'brief, but genuine "thank notes"'
Let me suggest that finding text on the internet compromises the extent to which your note may be genuine.
If searching for principles upon which a good thank-you note ought to be based, you could do worse than Eve Tushnet's article on Miss Manners:
It's somewhat startling how many of her rules and guidelines stem from the basic principles of putting others first and protecting them from our rougher feelings: how to write a thank-you note for a present you didn't like; how to respond to a friend who gets embarrassingly drunk at a party (and how that friend ought to behave the next morning!); how to politely and charitably point out that someone has cut in front of you in a line. Even the correct way to refuse an invitation (apologize, but say no firmly, and don't make excuses) is concerned in part with sparing others' feelings: If you say, "I'd love to, but I'm afraid I'll be flossing my otter," you not only invite argument and attempts to persuade you away from your excuses. You also let your friends know exactly where they rank on your scale of priorities -- possibly above cleaning the gutters, but definitely below otter dental hygiene.
Which is to say, genuineness--or authenticity--needn't always be your key criterion. In a thank-you note you say, I imagine, 'thank you,' name the thing for which you are extending thanks, and then include any other appropriate personal sentiment concerning the one you're addressing. Even if you have nothing for the third, the first two should cover your bases in almost any circumstance.
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