The art of thank you notes

Caroline Kent of Scribble & Daub reveals how to craft the perfect thank you note
Caroline Kent22 November 2018

You can wear the most elegant clothes and arrange your home to perfection, but if you really want to mark yourself out as a person of style and substance, one simple act will suffice: send a thank you note.

Conventional etiquette dictates this should be done within a week of the event, but it’s a rule I religiously fail to stick to, and prefer the maxim: better late than never. In our busy and increasingly digital lives, it will always be a delight to receive a stylish card and handwritten note, however long it takes.

Keep a stash of favourite cards in a drawer so you always have one to hand, and make writing it a treat — light a candle, use a fountain pen (they need not be expensive, I love Kaweco) and a colourful ink or envelope, anything that marks your mail out as a little bit special.

I like to put tiny surprises inside — some tissue paper confetti, a fortune fish or maybe even a lottery ticket — for a little extra treat. To encourage children in the art of correspondence, keep a box of good quality blank cards and envelopes to hand so they can draw and write their own simple notes and discover the joy they can give — and hopefully also receive — if they get a reply in the post.

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