All About Thank You Notes

When planning any type of event or celebration, a thank you note is an element that is just as important as the invitation. There are lots of traditions surrounding the writing and sending of thank you notes. It is important to become familiarized with these traditions to help write the perfect thank you note.

When should you send thank you notes?  Thank you notes can be sent for any occasion where guests offered gifts or services. In many cases, such as a wedding if guests brought a gift or simply attended the wedding, it is proper to send a thank you note for the guest being a part of the special event.  A celebration or special event typically takes quite a few people to keep things organized and just simply to get things done.  A thank you note is the perfect time to recognize all that friends and family have done to help make the occasion special.

What should the thank you note contain?  Thank you notes can come in a variety of styles and themes. While some thank you notes will have thank you written across the front, it is traditionally accepted to send a blank card. This leaves more room for personal messages. Thank you notes should always be hand written.  A typed or template thank you message is too impersonal and does not genuinely convey thanks to guests.  Thank you notes should coincide with the theme of the event.  A good idea is to purchase thank you notes at the same time as invitations.  This will save time in the long run and help to keep a consistent theme.

Why are thank you notes important?   Thank you notes are important to show appreciation to guests, friends, and family.  Thank you notes should be sent promptly following the event.  It is helpful for those writing the notes to do so quickly so the events are still fresh in the mind.  Thank you notes give people the opportunity to sit down and write out thoughts on paper to guests and when hand writing letters, people typically are able to express feelings that cannot be conveyed simply by a verbal thank you or a phone call.

Thank you notes are the finishing touch to any event.  Whatever the event, whatever the reason, sending thank you notes should not be pushed aside or forgotten.  It is the guests who help make the event, and it is the guests who shape the guests of honor.  Without the guests, they would not be who they are.

Product Description

Stylish and sophisticated, these sweet red and green polka dotted thank you notes are a perfect way to spread your Christmas gratitude! Colors include: red, green, white Package includes 12 flat panel cards and 12 white envelopes. Paper: 50% recycled, eco-friendly, Bright White, Heavy Weight Stock Size: 5.5 x 4.25 All printing is flat printing This is a stock item

Memory Foam: The Perfect Gift

Still haven’t found the right gift for Valentines Day?  Does that someone special seem to have everything?   Memory Foam makes a perfect gift for anyone you know.  Your wife, girlfriend or significant other would be thrilled beyond words with any of the many choices of gifts that are available in memory foam.

Memory foam sleep masks make a great, low cost, gift idea for someone who likes it dark in the room they’re sleeping in.  They’re also ideal for those who enjoy “sleeping in” but don’t want the sun shining into their eyes and waking them up in the morning.  How about a memory foam sleep mask as a gift for a shift-worker or someone who likes an afternoon nap to catch up on sleep? They’d always be rested and ready for that big night out on the town.

The non-pressure feel of memory foam makes it a perfect material for sleep masks because the won’t cut off circulation and they remain comfortable to the sleeper all night.  Expect to pay from $10 to $30 for a quality memory foam sleep mask.

Another low cost Valentines Day gift idea is a pair of memory foam slippers.  These slippers work equally well for indoors or outdoors.  They’re ideal for someone wanting a quick, easy to slip on shoe to run out for the morning paper or to keep your feet cozy and warm while lounging around the house.
 
The memory foam cradles your feet in comfort by conforming to the exact shape and size of your feet.  Warm, cozy and comfortable, these memory foam slippers will make someone very happy.  Expect to pay $39 to $79 for this gift.

Memory foam pillows are especially welcome because your loved one will dream of you as they enjoy the cozy custom fitted and supportive feel of the memory foam around their neck and head.  It might even help stave off a “head ache”.
 
Memory foam contour pillows are the ones, you see a lot on television, that have a “roll” on one side to put the proper curved support in your neck while you sleep.  There are normal pillows that are made from memory foam as well, and there are even memory foam body pillows.  The body pillows are especially wonderful for expectant mothers who need special support while sleeping.  There are smaller memory foam travel pillows, either contoured or u-shaped to surround your neck.

Memory foam pillows vary widely in price, but you can expect to pay $79 for the travel size to $165 for a good king size or body pillow.

If you have more money to spend, you might consider a memory foam topper.  Toppers range, in quality, from the very low to the very high.  The low end toppers are made from less dense foam…usually, 2 lb. to 3.5 lb. density, and they don’t give you the proper support that you would expect from memory foam.   You can count on the foam returning to it’s shape for about 6 or 8 months on the cheaper toppers.  After that, they are pretty worthless.

