We were thrilled to hear that the Twin Cities’ CBS Affiliate decided to run a story about Operation Gratitude last week. Seeing the students in action as they write and color their thank you cards really helps us remember why it is we run programs like this. It definitely gives you that warm fuzzy feeling inside.
Some of the most thoughtful ideas we hear from our customers have to do with thanking others around the holidays. One mom we know encourages each child to choose an extended family member and write a thank you note to express their gratefulness for that person or for something they did that meant a lot to the child. Sure, there will be notes like “Thank you for the Legos you gave me last Christmas,” but if expressing thanks is a practice you want your child to learn, this sounds like a good way to start. In this family, Mom would then encourage the family member to send a personalized note card back, so the child would experience the joy of hearing how much others care about them, as well as the simple pleasure of getting a personal note in the mail.
Do you know someone serving in the military, or someone who has family serving in the military? Thanksgiving can be a difficult time of year for our service members to be away from home. It is an all-American holiday, a day that brings families together to celebrate the freedom and abundance we enjoy in this country—in stark contrast to conditions in war-torn countries overseas. What better way to give meaning to your Thanksgiving celebration than to reach out and thank these men and women for their sacrifice?
We encourage you to join us in getting out the personalized note cards and writing a few words of thanks to let a military service member know we appreciate the work they are doing and the sacrifice they are making. As we sit down to a Thanksgiving meal with our loved ones, we will spend a moment remembering those who are not with us.
Here’s a note one of us recently received from a good friend on her personalized stationery: “Hey chick, THANK YOU! Miss you! Love, Jane.” (Jane loves the exclamation point!) Yes, this personalized thank you note could have been sent in seconds by email or text. But the truth is we all smile wider when we get a card in the mailbox. There’s something about seeing your friend’s familiar handwriting and knowing she took the time to sit down, write that note and put it in the mail, fully realizing that it would take 2 or 3 days to be hand delivered by a hard-working mail carrier.
You know how quickly an email gets deleted or forgotten. You also know how good it feels to get a handwritten personal note in the mail. Next time you sit down to write that quick email, think about picking up a pen and a piece of personalized stationery instead. It takes a few extra minutes, but the reward is making someone smile.
One of the things we love about our personal stationery is that you can, well, personalize it, whether simply with your name or initials, or something as creative as a favorite verse, lyric, original writing or photo. Once the note card is printed, however, what’s inside is all up to you. There are a myriad of reasons to send a personal note, and lots of creative ways to make them even more personal. Not feeling very creative? Here are some of the more delightful note card ideas we’ve heard from our customers that we’re happy to pass along to you.
We hope you enjoyed our note card ideas. Now, go, send someone a smile.