiration to those of you that still have time)was, I gave out a small framed photo of my husband and myself at Christmas to everyone we saw/spent time with etc. We thanked them all in person and they were overjoyed! Sometimes you can make up for loss of etiquette with some good personal touches of love and appreciation!
DeleteI'm usually pretty good with sending them out on time BUT when I got engaged, I could not remember whether or not I sent a thank you card to my husband's Aunt for giving me a wedding planning book. Part of me thought I did send one but couldn't remember actually doing it. So after asking my online friends, I sent a second thank you card.
ReplyDeleteThe thank you notes for my son's baby gifts are _still_ lurking around here somewhere...and he'll be three in a few months. When I finally go through that box, I'm going to just grit my teeth and throw them out. I've got to let go of the guilt sometime, right?
ReplyDeleteHello Kelly, I've just found your blog and love it! Can you tell me where you found this pretty organizer?
ReplyDeleteI bought it at homesense, which is the Canadian version of HomeGoods.
DeleteThanks Kelly! :)
DeleteHi Kelly,
ReplyDeleteI just found your blog and am loving all of your organization tips extremely helpful since my husband and I are living in a cramped condo right now, hoping to move once we get the chance to. But to the reason I'm commenting on this entry: I am also guilty of not sending out wedding thank yous. My husband and I just had our 1st anniversary in May and I still have a stack of thank yous yet to send! I was thinking that once we finally get our prints, that I would place one of the wallets in those that are just waiting to get sent. Maybe I'll feel less guilty if they get a picture along with the sentiments.