You should send a thank-you note for special gifts or special acts of kindness. A trip to see a professional hockey game requires a thank-you note. A grilled cheese sandwich does not. (You do say, “Thank you,” when your friend’s mom or dad gives you the sandwich, of course.) If you are wondering whether you need to send a thank-you note, ask your parents for their advice.
A gentleman knows that a thank-you e-mail does not take the place of a thank-you note. It is better than nothing, but not as good as a handwritten note.
Here are a few examples of the type of thank-you notes you can send on almost any occasion.
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Dear Aunt Kelly,
You know how much I like Harry Potter. When I opened your package on my birthday and saw the special edition DVD, I was reminded why you are such a great aunt. Thank you very much for thinking of me.
Your nephew,
Ted
Dear Grandma,
Thank you so much for the sweater you gave me for Christmas. I love it and will be wearing it to school a lot. Thank you for such a great gift. I look forward to seeing you soon.
Love,
Teddy
Dear Mr. Kelly,
Thank you for taking me to see the Predators last night. What a great game! I really appreciate getting to go with you and Michael to see my favorite hockey team.
Sincerely,
Ted
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Chapter 18
SELECTING A GIFT
Buying a great gift for someone is really not that hard, and it doesn’t require a lot of money. If you want to give the right type of gift, all you have to do is listen and pay attention, and then put some effort into buying or making the gift.
YOU DO
Pay attention to what people like and dislike.
YOU DON’T
Give someone a gift just because you like it.
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Why
The purpose of giving a gift is to show someone that you care about her or him. If your dad likes Elvis and you like rap, you don’t give him a rap CD.
YOU DO
Spend what you can afford on a gift.
YOU DON’T
Think that you have to spend a lot of money to make another person happy.
Why
Your friends and family members don’t really care how much you paid for your gift. What they do care about is how much thought you put into it. You might buy the gifts using your allowance or money you have earned, or your parents might slip you some money to help you with your shopping. Either way, you’re the one picking out the gift, and it’s your thoughtfulness, not the price tag, that counts.
YOU DO
Plan ahead.
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YOU DON’T
Wait until the last minute to buy a gift.
Why
You know when your mother’s birthday is—or at least you should know. (If you aren’t already keeping a calendar of birthdays and holidays, start keeping one now.) That way, you will have time to pick out the absolutely perfect gift. So your dad likes Elvis? If you plan ahead, you might be able to put some real effort into finding a cool Elvis gift your dad didn’t even know about. Let’s say your sister especially likes a certain movie actor. If you plan ahead, you might be able to go online and find an autographed picture of him. If you wait until the last minute, you will probably end up grabbing a gift that you haven’t really thought about. And you might even forget to remove the price tag.
A gentleman puts some effort into presenting his gifts. He does his best when it comes to wrapping them. If he is not good at folding paper and tying bows, he puts his presents in a gift bag. And he always removes the price tag.
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A gentleman does not need to ask someone what that person wants for any special occasion. If he pays attention to the likes and dislikes of the people around him, he will already know the right thing to do.
If a gentleman wants to give a gift to someone he does not know very well—maybe an uncle who lives in another city—he asks his parents for their advice.
A gentleman does not give bad gifts to anyone. Not even his sister.
A gentleman knows his dad’s favorite cologne and his mom’s favorite authors. He also knows what type of DVDs they like.
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Chapter 19
ANSWERING THE TELEPHONE
If you are old enough to use the phone, you are old enough to use it the right way.
There may be three guys you hang out with who don’t care how you come across on the phone. Everyone else—from your parents to their friends, to your aunts and uncles, to your grandparents, to girls—does care.
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