Thanksgiving: a rant.

No one ever said thank-you* letters are easy.

Dear Aunt Ethel,

Thank you very much for your present, which was a great surprise to everyone, especially Fluffy. Still, we expect she'll come home again at some point. Katie and Flynn have enjoyed designing all the posters, in any case.

We've fixed your fantastic gift up on the landing, where it can be seen right from the street. It's been a real talking point, too. We had no idea we had so many animal-rights campaigner neighbours. I'm sure we'll all soon be remembering to duck as we go along past the bedrooms. It was silly of Bob to try to walk downstairs without putting the landing light on, anyway. The doctors says that he'll be able to take the plaster off in about six weeks or so if all goes well.

[delete delete delete]

Dear Aunt Ethel,

Thank you very much for your present. Did you shoot it yourself? I think when Bob said he was fond of a good mousse he was talking about the fruit-flavoured varieties...

[delete delete] 

It will always remind us of you...

[delete delete]

It brings a real whiff of the mountains with it, and I'm sure all the flies will soon get tired...

[delete delete]

We are all well. Unfortunately Katie's nightmares have come back, but I expect she'll settle down again. Eventually.

[delete delete delete]

Dear Aunt Ethel,

Thank you very much for your present. It was very generous of you, and we will think of you every time we see it.

Love,

Sally.

***********************************************

However hard they are, we must always, ALWAYS, write them, especially if someone's done you a favour at your request. 

Even if all you can honestly be is brief.

Thing To Do Today: thank someone. The word thank comes from the Old English thancian, which is related to similar words in Old Frisian, Old Norse, Old Saxon and Old High German.

And if that all lot can do it, then so can we.


*That hyphen: not to be used when thank you is something that you're doing, but otherwise quite often recommended.