Letter of thanks

A letter of thanks, letter of gratitude, thank you card, or thank you letter is a letter or greetings card that is used when one person/party wishes to express appreciation to another. They are frequently sent after an event (a birthday party, a religious festival or holiday) and especially when a gift has been received.^{[citation needed]} Personal thank-you letters and cards are often hand-written and the addressee is typically a friend, acquaintance or relative. Letters of gratitude are usually written as formal business letters, either to a client, a supplier, an employer (or prospective employer after an interview)^[1] or an employee as part of creating an engaged workforce.^{[citation needed]}

A letter of thanks from Richard Nixon to Elvis Presley

Benefits

Some psychological research indicates that expressing gratitude by writing such letters can have emotional benefits,^[2] but this does not apply to all circumstances.^[3] News media have covered the tradition of handwritten letters of thanks from a cultural perspective, suggesting in particular that the extra effort represented by handwriting (as opposed to text messaging, for example) makes these letters more emotionally significant for sender and recipient alike.^[4][5]