Fewer things make me happier than handwritten thank you cards. Anytime I receive one it makes me feel so thought of and appreciated. That’s exactly the kind of energy I want to give more of this year, so I’m making it my business to write more handwritten thank you notes. One of my personal goals this year is to be a better friend and deliberate in my relationships. I believe handwritten thank you cards are a way to achieve this goal. Recently, my sister-in-law sent something for the kids’ birthdays and a friend surprised me with a wonderful gift, so I decided to handwrite cards to thank them.
To further my intentionality of the gesture I wanted to find nice cards for them. My style is always more on the bougie, feminine side so I decided to find cards that were my style. If you follow me on Instagram, you know I’m a huge fan of Rifle Paper Co (whose currently having a spring sale with 20% off of any purchase of $60 or more), and their thank you cards simply do not disappoint. They have a variety of options and they’re all lovely. They have simple and over-the-top designs which cover most people’s tastes.
I always choose a nice pen to write with so my handwriting looks as best as it can. My preference is a rollerball pen but be careful – depending on the type of paper your card is made out of the ink may take a little longer to dry. Pay attention to your ink to avoid smears.
So how do you handwrite a note without a bunch of errors?
My hack for this is to type out what I want to say on my computer or in the Notes app on my phone to get clear on what I want to say first. This also allows me to double-check my spelling and gives me space to edit, if at all. (I also type out the person’s name and address as well to avoid errors when writing on the envelope.)
Once I’m done typing and spell-checking my note, all I have to do is simply handwrite what I’ve already typed. No guesswork, no thinking – this method allows you to autopilot your handwritten note with no mistakes. I also write the address on the card envelope before I put the card in to avoid any imprints on the card.
Once I’m done with my note, I put the card in the envelope, seal it and put a stamp on it. Then, I mail it out.
While I’m a firm believer in sending thank you notes out ASAP when you know you want to thank someone – you realistically have up to 6 weeks. (Especially in the case of a personal occasion like a wedding or baby shower. For a professional occasion like a job interview, try to send it out within 10 days.) 6 weeks is just long enough to where it’s far out yet still memorable. I recently just received a thank you note from a friend for sending dinner to her family about a month ago and the note was refreshing + lovely.
Add a reminder to your calendar and/or planner to decide when you’re actually going to write a thank-you note. The last thing you want to do is let your thank you card simply become an idea in an open tab in your head that never actually gets done. Set a date of when you’re going to write and send it so it becomes intentional to do.
Writing a handwritten thank you card – even nowadays – is still such a lovely and relevant thing to do personally and professionally. Find a good-looking card, type out your message before handwriting it and get it done by adding it to your calendar. You’ll be so glad you did – and so will the person you send it to. It’s a nice little touch of intentionality to any relationship.