The better toppers are made from 4 lb. to 5 lb. foam and will hold up for several years.  They will give you better support and last much longer than the cheaper ones.  A high density memory foam topper will provide the most support you can expect from a memory foam topper, but they aren’t in the same league as a full memory foam mattress set.

Cheaper toppers will, typically be in the $99 to $299 category.  You’ll pay $299 to $499 for a middle grade topper and $500 to $900 for the best toppers.

Now matter how you slice it, a gift of memory foam will make you mighty popular with the person of your dreams.

Tips For Valentine’s Day Gift Giving

Valentine’s Day is near, what are you planning to do for your love one? I know you’ve read somewhere from the internet that you should surprise your loved one by making your date creative, interesting, planned well, and have a sense of humor when doing all the above.

But they fail to help you with ideas for the gifts you should choose. They seldom give you ideas of what to do for your surprises.

Here are 5 gifts tips for women to give to men:

1. Hi-tech gadgets and toys – this gift tips is suitable for 80% of men in the world! Get him some toys like Robo Sapien Robot, a Paint Ball Kit, an iPod,  a Pocket PC, Mp3 Players…etc

2. Car accessories – Is your man car crazy? Get a car magazine from your nearest bookstore and start looking for tips to help you shop for the best car accessories. This works only for men who are obsessed with cars.

3. Computer parts – Like men who love Hi-tech gadgets,  as high as 80% of all men love computers. You will know they are interested in computers when they start to talk about their hobby. Get ideas from computer magazines and shop for the perfect computer upgrade parts as a gift.

4. Clothes – Some men have special taste in clothes. Forget the tie, get your man a stylish shirt, I’m sure he has lots of ties to go with it.

5. Cologne – If your man owns more clothes than you do, giving cologne as a gift will be a good idea.

Here are 5 gifts tips for men to give to women:

1. Write a personalized love letter or poem – There is no shortcut; spend some time creating words from the bottom of your heart. I’m sure you can do it if you REALLY love her so much. And please don’t copy from else where, dumb blondes may not be so dumb nowadays.

2. Flowers go with a card, chocolates or jewelry – Some experts might say giving these items may show you’re predictable. But no doubt women still love men who give these as gifts.

3. Romantic Dinner – If you want to become a romantic Romeo of Valentine’s Day, plan a romantic evening by having a candlelight dinner with your lady.

4. Lingerie – This works best only IF you’re very close with her. Don’t get your lady lingerie if you have known her for 3 days. Also, giving only lingerie might look like an invitation for sex, and this will disappoint her by thinking all you have in mind is SEX.

5. Best gift, combine all from the above – a love letter in a card with roses, and a romantic dinner. Remember to use your creativity as there are many men out there who might be doing the same. For example, give strawberries dipped in chocolates instead of just chocolates or choose the best bottle of red wine which can be an interesting way to start your lovely evening.

Okay, enough for the gifts. How about some ideas for Valentine’s Day? How do you keep a Valentine’s date interesting? Here are some ideas for a special Valentines Day:

1. Prepare a romantic dinner yourself, I’m talking about D.I.Y. You can easily pickup a cookbook from your nearest bookstore or just purchase any e-cookbook online. Then pick the best 5 out of a hundred recipes, from fine cuisines to exotic drinks.

2. Plan romantic activities, start from dinner to dance, then end the evening with a wonderful love affair. It can be done in your own house or just go out and have fun.

3. Do something special like in the movies, have a romantic picnic at the beach, on a boat, on a plane (if you’re rich enough), on a roof top  Ride horses to your dinner date, use trained animal to give her your gifts.

I’m sure by now you already have tons of creative ideas in your mind. Don’t be afraid to try new things, it’s Valentine’s Day!  Even if it doesn’t turn out like you planned, she will appreciate that you tried to make it an exciting, fun and romantic Valentines Day just for her.

Why Do We Give Chocolates On Valentines Day?

Valentine’s Day is synonymous with romance, of course. But of the millions who celebrate the popular holiday for lovers each year, how many actually know the rich history behind it?

There are several competing theories on the origins of Valentine’s Day. Some say its beginnings can be found in the Middle Ages, when many believed that birds mated for life on Feb. 14. To commemorate the spirit of companionship, people would send love letters on that day.

Others say we owe our celebration to the ancient Roman feast of Lupercalia, a pagan fertility festival that was held in mid-February. On this day, women wrote love notes that were placed in an urn and randomly drawn by men, who would then pursue the note-writers and claim them as companions for the next year.

Early Christians preferred to associate the holiday with the saint of romantic causes, Saint Valentine. But there is some controversy regarding Saint Valentine: The Catholic Church recognizes at least three saints named Valentine or Valentinus.

