In today's society, it seems people have thrown etiquette books out the window. Gone are the days when people wrote real letters. Now we can send a quick text. Convenience may be great for day-to-day operations, but there's one thing that must be done the old fashioned way--a thank you note.In my opinion, any time someone gives you a gift or does something above and beyond, a thank you note is required. Call me old-fashioned, that's fine with me... I just want people to know that if they think enough about me to give me a gift or help me out in some way that I think enough of them to properly say "thank you".I've written hundreds of thank you notes in my lifetime, and I've received quite fewer than that. Of those that I do receive, some are very well written, but others are just plain abysmal.

A Poorly Written Thank You Note

"Jaelan,Thank you for the gift.Thanks,Terrible Thank You Note Author"Seriously. I've received notes like that before. I just scratch my head and think, "do they even know/remember what I gave them?"Above is a prime example of the generic I-need-to-write-50-of-these-in-an-hour thank you note. It inadvertently tells your recipient that you don't care about the gift because it's vague, short, and not sincere. Don't be this kind of thank you note author! Thank you notes can be sincere and to-the-point, I promise. Trust me, when I receive a well written thank you note, I'm more apt to give to that person again because I feel like they genuinely appreciated what I did for them.

A Well Written Thank You Note

In February John and I were gifted concert tickets. Here's an example of what I wrote:"Dear Brian and Emily,Thank you so much for the Rain concert tickets! I grew up listening to The Beatles, so to see their tribute band live was such a treat. I'm so glad that we all got to spend Valentine's Day together (again) this year--we've done it twice, so it's a tradition now!Sincerely,Jaelan"This thank you note is sincere, personal, and also to-the-point. No need to write a novel in each thank you note, but it should reflect your gratitude by being more than one or two sentences long.

Parts of a Well Written Thank You Note

A well written thank you note needs a few vital parts:

Salutation/Greeting

This addresses the recipient. If you leave this portion out and write a vague message, the person you're thanking will assume you just wrote 30 of these notes on auto-pilot. Be sure to properly address your note. If you're writing to a friend, no need for a formal greeting, but you should use their names.

Acknowledgement

This is the part where you thank them for the specific gift or nice gesture. It's important that you describe the gift specifically. Don't just say "thanks for the gift". If they gave you a toaster, say "thanks for the toaster".I'd like to add here that if you're given money, it's ok to say "thanks for the money" and leave the amount out. In the instance of gift cards, I like to say something like, "thank you for the Target gift card".

Personality 

This is where you put your personal gratitude on paper. This portion of a thank you note makes your letter seem thoughtful and appreciative. Possibly tell the reader how you plan to use the gift, or why you're so excited to receive it. Write a sentence or two reflecting on why it's special.

Closing

If you've said "thank you" already in the letter you can choose to end with something like "love" or "sincerely" if you choose. Another "thank you" is totally acceptable, too! Be sure to sign your name.