After receiving a gift writing a thank-you note is one way to say thank you and express your gratitude.
My sister is the best gift giver. She has often given me thoughtful gifts for holidays, my birthday, or when she sees something and thinks of me. I like to send her a thank-you note with a personal message to express my gratitude for the gift.
I like handwritten thank-you notes and enjoy picking out cards. There are plenty of note cards to choose from. I recommend Minted (fancy/better paper quality), Redbubble (unique), or Amazon (low-cost boxed sets). Or you can download a free printable PDF thank you card.
But if you do not want to write a handwritten thank you card, you can send a thank you for the gift email or text.
Note: There are affiliate links in this post. I will receive a commission if you click a link and then make a purchase.
The best thank you notes for a gift will mention the gift specifically and include a couple more sentences. These sentences can state why you like the gift or why you are thankful for it.
If you know you will be opening many gifts at one time, such as for weddings, graduations, birthday parties, or baby showers, you may want to use a gift list tracker to keep track of who gave each gift.
Dear [Person’s Name],
Thank you for the [event/holiday] gift. I appreciate the [gift] and that you thought of me. [I will enjoy it or I will use it often, etc.]. [Optional: include a friendly compliment or when you will see them next, etc.)
For an unexpected gift, when writing your messages, you can include wording that indicates surprise, such as:
For your note to be the best it can be, you’ll want to write another sentence or two and mention the gift specifically (see the template above and examples below).
Sometimes we get gifts that we do not want. You can still say thank you for the gift. The key is to focus on them thinking of you, not that they gave you a gift you didn’t want
Then it’s up to you to decide what to do with the gift. For example, you could sell it online, return it, re-gift it, etc. In some cases, like at baby showers, a gift receipt may be provided along with the gift. You can return or exchange the gift without telling the giver (but if they ask you about it, please be honest).
When you receive a thank-you card, a thank you note is not usually written in response. However, when you receive a thank-you gift along with a card (or in place of a card), you may want to write a thank-you note for the gift.
At a minimum, you can say “thank you” if the gift was handed to you in person. Or you could send a thank you text message to acknowledge the gift.
Sometimes the etiquette isn’t straightforward. Sending a thank-you note for a thank-you gift can also depend on the situation.
When a group of volunteers is given gifts at the end of the year (or another time), it doesn’t seem necessary for the volunteers to send a thank-you note. For example, my church gives volunteers a shirt (or another item) at the end of the year.
I asked my teacher friend how he handles end-of-the-school-year than- you gifts. First, he sends each parent a thank you email. Then, he said other teachers at his school write a quick handwritten note to give to the student the same day the gift is given.
Remember, you can always send a thank-you note if you want to. The recipient will likely feel appreciated or acknowledged that you sent a note or letter for a thank-you gift.
The posts below will give you more wording examples when you receive one of the gifts listed below.
These posts will help you thank your boss or coworkers for a gift.
Here are more posts that will help you say thank you for a gift for specific holidays and events.
Here are some example thank-you notes for a gift messages to help you say thank you for the gift.
Remember that the examples are for inspiration. You can swap out the gift or event used in the sample as relevant to the gift you are saying thank you for.
#1 Thank you for the beautiful candles for my birthday. I will enjoy their lavender scent, and I appreciate that you remembered my favorite scent. Also, I enjoyed visiting with you at my birthday party.
#2 Thank you for the birthday money. It is such a generous gift, and I was surprised! I am looking forward to going on a shopping spree for new clothes soon. Thanks a ton.
#3 Thank you for the surprise gift from your vacation! The cat-themed shirt from the casino is super. I will enjoy wearing it. You’re the best for thinking of me while away.
#4 I appreciate the present that you brought back from your vacation for me. The mountain scene on the shirt is beautiful, and I look forward to wearing it. Thank you for being so thoughtful.
#5 Thank you for the beautiful journal for [holiday]. The cat theme is perfect for me. I will enjoy writing a bit every day. Thank you for thinking of me! I am forever grateful that we are friends.
#6 I feel blessed to have you in my life. Thank you for the flowers [or another gift] when I was feeling down last week. They truly helped to cheer me up. I felt loved and seen by you. The message on the card was also very nice!
#7 Thank you for the lovely pen. It’s such a thoughtful gift. I was surprised that you remembered how much I like to write in journals and notebooks. You made my week!
#8 You are such a thoughtful friend. Thank you for the awesome cutting board. Having my and John’s names engraved on it along with our wedding date makes it a gift we will always remember.
#9 Thank you for the neat cat stickers. I appreciate you for remembering that cats are my favorite animal. I will enjoy placing the stickers on my phone case and laptop. Also, thank you for coming to my birthday party. Visiting with you is always a pleasure.
#10 Thank you for the candle for [the reason for gift – such as a holiday or birthday]. Your kind gesture is appreciated. The candle will look great on my kitchen counter, and I look forward to enjoying the scent for many hours.
#11 Thank you for the lovely gift. I was filled with delight when I saw a box from you in my mailbox. The [item] is great and was exactly what I have been wanting. You are a fabulous mom!
In this section, the thank you for the gift examples are for when the gift was an experience instead of a physical gift.
#1 Thank you for gifting [child’s name] gymnastic lessons. She is enjoying them very much. You’d be amazed by her flexibility and strength for a 5-year-old. She talks about what she is learning almost every day.
#2 Thank you so much for treating me to a weekend away at the resort. The break away from my family was just what I needed to recharge. And, of course, the massage and facial were awesome. It really felt like a special day to be pampered so much. I will not forget this experience for a long time. I am also thankful that we were to spend Saturday visiting during dinner. Your friendship means the world to me.
#3 We enjoyed the day at the beach! Thank you for taking us along with you. It was our first time having a picnic this year, and we enjoyed the entire day. I am grateful that you asked us to come with you. The kids want to know when we are going to the beach again!
#4 I am writing you with sincere gratitude. I very much appreciate you for covering our costs of the destination wedding for [Couple’s Name]. Attending the wedding was special for us, and we will always treasure the experience.
#5 Skydiving was spectacular! I was scared, but it turned out to be so much fun. The view while descending was magnificent. Thank you for giving me such a creative gift!
#6 Thank you for taking me to the football game [or another sporting event]. I had so much fun watching the game with other fans and spending the day with you. The entire day felt like a sweet present! I am incredibly grateful for your generosity.
#7 I absolutely love painting. Thank you so much for signing me up for the painting lessons at [local art place]. I will paint you a picture based on what I learned in class to thank you again. I hope it will be better than the last painting I gave you. And thank you for always having kind words to say about my art. You’ve significantly impacted my life and my confidence to become an artist.
#8 Thank you for taking my family deep-sea fishing. We all enjoyed the day on the boat and appreciated your thoughtful gift. Lunch was also outstanding. The kids have taken an interest in learning about the different kinds of fish that we caught.
#9 The entire weekend felt like a fantastic gift! Thank you for taking me to [location] for my birthday. The views from the cliffs were unlike anything I had ever seen. And bike riding around the island was fun. I love having you in my life, and I appreciate you for remembering my love of [location].
#10 Thank you for taking me to [wherever you went]. I had a very relaxing weekend and enjoyed all the shopping and sightseeing we could do. The river walk was the best! And I really liked the little cafe we had lunch at along the river. Thank you for the memorable weekend, and it was the perfect gift.
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