The most popular candidate is a third century priest. Legend says he performed secret marriages against the orders of Emperor Claudius II, who forbade young men from marrying because he believed that single men were more likely to join the army.

As the story goes, Valentine was imprisoned for his misdeeds. He then fell in love with his jailer’s daughter and sent her a note signed “From Your Valentine” before he was executed in A.D. 270. A little more than 200 years later, Pope Gelasius officially recognized Feb. 14 in honor of Valentine, the patron saint of lovers.

Some say the tradition of sending Valentine greetings started in 1415 with a Frenchman named Charles, Duke of Orleans. Imprisoned in the Tower of London after the Battle of Agincourt, the duke reportedly passed time by writing romantic verses for his wife. By the 16th century, sending written expressions of affection on Valentine’s Day had become very common.

By the beginning of the 20th century, the practice of exchanging cards was extended to all manner of gifts in the United States, usually from a man to a woman.  Such gifts typically include roses and chocolates packed in a red satin, heart-shaped box.  The red rose and heart-shaped box of chocolates has become synonymous with Valentine’s Day. 

While there are no legends that back up this tradition, commercialization of the holiday in the 20th century is most likely where the idea of gift giving on Valentines Day came from.  Chocolate manufacturers probably decided to package chocolate in heart shaped boxes around Valentines to make extra sales the same way the diamond industry started advertising jewelry as a gift for Valentines in the 1980s.

Now, more than $1 billion is spent annually on Valentine’s Day candy.

The National Confectioners Association estimates that more than 36 million candy hearts will be sold this year alone, the majority of them from Russell Stover, the leading producer of heart-shaped boxes of chocolate in the United States.  Russell Stover also caters to the health conscious with assortments that are sugar-free and low in carbohydrates.

Give Something Different This Valentine’s Day

Are you tired of giving and receiving all the same old boring gifts for Valentine’s Day?  If you are like most people, you get the same basic gifts each year which include candy, flowers, and some underwear.  But, you don’t have to have such a boring Valentine’s Day.

You can use these gift ideas, not only for Valentine’s Day, but for every time that you need to purchase a gift for your loved ones.  This year, your loved ones will be bragging at work about what you gave them for Valentine’s Day.

* First, pay attention on shopping trips.  This is a good tip for the guys.  Watch what she looks at and seems to like.  What books, what type of kitchen product would she like, or what type of movie does she enjoy?  If she won’t buy it for herself, it’s up to you to make sure that she gets it.  Ladies should do the same thing.  What projects does he like to do and what does he need to do them?  What sports items would he enjoy?  What does he look at in the store?

* Gift Basket Ideas for the ladies.  This is a great way to spoil her a little.  For the cook in the family, go with gadgets that she loves and needs, things like ergonomically correct vegetable peelers and beautiful napkin rings are great.  Fill the basket with an apron and maybe a cookbook too.  For the girl that needs pampering, fill a basket with bath and body products.  Make sure to know the scent that she enjoys though and then fill the basket with all sorts of things that she would love such as bath salts, lotions, add in a nice luxury robe for her too.  For the craft lover, go with a basket filled with all the things at the craft store that she needs.  Great scissors, papers, and fabric that she would love.  How about a manicure gift basket that is filled with nail polish, filers, clippers and a wide range of cosmetic items.  You can often purchase a gift basket filled with all that is needed too.

* Coffee and tea gift baskets.  This would work well for both the guys and the girls that love coffee.  Add a coffee mug or a tea cup to the basket.  Line it with a beautiful cloth and then add flavored coffees, gourmets and even some decadent candies to go with it. You can even add a Gourmet Candle to the basket.
 
* Wine.  For the wine lover, create a gift basket with their favorite wines, wine glasses, and some good quality cheeses and crackers.  Perhaps add a bouquet of flowers to it as well.

* The Sports Guy.  If you have a guy that loves sports, you can create the perfect gift for him.  If you have a fisherman, for example, give him the things he needs such as hooks, fishing line, and accessories.  Make sure to purchase what he will use and if you don’t know, ask the salesman for help.  For the hunter, things like camouflage gear, binoculars, heavy socks and sunglasses are necessary.  Add to them whatever else he may need.  For the golfer, give him new golf balls, gloves and maybe even a membership to the local golf course or gift certificates to the local driving range.

Any of these gifts could  be the perfect gift for the loved one in your life.  Think about what they would like, what they would enjoy and then find a way to make it personal for them.  Purchasing gifts that work well for them will be gifts that they appreciate that much more.

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