UPDATED IN NOVEMBER 2022
In the United States, Thanksgiving Day takes place on Thursday, November 24. If you have U.S. customers, clients, employees, colleagues, donors, members, consultants, or friends, Thanksgiving is a good time to remember them. The national holiday is celebrated by nearly all Americans.
Why not thank your business associates with a card, small gift, or a nicely worded email? The purpose of the thank-you gesture is to show appreciation for the people who help you succeed or make your work life enjoyable.
Whatever type of greeting you choose to send, plan for it to arrive by Friday, November 18–or at the latest, Monday, November 21, unless you know the recipient will be working after that. People often take the days before Thanksgiving off work, and few people work on Thanksgiving Day. Except for grocery stores and pharmacies, businesses are generally closed.
Here are sample thank-you messages to use as templates. Use these examples to communicate your thanks by note, card, or email.
1. Generic thank-you to customers:
Dear Julie and David,
Thank you for being our valued customers. We are grateful for the pleasure of serving you and meeting your accounting needs. [or catering needs, printing needs, shipping needs, etc.]
We wish you a lovely Thanksgiving and a joyous holiday season.
With many thanks,
___________ and ________ [both senders’ first names]
___________ [company name, to emphasize the company]
The message above is to two people. To send it to one individual, just use “valued customer” in the opening sentence.
2. Generic thank-you to customers:
Dear Friends at Acme [Acme is the customer],
In this time of gratitude, we give thanks for you. We value your patronage and appreciate your confidence in us. Counting you among our customers is something for which we are especially grateful.
On behalf of all of us at XYZ Company, I wish you a very happy Thanksgiving.
Sincerely,
_________________ [person’s full name–and title if readers may not recognize the name]
___________ [company name, to emphasize the company]
3. Generic thank-you to restaurant customers:
Our restaurant will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, as we give thanks for all of the blessings in our lives. Among those blessings are our customers.
We thank you for dining with us and allowing us to prepare memorable meals for your special occasions.
Happy Thanksgiving! We hope to see you again soon.
Your friends at _______________ [Name of restaurant]
4. Generic thank-you to tenants:
Dear ___________,
We are very grateful to have you as a tenant. And we are especially grateful for your flexibility and patience during the lobby renovations. We hope you enjoy the beautiful new lobby as much as we do.
Please let us know anytime we can improve our service to you.
We wish you a very happy Thanksgiving.
With sincere thanks,
___________ [person’s full name]
___________ [property management company name]
The message above is to one person. To send it to more than one person in an apartment or an office, just use “as tenants” in the opening sentence.
5. Sample thank-you to a client, coach, or mentor:
Dear Dick,
In this time of thanksgiving, I want to express my appreciation for you. Working with you over the past two years has been an amazing opportunity. I appreciate your high standards, persistence, and fine sense of humor.
Thank you, Dick, for the pleasure of working with you. I wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with good feelings.
Warm wishes,
___________ [person’s first name]
6. Sample thank-you to accompany a gift:
Dear Mr. Emmanuel,
When we think about the things we appreciate, we think of you and our work with you on the Maple Heights project. The project was a challenge and a phenomenal success for us–thanks to your vision and commitment. We will always treasure that experience.
We saw the enclosed new book on landscaping by ____ [author], and we immediately thought of you. Please enjoy it with our thanks.
Happy Thanksgiving!
__________ and ________ [both senders’ first names]
7. Sample thank-you to employees, accompanying a gift:
This year has been challenging for us, but we turned challenges into successes–thanks to you and your fellow employees. You have focused on the future rather than getting stuck in day-to-day difficulties. You have worked hard to help our business thrive.
On behalf of the management team, I thank you for your accomplishments this year. We are all grateful.
Please enjoy the enclosed gift certificate as a token of our thanks.
Happy Thanksgiving!
__________ [first name only, or first and last name if necessary]
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To find more ideas and samples of holiday messages, get my book Business Writing With Heart: How to Build Great Work Relationships One Message at a Time.
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8. Sample thank-you to employees:
Dear ______________ [name],
During this month of Thanksgiving, I have been reflecting on the things I am most grateful for. Primary among them is our talented group of employees.
Thank you for the work you do to make our agency great. You help us provide award-winning services to our clients. Without your commitment, creativity, and high standards, we would not be the thriving company we are. I am very grateful for your efforts.
I wish you a Thanksgiving filled with abundance and bright moments.
Warm wishes,
______________ [first name of senior executive or manager]
9. Sample brief thank-you to employees:
Thank you for everything you do to make this a successful, terrific place to work. Have a wonderful, long weekend filled with good things!
Happy Thanksgiving!
10. Sample brief thank-you to employees:
You and your coworkers have worked hard this year, and your dedication has paid off. Every quarter our financials look better and better. Thank you for your hard work and positive attitude.
Have a joyful, abundant Thanksgiving!
If you do not have time to communicate by Thanksgiving, you can always save your greetings until December. My book and this blog post will help you: Holiday Greetings Made Easy.
Enjoy giving thanks!
Lynn
Syntax Training
