As the holidays approach, a lot of gifts and thank you's are shared. It's almost an instinct to utter the words "thank you" once someone does something nice for you or gives you something sweet during the holiday season.

Thanksgiving is the holiday that focuses on those two words the most. Being thankful and saying "thank you" are two different things at times and here's why.

When someone says "thank you" it's natural and seen as the polite thing to do, and it is. Being thankful by showing your thanks through something like a thoughtful thank you note or a kind hug is more genuine and takes a little more of your time and effort, therefore making it more special.

Recently, due to the overwhelming boom of technological communication, the art of the thank you note has run dry, especially for the most recent generations. I've learned over time that sending and receiving thank you notes can be a genuinely rewarding feeling and you'd be surprised by how many people don't send them. My older relatives especially appreciate them and rightfully so. Receiving a thank you note makes you feel as if the person thanking you is sincere and you appreciate the fact that they took the time to sit down, get out a pen and paper, envelope and stamp, found your address (which can be harder than expected in this day and age) and sent out their thoughts with only you in mind. Making an impact on someone by sending a thank you letter is also a very rewarding feeling and it doesn't take much to make others feel as if they are appreciated.

So, next time you receive something from anyone; your mother, aunt, uncle, cousin, grandfather, grandmother, and/or friend, make sure to show them how thankful you are to have them in your life and how grateful you are that they thought of you. It'll go a million times farther than a simple "thank you" I guarantee you.

Now here are a few things Jimmy Fallon is thankful for, and yes, he wrote it all down on paper:

What's special about Mr. Fallon is that he writes his thank you notes out WEEKLY,

and doesn't forget the most important things in life....

or the little pleasures....(thank you Netflix)

Here's a full video from youtube of one of the many weekly Thank You note segments from "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7f2PCOhenQ

Shoutout to Jimmy Fallon for setting an example for generations to come, but hopefully the only thing that we take from his segments is to write "thank you" notes....minus the content.

DON'T FORGET: Be thankful and SHOW it. Your parents/guardians will be proud of your maturity and thoughtfulness and so will the recipient. It's worth that extra 10 minutes or less of your time.