Christmas is an odd time; one that can be in both ways equally brilliant and stressful all at the same time. The build up tends to be huge, with many people starting their festive preparations including shopping as soon as Halloween is over! Then, the month of December seems to fly by in one huge rush, and before we know it, it’s all over. The aftermath can be a blur of cleaning up, organizing your home once more and getting the kids back into some kind of tangible routine. With all that going on, one thing we tend to forget is to express thanks to people for their gifts, or for their hospitality over the festive season. Of course, we say thank you in person to many of our friends and family. But quite a lot we receive presents from people who live far away – maybe even overseas – in which case expressing genuine thanks to them can be a bit harder. If you are trying to find a way to show your appreciation for your friends and family after Christmas, here are a few ways you can do so.
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Pay them a visit
Gifts are all well and good – but is there anything that’s really more valuable than your time? If a relative you don’t really see that often has made the effort to mail you a gift, why not surprise them by turning up on their doorstep? Life can often get on top of us and many of us have a tendency to stop making an effort with certain friends or family who are not a part of our ‘inner ring’, so to speak. But sometimes reconnecting with these people can be incredibly rewarding and shows that you really do care.
Write a letter
As the world of technology has developed, the art of letter writing has all but died. We are all so used to simply sending an email, or an instant message and receiving a reply almost immediately. It can be a great way to stay in contact with people, but often it can feel impersonal too. After all, it’s so very easy. Writing a letter, on the other hand, takes time and effort, so it shows that you care. Plus, people receive letters so infrequently nowadays that it’s always a bit exciting when you get one through the door. To make it even more personal, why not get hold of some embossed monogram note cards to write your thank-you letter on?
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Get them a gift in return
If someone has got you a present for Christmas but they weren’t on your list, it can sometimes feel a bit awkward. The truth is, most people do actually buy gifts for others without expecting one in return. But if you do feel like you want to get them something to show your thanks, something simple like flowers are an easy way to express gratitude. Plus, you don’t want it turning into a cycle of thank-laden gift giving, after all! Expressing thanks after Christmas is a sure fire way to brighten someone’s January, so get planning your ideas now.
I live in a small Georgia town that you most likely have never heard of and I LOVE it! My house is more than full as I am a single mother of four & caregiver to my aging mother and uncle. Lover of all things Outlander. Goes to the beat of her own drum woman.
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Great post! I feel really happy when I get even just a simple thank-you-text. I feel that he or she really liked the gift and appreciated my effort. 🙂
I do as well. I love knowing that the person liked the gift enough to tell me in written word whether it is a text or note. It means so much more than just saying it somehow.
Just today, I received a lovely thank-you note in the mail. I had sent a box of homemade baked goods a week before Christmas, but the Post Office messed up and didn’t deliver the package until well after Christmas. Thank goodness everything was still edible! But I digress. My point is that I was very touched that they enjoyed their gift so much that they put pen to paper to let me know. It got me thinking, and tomorrow I’ll write a couple of notes myself.
No one ever writes notes or letters anymore. At least they rarely do. I’m am so thrilled that they loved your gift enough to express their thanks and that it has inspired you. I always make the kids write a thank you note for every gift they receive. Even if it is from Santa. I want them to have good manners.
Lovely reminders of the things we were taught as children and tend to lose track of.
We do a lot of the times. I think that life and the world just seems to get into the way and we are left with a bitterness that we don’t mean to have.