How to Write Thank-You Letters
During the holidays, you will probably receive many gifts from family members and friends. Don’t forget to thank them! Learn how to write proper thank-you letters from this Jack and Jill article that was first published back in 1941.
One of the most exciting things about Christmas is the opening of packages that come from far away. Lots of children receive presents form aunts and uncles in other places. Sometimes Grandma will send one of her special fruitcakes or a box of stuffed dates. You just never can tell what kind of surprises will be found in holiday boxes that come in the mail.
And then, soon after Christmas, everyone gets busy writing thank-you letters. If we wait a long time to write our thanks, the letters always sound stale. And there’s another thing too. This is sort of secret, but if you’re old enough to write letters, you’re old enough to know it. So remember this: We always write nice things about presents because even though people can’t always know just what we would like best, we do want to thank them for adding their gifts to our holiday joy.
Sometimes it’s hard to know what to say in letters. One boy asked his mother what to put in a thank-you letter to his cousin, and she said, “Just write what you’d say if you were talking to him.” And that’s a good rule to go by. If you don’t happen to have any writing paper of your own, you can make some that looks very special by pasting a leftover holiday sticker on some stationery or by drawing a picture at the top of a plain sheet of paper.
Here are some thank-you letters that show the kind of things people like to hear from boys and girls.
December 30, 1940
Dear Aunt Jo:
Because Skipper is just a puppy, and can’t write, I will thank you for the rubber bone you sent to him for Christmas. He was funny when I unwrapped it. He sniffed at it and turned it over. Then he took it over and put it in Mother’s lap.
And thank you for the dandy punching bag. Daddy helped me fix it up in my room.
With love to you and Grandma, and I hope you are both very well,
John
December 29, 1940
Dear Mary Jane:
I was surprised to get your Christmas card because it has been such a long time since you moved away. It was nice for you to remember me.
My dog, Pard, still likes to chase cats. Wasn’t that funny the time he chased a yellow kitty up the tree and your Daddy had to climb after it?
We don’t have the club any more that we had when you lived here. But if you ever come back for a visit, we will all have a meeting anyway.
Good-bye,
Betty
December 26, 1940
Dear Grandma:
Thank you so much for the warm sweater. Mother says you must have made it yourself. You picked out a color that I like. This sweater will be dandy to wear when I go out on my new skis.
We are going to have a Twelfth Night party in our family this year. It’s going to be after supper on January 6, which is twelve days after Christmas. Mother is going to make a Bean Cake for dessert, and somewhere inside of it there will be a navy bean. Whoever gets the bean in his piece of cake will be the one who can take the first ornament down from our Christmas tree. After that, we will all take turns with the ornaments. We’re going to wrap them up carefully and put them in a box for next year. I wish you could come to our Twelfth Night party.
Happy New Year to you and Grandpa.
Love,
Bill
P.S. I know you used to call me Billy, but I have signed my name Bill because I’m getting bigger now and that’s what the other boys call me.
