Monday, May 20, 2013
Sweet Thoughts on the Importance of a Thank You Note (Or Just Being Thankful)
Writing a thank you note is so important...so why is it sometimes such a chore? Often when there are many to write after an event like a party, shower or wedding, it is simply a matter of procrastination or time. Isn't a verbal "thank you" enough? Not really according to www.emilypost.com .
A written thank you is always most appropriate. If there is ever a doubt in your mind to write or not to write - write it! And, if you have procrastinated, better late than never - write it! It's never to late too express your thanks and never too young. Children can help parents with expressing thanks as soon as they can hold a crayon to draw a picture or write their names. Fill-in thank you notes for kids are great guides to help writing notes become a natural response to gifts or kind deeds given to your child. Just signing a note you have written on their behalf is a good tool in teaching a child the importance of being grateful and expressing it.
Some general guidelines as far as the basics of the thank you note are:
Length - Write three or four short sentences about the gift - why you like it, how you might use it, or its very special meaning to you.
When - As soon as possible, but within two weeks is acceptable. Wedding gifts can be acknowledged within one month after the wedding. Again, it's never too late to say thank you.
How - Handwritten notes are a warmer, more personal way to express your thanks. Be specific about the gift or kindness in your note. The exception to specificity would be in writing a note about a gift of money. "Thank you for the generous gift" would be a good way to acknowledge without stating the actual dollar amount. If the recipient is a close friend with whom you speak often, email is probably fine. However SweetGraceGiftsandPaper.com opinion is that a handwritten note is more personal and meaningful to the recipient.
Why - Well, let's just say that one act of kindness deserves another! The best expression of thanks is a sincere one. Living with an attitude of gratitude will make expressing gratitude to others second nature. One way to fine tune your attitude of gratitude is to daily count your blessings. Even with young children, daily naming all the things and people for whom to be thankful, begins to cultivate gratitude.
A written thank you is always most appropriate. If there is ever a doubt in your mind to write or not to write - write it! And, if you have procrastinated, better late than never - write it! It's never to late too express your thanks and never too young. Children can help parents with expressing thanks as soon as they can hold a crayon to draw a picture or write their names. Fill-in thank you notes for kids are great guides to help writing notes become a natural response to gifts or kind deeds given to your child. Just signing a note you have written on their behalf is a good tool in teaching a child the importance of being grateful and expressing it.
Length - Write three or four short sentences about the gift - why you like it, how you might use it, or its very special meaning to you.
When - As soon as possible, but within two weeks is acceptable. Wedding gifts can be acknowledged within one month after the wedding. Again, it's never too late to say thank you.
How - Handwritten notes are a warmer, more personal way to express your thanks. Be specific about the gift or kindness in your note. The exception to specificity would be in writing a note about a gift of money. "Thank you for the generous gift" would be a good way to acknowledge without stating the actual dollar amount. If the recipient is a close friend with whom you speak often, email is probably fine. However SweetGraceGiftsandPaper.com opinion is that a handwritten note is more personal and meaningful to the recipient.
Why - Well, let's just say that one act of kindness deserves another! The best expression of thanks is a sincere one. Living with an attitude of gratitude will make expressing gratitude to others second nature. One way to fine tune your attitude of gratitude is to daily count your blessings. Even with young children, daily naming all the things and people for whom to be thankful, begins to cultivate gratitude.
Gratitude is a very positive response and the benefits of "positive" in our lives are undeniable and immeasurable. Writing a thank you note requires us to change our pace, to reflect and to carefully choose what we say to express our gratitude . Etiquette dictates that writing a thank you note is the "proper thing to do." An attitude of gratitude makes it the only possible response. And, of course, make it sweet! SweetGraceGiftsandPaper.com offers foldover note cards with names or monograms to make your thank you very personalized!
With Sweet Grace ~ Peg & Katie
With Sweet Grace ~ Peg & Katie
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| Keep note writing material handy with a Notetote! |
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Sweet Introduction
As a mother-daughter business team, we thought a good day to post our first blog entry would be Mother's Day. We sit in two different states, 750 miles apart, but the mom is just elated that we are now in the same country! The early days of SweetGraceGiftsandPaper.com began in Haiti and Texas, but that's another story for another writing.
Getting to the "doorstep" of SweetGraceGiftsandPaper.com has been a long and thoughtful journey for us. (Finding sweet grace was easy!) But, the actual "let's go for it" has been in the back of our minds, probably since around the time of a certain Aggie graduation in 2003. So near the end of 2012, with the anticipation of Katie's year-long mission work in Port au Prince ending and her return to Nashville, we began to seriously act on our plan. From those plans, SweetGraceGiftsandPaper.com was born. It is certainly not the "grand finale" or the "ultimate goal" - there's more to come, hopefully, in the story. For now, though, SweetGraceGiftsandPaper.com, the web retail business is where this chapter begins. We view our business as a little boutique, filled with some of our favorite things, waiting to be shared. We seriously like stationery/paper and all things personalized with at least an initial. We both share history in careers related to retail, paper, gifts and hospitality, so it seemed natural to start a shared business reflective of those interests and experiences. We have a couple of guys in our lives, as well, who are big "cheerleaders" for us, not just about SweetGraceGiftsandPaper.com, but us in general! We're just so grateful for their support and encouragement.
Going forward, we will try to keep our Sweet Blog informative, fun, meaningful and always positive. It will mostly be written by me (the mom), but Katie (the daughter) will have her opportunities, too. We would love to hear what you would like to see us share or write about. We may occasionally share our passions about what we call our Sweet Things.
Meanwhile, we hope you will "like" our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and Pinterest, visit and shop www.sweetgracegiftsandpaper.com often. We promise to give sweet Southern hospitality customer service and to continue to add great products and lines to our website.
With Sweet Grace ~ Peg & Katie
Getting to the "doorstep" of SweetGraceGiftsandPaper.com has been a long and thoughtful journey for us. (Finding sweet grace was easy!) But, the actual "let's go for it" has been in the back of our minds, probably since around the time of a certain Aggie graduation in 2003. So near the end of 2012, with the anticipation of Katie's year-long mission work in Port au Prince ending and her return to Nashville, we began to seriously act on our plan. From those plans, SweetGraceGiftsandPaper.com was born. It is certainly not the "grand finale" or the "ultimate goal" - there's more to come, hopefully, in the story. For now, though, SweetGraceGiftsandPaper.com, the web retail business is where this chapter begins. We view our business as a little boutique, filled with some of our favorite things, waiting to be shared. We seriously like stationery/paper and all things personalized with at least an initial. We both share history in careers related to retail, paper, gifts and hospitality, so it seemed natural to start a shared business reflective of those interests and experiences. We have a couple of guys in our lives, as well, who are big "cheerleaders" for us, not just about SweetGraceGiftsandPaper.com, but us in general! We're just so grateful for their support and encouragement.
Going forward, we will try to keep our Sweet Blog informative, fun, meaningful and always positive. It will mostly be written by me (the mom), but Katie (the daughter) will have her opportunities, too. We would love to hear what you would like to see us share or write about. We may occasionally share our passions about what we call our Sweet Things.
Meanwhile, we hope you will "like" our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and Pinterest, visit and shop www.sweetgracegiftsandpaper.com often. We promise to give sweet Southern hospitality customer service and to continue to add great products and lines to our website.
Happy Mother's Day to all women who have inspired, loved and nurtured others!
With Sweet Grace ~ Peg & Katie
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