A Proper Thank You

The other day I went to the nearby art store (whose stationery section I love,) and made a new discovery: Yellow Bird Greetings. A sweetly adorned card featured Victorian scrolls in different colors, ornamented by a single crystal at its center. In simple script, the word "Merci"... The card was so lovely that I purchased it, but ended up hanging on to it so that I could admire it even more. Finally, after some friends took me to dinner, I surrendered the paper delight and sent it to them with my thanks.

Created by Charmaine Carlson of Vancouver, BC, Yellow Bird cards use nostalgic images, fonts, and colors in modern and sassy interpretations. Overall, the collection is adorable yet still sophisticated.

Thank you notes are becoming a lost art, which is indeed a shame. In our house growing up my mother's rule was "The present isn't really yours until you write the thank-you note." Therefore, most of our Boxing Days were spent in our pajamas, dutifully writing our thanks to family and friends. I believe this rule is a good one to live by. After all, an email of thanks doesn't really cut it. (Email also doesn't cut it for asking people out on *real* dates, nor does it cut it for break-ups either.) When I did my triathlon last spring, I wrote thank you notes to those who donated to my fundraising effort - and I raised a lot of money, so it was a lot of notes. But people remember these kind of gestures. They remember the luxury of the paper stock, the printed design, and the personal touches of your own handwriting. It's a social grace that communicates so much more than you would think.

I have two thank you notes to write this week: one to my friend's family for hosting me at her wedding, and one to the bride & groom themselves for the same reason. I  am going back to the Yellow Bird section at the art store to find the most charming ones around...I'm certain those cards will say just what I'm trying to!