Tuesday, July 5, 2011

"Thank You" Notes and the Rich!

If you’re already among the ranks of High Society or perhaps on the way up, you’re aware of the absolute importance and necessity of hand-written social correspondence - and lots of it.  

I've already mentioned Invitations, RSVP and Regrets. But what about Thank You notes? For any gift you receive and the effort made on your behalf, hand-written Thank You notes are in order, if not mandatory. And there are some definite rules:

1)  The note should be short and not gushy.
2)  You’ll need to state the person’s name.
3)  You must definitely mention the gift by name.
4)  Then explain very briefly why you like or need it. (Lies are entirely acceptable among the rich, as long as they're timely.)
5)  And you'll want to send this note promptly, within a week after the horrible gift was received.

Once you or your personal assistant get the hang of it, this is not difficult at all. Here’s an example:

Dear Mrs. Huffenbitch,
     Thank you so much for the live skunk you gave us for our anniversary. The deer have been destroying our gardens this year, but I'm sure this dreadful odor will correct that in no time. Will see you again soon.

Andrea  and John Richascrap


See how easy that is? As the butler here, one of my seriously important responsibilities is to see to it that any gift that comes through the front door has a name attached, or else there’s hell to pay. I keep some post-it notes nearby just in case. However, most rich people are cognizant of this never-ending ritual and usually attach their own note cards, in full expectation of acknowledgement and reply. 

But still, there are always those scatter-brained guests who barely arrive on time and hand you a bottle of unwrapped brandy at the front door. So be ready for that!

Hope this has been helpful, and thanks for dropping in.

Andrew

7 comments:

  1. Hi Andrew,

    I just recently discovered your blog by googling "how often clean chandelier". Such an interesting life you lead being able to experience what few people can. I would love love love to read more about cleaning and more specifically cleaning schedules (ie, how often one should clean this or that). I'm a new housewife, some would say an OCD one, and would welcome the advice and insight of a professional!

    Thanks,
    L

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  2. Thanks so much for this comment, L.

    And I absolutely love your enthusiasm. Learn how to enjoy and utilize your OCD's and you'll get a lot of work done quickly, and very efficiently. Ha!

    If you'll look on the right of the blog, there's a column entitled "Categories", and under that anything written about cleaning so far will come up in the "Cleaning Techniques" file.

    There will be more of these, for sure. And I do realize there is considerable interest in the subject. There are thousands of websites out there recommending this and that.

    I'm just trying to report on what really works and how effiecintly, on a practical basis. And I will definitely address the topic on how often things need to be done in the near future.

    Thanks for reading and hope you'll stick around.

    Andrew

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  3. How's this one?...,Coming from a man of course

    Dear Mr. Gardener/ (My Wife' Boyfriend),

    I personally want to thank you for tending to my wives garden. I am so pleased to tell you that you've left some of your seeds behind. As a matter of fact, 1 of your seeds has begun to blosom after being planted. Your seed has actually sprouted into a "love child" in fact, which in turn has led to divorce proceedings!! I will forever be indebted & grateful to you for ending my misery!!

    Good luck with, I wish you & your new "family" well!

    Sincerely,

    Your Boss & Your Baby Momma's Husband

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  4. Well...uh...you did cover all the essential elements of a "thank you" note, didn't you?

    Ha!

    As for the vivid scenario, I expect anything is possible in this crazy world of the rich!

    Thanks for commenting,
    Andrew

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  5. Great!! I'm pleased to know that I can cover all of the bases at least!! Thanks for your help Andrew!

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  6. Very well written. Thank you for giving me an idea of a "thank you note'. I am not good in sending or giving a thank you note and that's one of the reasons why my ex-boyfriend brake up with me. I am only good in words like saying thank you but for him, it's better to act into it. His love language is action and not words.

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  7. Hello Lisa,

    You sound like such a sweetheart.

    I hope the written word is an answer to your situation.

    Thank you for reading, and commenting.

    Good night,
    Andrew

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