As a kid, thank you notes always brought up the angsty uncomfortable idea of making up bullshit, and I wasn’t too good at yet, and still have an aversion to it now. But as a bride (19 days to go), writing thank you notes is waaay up there in things to do, right up there with tanning.  Beloved family and friends from both sides are shoring us up in love and support, and beautiful new dishes! (Seriously, I am so excited for these dishes and I love them.)

So, while I don’t tan, I have been writing thank you notes regularly, and have come to appreciate the process more than I used to, even look forward to it!

I sit quietly with a pen and some cards, hopefully under a window, and write by reflecting on the gift, the person who gave it to me and what it means to me. I get to relive the event for which I’m thanking the gift-giver (in this case, bridal showers) and reflect on the jokes and dirty stories we shared. I’m usually scrambling for addresses (in the digital age, who has anyone’s address?!) and that’s frustrating, but I save that for the end.

Like writing a story with a word limit, brevity is the order of the day in a thank you note, and I think I’m going to try to get more creative and humorous with them.  Here are some examples of funny ones; perhaps they will inspire my future efforts.

“Thank you oatmeal, for looking like I eat you before I eat you.” (Jimmy Fallon)

“Dear McDOnalds, Thank you for not selling hot dogs. I don’t think I could order a McWiener with a straight face.” (I don’t know.)

“I would thank you from the bottom of my heart, but for you, my heart has no bottom.” (Aww! And I don’t know who wrote this initially.)

What is the best thank you note you have ever gotten?