I wish to instill a sense of gratitude in my daughter.  I would love for her to feel grateful and appreciative of the life that she has and the fabulous people that she is lucky to have in her life.  Our mother instilled a sense of gratitude in her children.  She was and still is adamant about sending thank you notes, not just for material things received, but also for kind words said, helpfulness, and love shared.  In this day and age, it is so easy to send out a quick text or write-up a quick email; which are definitely acceptable ways to show thanks.  However, a lovely hand written note, or a one of a kind piece of art , in my opinion, is a super special way to show someone how appreciative you really are.  I love receiving mail, as does my sister Caitlin.  An actual physical card, among all those bills and junk mail,  is such a surprise when you open the mailbox. It’s nice to know that someone appreciated what you gave or did for them.

Reagan and I try our best to get thank you notes out within a week of receiving a gift, feeling loved and/or appreciated.  I’ve found some fabulous cards, at great prices, at our local Marshall’s, Home Goods and even in the dollar section at Target! If we use store-bought cards, I provide Reagan with markers and crayons to decorate the inside of the cards, and when she’s done decorating we talk about what she was given, physical and/or emotional and then I write a quick note to the sender.  We have even created our own envelopes in the past, to send our friends and family notes.

Our Christmas Thank You Notes, in my opinion, turned out really great and were a special way to thank those that thought of Reagan over the holiday season.

I painted, with washable paint, Reagan’s hands in her choice of color and then had her place her hands on a piece of paper and press down firmly.  We thanked our family and friends with the saying ‘I give my (insert gift) a ten!

I hand wrote my own notes on these super simple cards that I found in the dollar section at Target.

‘Gratitude may be crucial to compassion, empathy, and even happiness.’ -Jeffrey Froh

Helpful Links!

5 Tips For Writing Thank You Notes With Kids

Fun Ways to Encourage Kids to Write Thank You Notes

How to Write a Charming Thank You Note

A few cards that I’m loving:

Top Row: sugar – paper , Target , TweeCards

Middle Row: BLUE BARNHOUSE , Zazzle , Papyrus

Bottom Row: minted

Even Jimmy Fallon writes Thank You Notes!