In keeping with January being a consumption free zone for me, I have made my thank you cards instead of buying them. It is amazing how simple it was to make them, once I had a few key materials. I got a wonderful collection of rubber stamps from a women on freecycle, and I used sheets of card stock cut in half for the note cards. There are plenty of other ways to make cards, so if you don’t have access to free rubber stamps, please don’t let that stop you.
I love writing thank you notes now. My mother used to make me sit down and write them after every birthday and Christmas, and I hated it. But as an adult, I am glad that she taught me the value of being thankful. It is wonderful to get the creatively spelled notes from my 5 year-old and 8 year-old cousins. It is also wonderful to get the notes from many of the adults in our family.
In fact, it is nice to get real mail instead of bills all the time. My mother-in-law is great about this! She is always sending me clippings and photos that she thinks I will appreciate.
Now, I know that I’m a bit old-fashioned about thank you notes. Most of my family doesn’t send them anymore, and I am not always religious about writing them either, but I would hate to see them no longer being sent at all. Gift giving is fun, getting presents is fun, and I think that it is just as much fun to truly express our gratitude for the presents that we receive.
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