The art of thank you notes

You can wear the most elegant clothes and arrange your home to perfection, but if you really want to mark yourself out as a person of style and substance, one simple act will suffice: send a thank you note.

Conventional etiquette dictates this should be done within a week of the event, but it’s a rule I religiously fail to stick to, and prefer the maxim: better late than never. In our busy and increasingly digital lives, it will always be a delight to receive a stylish card and handwritten note, however long it takes.

Keep a stash of favourite cards in a drawer so you always have one to hand, and make writing it a treat — light a candle, use a fountain pen (they need not be expensive, I love Kaweco) and a colourful ink or envelope, anything that marks your mail out as a little bit special.

I like to put tiny surprises inside — some tissue paper confetti, a fortune fish or maybe even a lottery ticket — for a little extra treat. To encourage children in the art of correspondence, keep a box of good quality blank cards and envelopes to hand so they can draw and write their own simple notes and discover the joy they can give — and hopefully also receive — if they get a reply in the post.