The Art of Manliness: Classic Skills and Manners for the Modern Man by Brett Mckay, Kate Mckay Read Free Book Online Page B

someone shows you around their town when you’re vacationing there, regardless of whether you stayed at their home or not.
• When someone has you over for dinner.
• When someone throws a party or event for you.
• Anytime someone does something extraordinary that warms your heart. Don’t be stingy with the thank-you note. There’s never a wrong time to write one.
    Some Ground Rules
    Always write the note as soon as possible. Send it within two weeks of attending the event or receiving the gift.
    S end it through the mail. E-mail thank-yous are certainly convenient, but they are not appropriate except in response to very small things. Some may say, “Well, a thank-you is a thank-you. Why does it matter what form it takes?” Sending a thank-you note through the mail shows effort. It shows that you took the time to put pen to paper, addressed an envelope and bought a stamp. It’s tangible; recipients can touch it, hold it and display it on the mantle. It makes your thank-you far more sincere.
    Use real stationery. Having to run to the store to buy a card every time you need to write a thank-you note will make you drag your feet about writing them. So invest in some nice-looking stationery. It doesn’t have to be fancy; buy something with a neutral, conservative theme so that the cards can be used for a variety of occasions.
    How to Write a Thank-You Note
    1. Begin by expressing your gratitude for the gift/service. Your opener is simple: “Thank you very much for.” If the gift was money, use a euphemism for it. Instead of “thank you for the dough,” say “thank you for your kindness/generosity/gift.”
    2. Mention specific details about how you plan to use a gift or what you enjoyed about an experience. If you are thanking someone for holding an event like a party or dinner, be specific about what you enjoyed about it. If you are thanking someone for a gift, tell the note’s recipient how you plan to use it. This is true even for a monetary gift; tell the giver what you plan to spend it on or what you’re saving for.
    3. For some recipients, add some news about your life. This isn’t always appropriate; obviously if you’re writing a thank-you note for say, a job interview, you don’t want to tell them how you recently caught a two-foot bass. But if you receive a gift in the mail from people who see you infrequently and who would like to know more about what’s going on in your life (read: your extended family), give a brief sketch about what you’ve been up to recently. You know Aunt Myrtle will love it.
    4. Close by referencing the past and alluding to the future. If the person gave you the gift at a recent event, write, “It was great to see you at Christmas.” Then say, “I hope we all can get together again next year.” If the person sent the gift in the mail, and you see them infrequently, simply write, “I hope to see you soon.”
    5. Repeat your thanks. “Thank you again for the gift” makes the perfect last line.
    6. Valediction. Valedictions are the words or phrases that come before your name. The hardest part of a thank-you note is often choosing a valediction that appropriately conveys the level of your relationship with the recipient. Love can sometimes seem too gushy, and Sincerely can seem too formal. If your affections fall somewhere between those two expressions, here are some neutral valedictions that can fit a wide variety of situations and relationships:
• Yours Truly
• Truly Yours
• Kindest Regards
• Warmest Regards
• Best Regards
• Respectfully
    A Gentleman’s Guide to Tipping
    Why tip? The difference between regular jobs and many jobs that require tips is that they are service jobs, and they are called service jobs because they are directly serving you. They personally and intimately affect you. You do not have to tip people for doing their job per se. But you might think about tipping people for the following reasons:
    That person’s livelihood depends on our