The thank you note is a lost art in American culture today. Former President George Herbert Walker Bush was famous for his short handwritten notes he would write to foreign leaders and members of Congress for the nice things they would do from time to time.  From what takes only a few minutes of your time, you can make someone feel appreciated for what they have done and improve your own image at the same time. Yet, so many people do not take the time to write out a simple thank you for a nice deed done or a present received.

For those who do it, here are some simple tips.

In today's age of email, blackberry's and twitter, it is easy to jot out a quick thank you note over electronic media. However, this is an impersonal way to show that you truly appreciate someone else's kindness.

Take the time to write out a quick thank you note. A handwritten note shows the person you are thanking that you took the time to find the right stationary, find a pen and thnk out what you wanted to say. A handwritten note shows that you care and that your thank you is sincere.

A Thank You Note does not need to be a treatise or long drawn out essay on your feelings about the person who gave you the gift. A Thank You Note should be brief. It should simply state thank you for the kind thing done and a quick message about what it meant or how much you like the gift.

While brevity is important, it is equally important that the short message sent is also sincere. This is specifically a problem for recent graduates or others who are writing many thank you cards at one time. Too often, the card simply says "thank you" and lacks a personal note to let the reader know they were being thought of when the note was written. A short sentence about the gift and what it meant is all that is needed to add a nice personal touch to a thank you card.

On a similar note, I know that Hallmark makes a card for every occassion and it is easy to think that Hallmark can convey your gratitude better than you can.  But I suggest not just signing a pre-printed card.  Why?  Its not sincere.  Sure it is a nice gesture, but it is more sincere to handwrite your message than to let Hallmark do it for you. 

 It today's world it is easy to forget doing the little things.  Writing thank you cards is one of those things that in the scheme of things does not seem all that big.  However, a handwritten thank you card brightens the day of the reader and shows that their good deeds were truly appreciated.

I handwrite thank you cards for gifts and nice gestures.  My mom instilled this into me.  She used to say, "When someone does something nice for you the least you can do is sit down and write out a quick thank you."  As much as I rolled my eyes a child when she made me write out a thank you card for every present I ever received, she was right.  It is the little gestures like this that make the world seem like a better place, even if for a moment.