When I was a kid, my parents took thank you notes very seriously. Every birthday, Christmas, graduation – the very same day I received the gift, I wrote a thank you note. I know that might seem pretty intense, and it was, but I’m so glad they instilled the value of hand written thank you notes in me from a young age.

It definitely takes more time and effort than writing an email, but that’s the point. When someone receives a thank you note, they know you took effort to thank them, and that means so much more. If you think the days of snail mail and hand-written notes is no more, I hope you’ll reconsider. Here are the three reasons you should consider hand-writing thank you notes the next time someone does something nice for you.

1. People Love Getting Fun Mail

The majority of the mail most people get isn’t that fun. It’s either junk mail or bills, the majority of the time. It’s so much fun to check your box and find something other than a bill or junk. Opening up a thank you note or even just a personal note might even make someone’s day.

2. Shopping for Stationery is Fun

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I’m not sure if you’ve checked the stationery aisle at your favorite store lately, but there are so many cute options. I actually received the cutest stationery from Mixbook and I know there are a lot of other gift shops and retailers that are selling adorable stationery. Here are a few of my current favorite thank you notes.

3. Hand Written Thank You Notes are Meaningful

The most important reason to send hand-written thank you notes is that they are way more meaningful than a text or an email. Hand-writing a thank you note takes time, effort and even a little money. Just think about it. You had to pick out the thank you note, write it by hand, address it, put a stamp on it, and bring it to a post office or drop it in a mailbox. That’s a whole lot more effort than a text or an email. I personally do think they mean a lot more to people and are definitely worth the effort. When I’ve received thank you notes from students, family or friends, I’ve even held onto them for some time because they meant a lot more to me.

I hope this post has talked you into writing thank you notes by hand if you haven’t done that in awhile. I am confident the recipient of your note will be happy to receive it and I bet you might even enjoy the process of writing it.  Just because technology has advanced doesn’t mean we have to lose thoughtful touches like thank you notes.