Wording for Thank You Notes

Updated on July 30, 2008
D.W. asks from Albuquerque, NM
18 answers

We had a birthday party for my daughters a few weeks ago and I've been struggling with the wording for the thank you cards. The reason being is that my daughters opened most of the presents without me being next to them, mixed up all the cards and I haven't a clue what gifts some people gave. I would usually put in 'thank you for the doll' or whatever item the gift was, but being that I'm clueless on who gave what, I'm not certain how to word the thank yous. Any advice would be helpful!!!

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So What Happened?

Thank you all for the great input. I ended up sending out thank you cards with a generic 'thanks for the generosity' and then stated that them coming was really special to us. I also had the kids draw pictures to make it a bit more personal.

Thanks again!

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K.O.

answers from Phoenix on

I would just write Thank you for coming and sharing this special day with us. My daughter (her name) realy enjoyed the wonderful gift that you brought her.

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C.R.

answers from Las Cruces on

In a similar situation I usually use, "Thanks so much for the thoughtful gift," and focus the rest of the invitation on thanking the guest for coming to the party and sharing in my son's special day. I will usually end with a "Thanks again." I think guests (especially if they are parents) understand that sometimes the details get lost in all of the excitement. I also think it's nice to focus on the people and the celebration, rather than the present.

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V.B.

answers from Phoenix on

I agree with the moms who have said to just be honest. Say something about thanking them for coming and then just mention that the cards got mixed up, all the gifts were wonderful and you wish you could thank them specifically for one of them.
At my wedding a couple cards got away from the gifts at the reception, so in the thankyous, I simply said what happened, your card got seperated from your gift, thank you so much for coming and supporting us, and thankyou for the gift.

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R.N.

answers from Albuquerque on

Dear D.,

When that has happened to me, and it has, as I have a 13.5 year old son, then I would just put..."thank you for coming to my (5th/4th) birthday party and the special/fun gift...." Thanking them for coming to the party, detracts from the gift, as both the attendance and gift are equally important and using a very general description, i.e. special, fun, great, lets them know the gift was appreciated and received!

Good luck!

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M.B.

answers from Phoenix on

Just put a generic thank you for all the great gifts ! (the same on all thank you's) and a I hope you had a fun time at my party. This way if any one see's other thank you cards with the same response it doesn't matter what the gift was just a thanks and hope you had a fun time will make everyone feel great !

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J.C.

answers from Phoenix on

My boys ages 6 and 4 have birthdays 2 weeks apart so we have a joint party, leaving me with NO CLUE who gave what. So we just gather up all of the giffts and take a picture of them all with my sons holding a sign that says "Thank You". That way everyone's gift is included, and it's a snap to put together.
Also, sometimes my kids just color a picture, and I'll help them write "Thank You". It's a 'personal' note, and because the kids wrote it, not much is expected word-wise.
I personally think it sounds really...rude and unthoughtful to explain honestly what happened. What if someone put in a lot of time and effort to choose a gift and is disappointed that you didn't know it was from them? Just my thought.

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K.H.

answers from Phoenix on

How about, "Thank you for the wonderful gift! I will really enjoy it. Also, thanks for coming to my party."

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A.S.

answers from Phoenix on

Hey D. - That is hysterical! But, it probably happens at MANY kid's bday parties. So, my suggestion would be to simply be honest in the thank-yous. I wouldn't be surprised if most of the attendees noticed the chaotic gift opening at the party, or would find your predicament comical too :) Maybe just say something like, "Thank you so much for celebrating my daughters' birthdays with us. It meant a lot to them to have you there. As you may have noticed, the presents were opened by the girls, and so your gift is a bit of a mystery to mommy, but very much appreciated...thank you!". Does that sound kooky??

Good luck, A.

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C.K.

answers from Tucson on

I've had this happen too.....I usually have a standard reply, "Thank you so much for coming to X's party. She loves your gift! We hope you had as a great a time as we did!"

Best,
C.

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K.R.

answers from Phoenix on

I've been there!! I just told my guests what happened. Everyone understood, and I'm sure your guests will, too. I wrote cards that said something like "Thank you so much for coming to Susie's 4th birthday party. It meant so much to have you there, and hope you had a good time. In all the excitement of opening her birthday packages, I'm afraid that gifts and tags got separated. While I'm a bit embarrassed that I'm not able to say thank you for a specific gift, I can assure you she loved them all. We thank you for your thoughtful and generous gift."

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T.B.

answers from Phoenix on

My favorite way to say thank you is with picture greeting card. I usually upload a picture of the birthday girl at the party and order the cards from a one-hour photo place. I know it is impersonal but I just put Thank you for celebrating wih me! Love, .... My guest always love the picture and this will aviod sending a generic thank you for the gift to someone that may not have brought a gift.

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L.S.

answers from Phoenix on

Simple wording such as "thank you so much for your kindness and generosity but most importantly, thank you for sharing in our daughter's special day".

Hope this helps.

L.

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J.F.

answers from Albuquerque on

Hi D. -

I think this happens a lot. Sometimes birthday parties get so crazy, you don't even realize the presents have started being opened already! I would just say: "Thank you so much for coming to the party and for your nice gift. We really appreciate it." - Something generic like that. OR - what I have always done is have my son write the thank you note. It sets up a good habit for him, and even before he was old enough to write, he could at least draw a picture and then I would just write "thank you for the gift" and he'd sign his name in whatever form he could for the age level he was at. It seems to mean a lot more if it comes from the child - in whatever form!

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K.W.

answers from Phoenix on

thank you for the gift we are so glad you could come, or something along that line

L.H.

answers from Albuquerque on

Just focus on the celebration itself. Thank the people for being part of such a special day and for being so generous. Tell them what an important part they play in all of your lives and how much you appreciate them. It makes it a little more special and puts the focus on their place in your life.

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S.L.

answers from Tucson on

just say thank you for coming to the party and for sharing a gift - acknowledgment is often all that is necessary - if you feel you need to say more explain what happened - people usually understand the truth

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L.M.

answers from Albuquerque on

Just use something like "your presence and generosity meant so much to us both."

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A.K.

answers from Albuquerque on

Just be honest...thanks so much for spending the time with us...add a funny note about what really happened.
Chances are most of your guests are moms too and have been through a similar experience.

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