Thank You Notes
It can be a little frightening to watch a six-year-old attack its prey, on Christmas morning. The poor, unsuspecting presents, lying under the tree where Santa Claus left them, barely know what hit them, as the tiny predator rips their outer paper off, exposing the toys inside.
And every child is born knowing, somehow, which are the good gifts, under the tree-the ones that Santa brought. These are the gifts that every child has been eagerly awaiting, the gifts that Santa was asked to bring, specifically. These are the gifts that make Christmas special.
There are other gifts to be opened, too. These aren’t the ones that Santa was asked to deliver. These aren’t gifts that anyone was actually asked to give. At least, not by the child who receives them. More often than not, these gifts are from relatives, or from parents. They aren’t exciting or exhilirating, but they might be used for a long, long time.
These are the gifts that every child needs, but will never request. They’re the shirts and socks and pajama sets that are necessary and that every parent is grateful to see opened, but the gifts that will be forgotten by their recipients until they’re needed.
Though these gifts may not be the coveted ones, the love with which they were chosen, bought and sent deserves recognition. Whether they were sent by a grandparent or an uncle or a family friend, someone went to some effort to get them here.
How nice it would be, for the relative or friend who went to such trouble, to receive a personal thank you in the mail. Electronic mail and messaging may the modern way to communicate, but there’s nothing quite as pleasant as opening a mailbox and finding a thank-you note.
Your child may not know how to write, yet, but that doesn’t mean he can’t learn the art of the personal thank you, early. A smiling photo of him with the gift, taped or tucked into a greeting card, will receive a joyful welcome, when Grandma pulls it out of her mailbox.
Children are never too young to learn how to say thank you. Even though they may have received more exciting gifts on Christmas morning than the underwear that Aunt Mary sent, no gift was purchased and sent with more love, and no gift deserves more thanks.
Imaginary Greetings is working with you to help build the hopes, dreams, and imaginations in those who mean the most in your life. Make it happen when you leave Santa tracks throughout your home this Christmas season.