Saying thank you to someone for something that they have done is a simple gesture that should never be forgotten. However, if you really want the recipient of the thank you remember the gesture, you might want to try something a little bit more special. The following are 5 ways to say thank you without actually saying “thank you”.

1. Mail A Handwritten Thank You Card: Nobody uses the mail to communicate anymore, but it’s a great way to say thank you to someone. Simply purchase a small box of thank you cards from your local pharmacy or from Target, write a short note that is sweet and heartfelt and mail the card off. When your recipient receives a piece of real mail, they will be so glad that you did.

2. Scrap booking: Nothing says you care like going through and creating a treasure of your past memories with someone. For married couples, a scrapbook of your wedding pictures, children, first house owned and special holiday pictures can be used to create a photo memory of your relationship. Scrap booking kits can be purchased from retail stores and online and offer all the equipment needed to complete the project.

3. A Special Day Of Treatment: Another great way to say thank you without words is to give the person the gift of some sort of outing that they generally speaking would not ordinarily purchase for themselves. For example, you could purchase a day at the spa, theater tickets, movie tickets, sports tickets, concert tickets, or even a vacation package. All of these are great ways to say thank you and to encourage that special person.

Want to pamper your best friend? Babysit her children for the day while she goes out, or go on a mini weekend road trip together and leave spouses and children at home. To make the pampering day a perfect thank you, take out your spouse or friend for dinner and pick up the tab.

4. Give Out An Award: For companies and managing professionals’ staff appreciation employee of the month and employee of the week are standard ways of saying thank you. To make the award even better, offering a cash incentive really lets employees feel like they matter. To offer praise to the entire staff: free catering for lunch, office parities and gift cards helps boost employee performance and lets everyone know that management sees how hard they work.

The same idea works great for families and friends. Instead of telling your husband how great a father he is, buy him a trophy that says it. Trophies, T-shirts, plagues and certificates that praise someone for being a great spouse or great friend go a long way to proving that their contributions are noticed and respected.

5. Send Flowers: Flowers are a great way to say thank you, especially to women. They are a great way to show gratitude for a variety of different special occasions or just for the generic “Thank You”. You can order the flowers online with 1800 Flowers and have them delivered to the special person. The message attached to the flowers need not say anything more than “thank you”. Though, it should be signed by the person who sent it!

Sheila Dollarsby likes to say thank you with Thank You Cards and Flowers. She usually sends flowers to co-workers and to her mother with 1800 Flowers. The people at 1800 Flowers make sure that the arrangements are always fresh and delivered on time to the right people.

Posted on 17 October '09, under Business.