Write a thank-you note

Some of the most popular posts on BuzzFeed have titles such as “21 Pictures That Will Restore Your Faith in Humanity” or “35 Pictures That Prove The World Isn’t Such A Bad Place,” garnering millions of hits and thousands of responses. In an age when turning on the evening news will almost always bring word that people have forgotten how to treat one another, we love clinging to these simple acts of kindness. With the holiday season coming up, I think we should all become reacquainted with one of the simplest ways to brighten someone’s day: writing thank-you notes.

My iPhone is buzzing away as I write this, filling my inbox with messages about break plans with high school friends, where my roommate and I want to go tonight and a reminder from my mom to get my car’s oil checked. Texting has revolutionized the way we communicate with one another, something we’ve heard time and again. Let’s replace our haste to relay messages in large quantities with sending messages of quality.

The thought of sitting down to write out a note to someone seems unnecessary in a world in which the same message easily could be relayed in an email or a text. But while the words themselves may be the same, the message is entirely different.

Writing someone a thank-you note is a great tool for serving ourselves as well. They are an inexpensive yet incredibly effective way to leave a lasting impression on someone, whether it’s your boyfriend’s picky mother or a potential employer.

There are few things I look forward to less than getting up for my 9 a.m. Spanish class, but that changes when I walk into my kitchen and read the notes my roommates left on our refrigerator’s dry-erase board. Whether they’re goofy doodles or just a simple “Good morning,” the early morning laugh they provoke starts my day off in a great way.

Imagine sending a thank-you email to a potential employer, someone who has an inbox swamped with hundreds of other emails. Your name and message can get drowned out easily in a sea of other com- mitments, and the email can just become an extra thing they have to read that day.

Imagine now, instead, that you send a handwritten thank-you note, which still only takes a few minutes to write. You have now left someone with a tangible reminder of who you are and, perhaps more discreetly, of what you value. In an age when handwritten notes are viewed as antiquated and burdensome, those who choose to write them have a significant advantage.

Often, $1.99 will get you at least one thank-you note from Wal- greens that can be thrown into a desk drawer until needed. Writing handwritten notes is the easiest way to brighten someone’s day and leave a lasting impression. Doing something nice for someone doesn’t have to include a grand flash mob or lavish gifts. This holiday season, let’s remember that doing something nice can sometimes mean paying attention to the little things.