Writing the best thank you message notes this Christmas 2021

Writing thank you messages in a card or note can be arduous and the longer you leave it, often the harder it becomes to start. Christmas thank you messages tend to be more difficult to start, as they all come at once - but remember you're expressing your appreciation for a gift or kind act so this will really be appreciated by the recipient! This is also a great guide for how to say thank you for an unexpected gift!

So to help you with writing the best thank you notes for friends and family, and to take the pain away from the experience here is a quick guide to the perfect thank you message note for your friends and family AND how best to write it!

1) The structure of a thank you message:

Here’s the structure of a typical thank you message for you to follow:

a) The salutation / greeting and name > this can be formal / informal E.g Hi, Dear, first name or name and title, Paul, Mr Smith, etc.

b) Thank you message > Get straight to thanking them ‘Thank you for the… gift / thing they did!

c) Note saying why it was appreciated > it was useful, appreciated, always wanted one, helped so much…

d) Optional personal note > Was great to see you at / pleasantries

e) Sign off > Love, kind regards, Yours sincerely, faithfully, Warm wishes

2) Decide on your writing style.

Do you want to be formal (like you’re writing to your boss or acquaintance)  or informal as you are with friends?

3) Better words than ‘nice’ or ‘great’!

Replace weak words like ‘nice’ and ‘great’ with stronger words to show your proper appreciation for the gift or service:

Here’s a suggested word list:

Fantastic, Cool, Awesome, excellent, genius, decadent, exciting, luxurious, brilliant, fabulous, lovely, enchanting, adorable, elegant, marvelous, splendid, overwhelming, staggering, wonderful, lush, enchanting, ingenious, welcome, stunning, handsome, dazzling, incredible, spectacular, unexpected, amazing, sweet, tasteful, thoughtful, touching, kindhearted, moving

4) Other words for saying thank you

Here are a list of other things you can say with your thank you to let them know what you feel about the gift!

appreciate the

indebted

forever grateful

so grateful for the

Delighted

Much obliged

obliged for the

truly appreciate the

really enjoyed the

want to acknowledge your generosity

value the

thankful for the

want to express my gratitude for

want to express my appreciation for

Appreciative

Heartfelt thanks

tickled pink with

profoundly grateful

Overjoyed

Overwhelmed

sincere

sincerely

sincerest

flattered

5) How old / tech savvy is the person you’re sending thanks to?

Some people may prefer or expect cards rather than emails, text, or Facebook messages!

6) What impression are you trying to make?

Judge your response! For example, sending a thank you for an expensive or thoughtful gift by email or text isn’t great!

7) Choose how to send thanks

Depending upon how close you are to someone, how big a deal the gift is and what’s an appropriate response.

8) Do it now!

One of the best tips and the simplest! Send your thanks right away for the biggest impact; plus it’s easier to write and clears your mind!

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If you liked this blog, you may also be interested in our blogs on christmas card messages and Christmas quotes.