I know that the gift giving/receiving season is here and as we all are scrambling around for that perfect gift we all want our gift and thoughtfulness to be appreciated. "A few nice words about those rockin' pair of socks with pumpkins on them that I got just for you on clearance would be lovely, 'cause I paid almost a full dollar for them!" Is what were all thinking when we give a gift. We want praise, just a simple "Hey, thanks for thinking of me while you dug through that Halloween leftover rack." would suffice.
These days I have noticed that thank you notes are pretty much a thing from times past, a generational thing I guess. Even Christmas cards and pretty much any kind of a real paper card that I can hold in my hand is out of fashion. Well, it maybe out of fashion, it may not be "hip", but those old fashioned cards made out of paper are still a wonderful gesture. I send out Christmas cards every year and I spend hours filling them out with tender care and consideration and I also send out thank you notes for every birthday gift my sons receive. It's us showing that the gift was appreciated and that I care enough to actually send out a card by snail mail. 
What makes me ill about the whole thing is that not only are the cards falling out of fashion, but the gestures behind the cards are as well. I want you to think about how you feel when you get a card in the mail, any type of card(birthday, invitation, etc.). Concentrate hard; close your eyes and remember what it felt like to tear open the envelope and pull out a funny card someone took the time to pick out just for you. That's an awesome feeling huh?
Now that you have remembered how it feels to open the mail, lets move on to reading it. Think about how nice it is to read that your gift was appreciated and that whoever the gift was for was thrilled. That's a good feeling. That is your applause via an old fashioned snail mail paper card. That was awesome huh?
I am hoping that you enjoyed that walk down memory lane enough to go out and by some stationary and write with a pen a friend a note, or even send out a Christmas card by snail mail! These things are traditional! To tell you the truth whenever I give a gift as an example we will use a baby shower gift, I expect within the month to receive a thank you card in the mail. If I don't receive one you can bet that I will not be forking up any more of my time or effort for a gift for that person again. It's my weird way of teaching people how to respect the traditions of old. Oh, and in my book a "Thank you" text does not count. That's awful, simply tragic. And some people have the nerve to wonder why the new generations do not respect traditions, it is because they don't know them! Spread the word about cards! Tell your friends and family, you can even feel free to rant to them on a beautiful stationary set.
The most wonderful part about thank you notes and cards is that they must be concisely written. You do not have the space to waffle on, your sentences must bring your point across swiftly and coherently. Think of it as a writing exercise. How does one show gratitude for a pair of socks in 3 sentences or less? Sounds like an excellent writing challenge to me. It will also help you work on penmanship, spelling, sentence structure and a whole slew of other things us writers deal with on a daily basis. Think of it as a mini-workshop if you will.
So go out there and buy some paper, envelopes, cards, pens, and go to town thanking those that gifted you this Christmas! If your feeling crafty make your own cards! Heck, even my 5 year old appreciates a homemade card before he tries to use it as ramp for his hot wheels (hes learning to re-use, reduce, and recycle). You can do it, I just know you can.
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