Tips For Writing Thank You Notes Writing Thank You Notes Having a baby is indeed a very special time. It marks the excitement of a new life to share, plans to create an atmosphere that includes a baby, well wishes from many, and receiving numerous gifts. Even though your time is filled with many new obligations, it is important to sit down and write thank you notes for the gifts or acts of kindness you received. This article is designed to help you write your thank you notes in a timely and meaningful way. A thank you note is an acknowledgement. It should be an opportunity for the one receiving the gift to express how valuable the gift was to them. New moms will find it helpful to complete as many things as they possibly can before the baby is born. Thank you notes should be written within 30 days of receiving a gift. There are many beautiful thank you cards that can be purchased and a new mom needs to decide which one best fits her personality. Once the thank you notes are purchased, spend a few minutes thinking about what you want to say on each note. Thank you cards should be brief and to the point. They should include specifics about the gift and how thoughtful the giver was in thinking of you. The person who receives the note should feel special and important. Do not send a note that says, “Thank you for the gift. It was appreciated.” This sends the message that the writer does not really know what was given to her or that it was not of value. Be brief. Be specific. Be positive. Be grateful. These four simple rules will help you design a thank you note that is charming and appreciative. Read the examples below to get some ideas on how to compose your thank you notes. It will make this task a lot easier. Happy writing. Dear Susan, Thank you so much for the Diaper Genie. Your experience as a mom has proven to be helpful once again. Thank you for your continued help and for this wonderful, practical gift. Sincerely, Marge Dear Rhonda, I was thrilled when I opened your gift. Emily will look precious in the blue, smocked dress you made her. I appreciate the fact that you made it for her to wear in a few months. We have many newborn outfits, but very few are sized at six months. I truly admire your ability as a seamstress. Every time Emily wears her dress I will be reminded of the love and care you put into every stitch. Thank you so much for thinking of us in this special way. Sincerely, Marge How Can You Make Sending Thank You Notes Easier? A soon-to-be or new mom has many things going on in her life. A baby shower is always a nice gift but can lead to many new stresses, such as writing thank you notes. The shower hostess can minimize this stress by planning a shower game that involves thank you cards. Ask the honoree to bring with her the thank you cards and envelopes that she intends to use. As guests arrive at the shower, give them an envelope. They are to address the envelope to themselves and give it back to you. Later in the shower, the hostess pulls one of the envelopes out of the stack. The guest whose envelope is pulled receives a small gift to give to the honoree and a gift to keep. Another idea for managing thank you notes is to have a sign in list for all the guests. There are three columns on the lists. The first column is for the guests to sign in. The second column is for the guests to write their address. As the honoree opens gifts a friend writes in the third column specific details about the gift that was given. This lists gives the mom to be a simple, accessible list for when she does write her thank you notes. Also, make sure when you are hosting a shower that you provide plenty of tape. As the honoree opens the gifts, ask her helper to tape the cards to the gifts. This allows the mom to be to look at the gifts and match a name with each when she gets home. Finally, a hostess can make sending thank you notes easier by compiling a list of addresses of those who brought gifts but were unable to attend the shower. It can be very tiring and painful to be pregnant. By compiling this list of absentee guests, the hostess is giving the new mom a special gift called time. These are just a few simple ways to help the mom-to-be manage one of her many activities and feel less stressed about doing it. Good luck in planning your own baby shower. Marzee Woodward taught school for 13 years,is a mom of two teenage girls and works at Little Fingers, Little Toes