Sometimes, we can feel stuck inside with nothing to do during the winter. The weather is cold, and the sun has been behind the clouds for days.Â
A positive, easy activity you can do is write handwritten thank-you notes or thank-you text messages to your friends and family.Â
Writing a thank-you message can help you feel grateful for the people in your life. And expressing gratitude is good for you, according to science.
Also, your surprise message could cheer up someone struggling with the winter blues.Â
Who should you thank?
The short answer is anyone that you want to thank.Â
Who needs to hear words of gratitude and appreciation from you?
You can make a short list of your closest friends and family members and think about why you are grateful for them.Â
Also, if you still have wedding thank-you notes to write, take advantage of your extra time at home to knock out those notes.Â
Handwritten Notes vs. Text Messages
Handwritten thank-you notes will take extra time, and you will need to include all five parts of a thank-you note.
If you do not have note cards, another activity is to shop online for the perfect note cards. Taking the time to find just the right card can be an enjoyable distraction on a gloomy winter day.
You can put as much time and thought as you’d like into your note card selection. The most straightforward choice is a card that says Thank You on the front. You’ll want to choose cards that are blank on the inside so that you can write a personal message.
You can read through my seven best tips for selecting thank-you cards. Personally, I love cats. They are my favorite. So, I love notecards that have cats on them. However, I would not send a cat-themed card to a friend that I know doesn’t like cats.Â
A text message will be instant. You can send a quick thank you text message in minutes. The convenience of a text message will allow you to thank more people in a short amount of time. Â
What Should You Write in Your Thank-You Note Message?
What you write in your thank you message will depend on who the recipient is and why you are thanking them. After all, what you say to your Dad will likely be different than a message to your best friend.Â
To get started, you can brainstorm specific reasons you feel thankful for the person.
- Are they always there for you?Â
- Did someone help you recently?Â
- Did someone treat you to dinner or lunch?
- Is someone in your life supportive most of the time?Â
Your message can be short and to the point. And you can also mention the depressing weather if you’d like.
Here are a few examples:
– Thank you for always being there for me. You’re a great friend!Â
– I want to let you know how much I appreciate you and your time together. I’m looking forward to warm days when we can go for long walks together at the park.Â
– Thank you for making dinner for me last week. I enjoyed spending time with you and your family. And you make delicious food!
– You’re a wonderful Dad. Thank you for being available whenever I need help or advice.Â
– Thanks for having me over for board games on Friday nights. I love our conversations and sharing our highlights from the week. I appreciate you!Â
For more ideas, look at the example thank you messages for friends.
Some people may not acknowledge your thank you note or thank you text. That’s OK. Remember that you wrote the thank-you message to give yourself something to do when you were stuck inside.
The value of this activity is that you took time to ponder your relationship with the person, why you are grateful, and expressed your gratitude to them, adding a bit of joy to your day and theirs.Â
Heidi has been writing thank you notes for more than 30 years and is the author of A Modern Guide to Writing Thank-You Notes. Her goal is to help people write better thank-you notes by providing tips and examples.