Life Tips Daily

Gratefulness gets a lot of attention in this blog, and that is because people aren’t grateful enough, and rudeness is on the rise. Not thanking someone for holding the door for you, not being wished a nice day by a cashier, not excusing yourself if you bump into somebody–these are all ways in which the reign of rudeness is being allowed to continue. So to that end, gratefulness and thankfulness will be preached regularly.

In the above examples, you express your appreciation and move on. There are certain cases, however, where a verbal thank you should be followed by a written (on paper!) thank you. I recommend that you send thank you cards or letters in the following situations:

Receipt of a gift following any event, but some that stand out are:

• the birth of a child
• a baby shower
• a wedding
• a wedding shower
• graduation
• new home
• new job
• good bye party

Receipt of services/help that you would ordinarily pay for
If someone, usually a friend or a friend of a friend, helps you uproot that 15 year old tree, or retile your bathroom, a spoken “Thank you” as they’re dragging their weary body home is not enough. Express your gratitude with a card (and a gift).

Following an interview with a prospective employer
While other interviewees may send an email to thank the employer for his or her time, s/he who sends a hand written card or letter will likely be remembered (put your best writing on display please!).

Following an interview unrelated to employment
Here is where the author of this site needs to practice what she preaches. I have yet to send a hand written thank you card to the people I have interviewed so far for this site, but I do think it is a good idea to do so and I will be sending one out this week.

What other occasions do you deem a hand written thank you card necessary?

thank you, thank you card, sending thank you cards, thank you letter

During important life events, such as weddings, births of children, birthdays and the like, it’s fairly natural and normal to say a lot of thank yous: you may be thanking people for their presence at the special event, for their help to make the event a success, or for a particularly useful or generous gift. Most people are somewhat inclined to express their thanks at these occasions.

But what about the more everyday favours and small gifts that we receive? Have we begun to take those for granted? I think so.

Working a a fairly large building with many doors and elevators, I’ve found that people take for granted that if you’re ahead of them, you will hold the door open for them. It’s perfectly fine for them to make this assumption, as really it doesn’t take anything to hold the door but I can’t deny that hearing a small ‘thank you’ expressed by the person who has walked through the door would not be remiss.

As a part time employee in the retail world, I find that customers can be slow to offer thanks too: it’s not uncommon for a cusotmer to try on a mountain of t-shirts after asking the employee to hunt about for various sizes and colours, and leave them all inside out and balled up in the corner of the fitting room floor and leave without a smile or an expression of appreciation for the employee’s time and aid.

What about those other things that we take for granted: the supportive friend, the parent who makes time for you when you want to talk, the good advice of your father? How often do you sit down and express gratitude for these things?

I’m not asking that one should suddenly begin thanking all and sundry for every little thing, but if somebody does something for you that you appreciate, say thank you. You might be surprised at how much those two words can make somebody’s day.

thanks, thank you, saying thank you

I was in a wedding party this past weekend and this got me thinking of some good advice for wedding guests.

Arrive early
Some people like to arrive at weddings 30 minutes or longer before. I see this as largely unnecessary unless you know the bride and groom or their families well enough and you expect they will be asking you to do any last minute things. Otherwise, arriving 10-15 minutes before the ceremony is expected to start is just perfect. This gives you just enough time to find a seat, mingle with some friends or acquaintances that are also at the event, and get your camera ready to snap some photos.

Your cellphones/beepers/PDAs have the right to remain silent
There is nothing more jarring than observing a beautiful ceremony and during a key part, the jarring ring of a cellphone interrupts the ceremony. If you must have and leave your cellular telephone on, please set it on silent or vibrate, at least for the wedding ceremony.

Get your objections out of the way earlyAlthough the wedding I attended did not ask if there was anybody at the wedding who objected to the couple marrying, if you do have some serious objections to the union, objections that would truly in your opinion affect the decision to marry, get it out sooner rather than later. Having an open discussion may prove to be enlightening for all parties involved.

Save drunken behaviour for never your home
Some weddings have open bars, which can be a recipe for disaster as people who have alcohol regularly suddenly act like the concept of having an unlimited alcohol supply let it get to them. Think of how horrible you’d feel if numerous pictures of you were captured where you’re doing stupid things, or worse, if the bride and groom notice your behaviour.

Take interest and participate
For one night, throw aside your selfconsciousness on your ability to dance, and get on the dance floor. Have a good time, be enthusiastic and participate in all the different things that are planned by the wedding party for you as guest.

Mix and mingle
Despite there being a large number of people, mingling at a large event can be done. If there is a cocktail hour, give in to the temptation to stand by yourself and go introduce you to people, making sure you ask who they’re there for and how they know the bride and/or groom.

wedding, guest, guests, etiquette