With the excitement of Christmas on the horizon, it is important to think about those all important ‛Thank You Letters' and how you are going to get your children to write them!

I can remember hating the thought of having to write to say thank you for my Christmas and birthday presents - to be made to sit and make a list of what came from whom and then write the dreaded letters. However, it really is essential to get children into the habit of saying thank you when they are young. Even if it is only signing their name or writing just a couple of lines to begin with, the principle is there and hopefully set for later life. To make things easier little notelets are very useful, as there is not a big daunting space to be filled. Even if children don't like writing, it should be encouraged because in these days of computers and mobile phones they will probably grow up communicating via a keyboard of some sort. However, we shouldn't forget that in the workplace hand writing is becoming increasingly important as a way of determining personality so a confident, legible hand can be a real advantage and again - should be developed from childhood.

As a godmother and grandmother, I thoroughly enjoy getting some sort of recognition that the present has in fact arrived safely, and is hopefully acceptable, but I know some god parents who never receive a word of thanks from one year to the next, and in the end they just stop sending anything at all as it is obviously not appreciated. So even if it is a chore for parents, make a list of donors and the presents they have sent and get your little treasures to write their letters as soon as possible, say the day after Boxing Day. It can then become part of the Christmas ritual and hopefully part of the fun!