Best Thank You Card Messages & Wording Ideas

Science has observed that gratitude is not only a great attitude, it’s good for your health! And your written thank you card – texted, emailed, printed – expresses your appreciation in a format that increases its impact. Where to start? Here are a few tips.

• Whether for a gift or favor or unexpected kindness, start with your thank you message. Begin with “Thank you for…” or “Your gift/action was so appreciated!” or, more formally, something like “We want to acknowledge how valuable your recent work was to our company.”
• Be specific about how the recipient improved your day or your life or your project. If Aunt Bea sent you a hand-knit sweater, size elephant, you can still remark on her kindness, how it reminds you of her love. Maybe the color? Or not.
• If you choose a pre-written thank you card, your hand-penned message of a line or two isn’t much to write but adds a personal touch.

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General Gratitude & Appreciation 

It only takes a minute to text or email or print your “thank you” message. What will you say? Even the simplest thank you is a thoughtful token of appreciation. Here are a few ideas to expand your thank-you thinking!

• Thank you, Gina! Your generosity warmed my heart.
• You totally brightened my day, Lara! Thanks.
• Will and Abbie, your encouragement was timely and appreciated!
• Miss Michelle, you’re appreciated more than “Thank You” can ever express, but it’s a start!
• Day. Made. Thank you, Scott!
• You make me feel surrounded by friendship and support, like I can do this. Thank you, Tom and Ann.
• The blessing of your generosity will be with us always, Ron and Jill. Thank you so very much!
• Just what I needed when I needed it, delivered with warmth and friendship. Thank you, Carey!
• What a thoughtful way to show you care. Thanks so much, Rosie!
• You’re the best, J.J.! Thanks, again.

• Your encouragement gave me a lift! Thanks, Mark.
• All the words of gratitude in the world could not express how much you are appreciated, Connor!
• Thank you, Carolyn, for a kindness given at just the right moment.
• Your gesture made me smile, Robin!
• How do I thank thee, Peyton? Let me count the ways. Nah. I’d be here all night!

Thank You Messages for a Gift 

A gift costs more than its price. Time and thought and effort went into finding it and getting it to you to celebrate a life event – or a Tuesday! Text or email or snail mail a word of thanks. It only takes a sentence or two to express sincere appreciation, and it does make a difference!

Birthday

• You totally brightened my birthday, Lara! Thanks for the scarf!
• My happy birthday? Happier! Thanks for the gift card!
• What a thoughtful way to show you care. Thanks so much for the tickets, Alex!
• Thank you for the new shirt, Taylor. You always find something I love!
• Your gesture made me smile, Casey. The birthday bouquet was beautiful!

Wedding

• Your kindness is a happy reminder of our wedding day. Thank you!
• Your thoughtfulness brought us so much happiness!
• Thank you for adding to the “special” in our special day!
• How thoughtful of you! It means so much to both of us.
• Your loving gesture made our day of love so special.

Baby

• Sharing our joy, blessing our boy. What friends you are! Thank you for the gift card, Will and Lana!
• A lovely gesture from a beautiful person. Thank you, Quinn, for the sweet outfit for Alana!
• Cameron will look so cute in the elephant sleeper! Thank you so much, Ben and Amy!
• Thank you for welcoming our little one in such a special way, Pat!
• Thank you for the diapers, Skyler. Your kindness warmed our hearts!

Thank You Messages for a Teacher 

Teachers do everything from A to Z for their students. Showing them appreciation with a message of thanks is a small but meaningful gesture. You can comment on a specific act of help or support to your child or make a general comment of gratitude. Teaching is the two-sided coin of reward and exhaustion, and your expression of thanks will be the encouragement that fuels at least one day!

• Thank you, Mr. Sawyer, for your kindness, patience, and inspiration!
• Hunter has grown so much this year. Thank you for all that you do, Mrs. Miller!
• Thank you for making a difference! You are appreciated, Mr. Carter!
• Miss Michelle, you’re appreciated more than “Thank You” can ever express, but it’s a start!
• You’ve made this school year one of the best ever! Thank you so much, Miss Silva!
• We’ve never seen your cape or mask, but we see your super powers every day! Thanks for being a super teacher, Mr. Debolt!

• You make a positive impact on the lives and learning of your students. Thank you so much, Carolyn!
• We appreciate the job you do, and we love the person you are! Thank you for a great year, Ms. Matthias!
• I’ve learned so much this year, and you’ve made learning fun, too! Thank you, Mrs. Clark!
• Your love of learning has drawn me into a whole new universe of exploring ideas! Thank you, Mrs. Perry!

Thank You Messages for Birthday Wishes 

The overall impact of social media is a mixed bag, but there’s no denying that Facebook, Twitter, and texting have definitely improved birthdays! Want to thank the contributors of so much happy? While you can certainly respond to every greeting individually, it’s in perfectly good taste to post one general message of appreciation.

• Thank you for all the birthday wishes! You brightened my day and warmed my heart!
• My happy birthday? Happier! Thanks, everyone, for the birthday wishes!
• Wow! You guys are the best! Thanks for filling my day with happy wishes!
• The best thing about social media? The birthday wishes. Thanks, everybody! You made my day even better!
• So. Many. Birthday. Posts. It was great! Thanks, everyone!

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• You totally brightened my day! Thanks for all the Happy Birthday’s!
• Loved seeing all your names pop up with birthday wishes! You made my day really special!
• Thanks to all my family and friends, it really was a Happy Birthday! Your posts and comments reminded me how blessed I am!
• It was a great birthday – inspired, no doubt, by all your warm wishes! Thanks, everyone!
• How great is it to have so many family and friends post birthday greetings? Still smiling. Thank you!

Thank You Note Closings

You’ve written a world-class message of thanks. Your pen is poised to sign off. Now what? Sincerely? Love? Consider the level of relationship when you decide on your closing. Is this a business, friendship, or family connection? What would you be comfortable saying face-to-face? Looking over our list may help you find just the right closing for this particular thank you note.

• Sincerely,
• With many thanks,
• Warm regards,
• Cordially,
• With appreciation,
• Love,
• Love always,
• With heartfelt thanks,
• God bless you,
• Gratefully

Thank You Note Etiquette

The one thing to remember about thank you notes? Send. One. Within a week or so is ideal, but “better late than never” is absolutely true for showing gratitude. Premium stationary carrying a hand-written message is still the standard for formal thanks, but any method beats not expressing your appreciation. 

Business thanks for such things as a referral, an interview, a mentor’s efforts, or a favor from a vendor should reflect a more reserved tone while still expressing your appreciation with warmth and sincerity. For example, “Thank you for the gift of your time to discuss my proposal. Your suggestions were invaluable, and I will be incorporating many of them into the final presentation. With warm regards…”

For everyday, casual thank-you correspondence, a typed, computer-printed card is perfectly acceptable and may be easier for older friends and family members to read. Use language appropriate to the recipient, as in, like, don’t write your bff the same note you’d send your grandmother – or vice versa. Add a photo of you with your gift (or you with the giver!) or choose a card with an image that shows you remember their love for flowers or sports or puppies. Emailed or texted eCards are great for casual situations, too, and many of them can carry your message with a photo from your files or a professional illustration as a bonus.

There are so many options for sending your heartfelt thanks that there’s no excuse for being a thank-you Scrooge. Becoming a generous giver of appreciation? You can’t go wrong there.