The holiday season is over, but for some, the sentiment sticks around for a little while longer. Thank you notes have been a tradition almost certainly as long as there have been gifts. Many people, some out of the kindness of their hearts, some out of the kindness of their parents' hearts, follow up the holiday gifts they've received with return notes to their family and friends with a nice thank-you message.
For as long as I can remember, my mother has told me that writing thank you notes is a necessary nicety whenever you receive gifts, specifically on Christmas and birthdays, and I've been following that to this day. Many people even believe that it increases your chances of getting a job if you send a thank you note to your interviewers.
But why do some people have a passion for chivalrous acts like these? Is it because they would want to receive a note of thanks after gifting someone something? Is it because it's simply how they were raised? The answer, as with most things, is probably a mix.
You may be surprised that this has been somewhat of a societal debate that has been going on ever since the rise of the internet. "Should parents make their kids write thank you notes?" I remember seeing this as a child when my mother could, and in fact, did, make my sister and I write thank-you notes.
Today, many people my age aren't even considering thank you notes, oftentimes forgetting they exist altogether forcing our parents or guardians to step in and suggest that an old fashioned note is a great way to thank someone. A college or high school student might think, "What the heck is the point in that? I can just, text, or email, or call or FaceTime them. I don't even know their address." I know that's what I thought as a kid.
However, now, as a twenty-year-old, though my mom can no longer make me write them, I still find that I want to write thank-you notes. Is it just because I have been doing it for so long under her instruction? Surely there is some of that, but I also think that I might be starting to get it just a little bit. The thought of receiving a thank-you note from someone, unprompted makes me feel like I did a good thing, and made someone happy; that they appreciated it so much, they had to write me a note about it.
Some might say that it could be validation-hungry and even a little ridiculous to want to get an old fashioned note in return of a gift, and in extreme circumstances that could be the case. It's sort of implied that we should do kind things for one another without expecting any thanks whatsoever. But in most cases, I think people just want to feel appreciated, and a thank-you note can accomplish that wonderfully for someone.
