Christmas question: Thank-you notes

[MountainLaurel]

One of the Santa threads got me thinking: Am I the only person around who was never taught to write thank-you notes as a child?

It's not that we never thanked anyone, it's just that we did it in person, or in cases where the giver was not present, by phone. I was in college before I realized that this custom of thank-you notes even existed. As far as I know, no one in my extended family (my mom's many cousins and their children) wrote them either: We certainly never received any. Also, the few times I went to birthday parties as a child, I don't recall receiving notes for gifts given in those cases either.

So what gives, was I raised by wolves, figuratively speaking, or are thank-you notes a cultural thing that was just never part of my milieu?

[LaurenG]

1. Well it depends on who your grandmother was I think, lol

If you had one like my mothers mother she insisted that thank yous be written or no gifts would ever come from her again. My dad's mom never cared about them. My family still writes or at least calls and thanks each other for gifts, on the other hand my husbands family never does. :hi:

[momophile]

2. we never wrote thank-you notes and

now I never think to do it. e-mailing is sufficient, isn't it?

[LaurenG]

3. I think it is

but if rabrrrrr see's this we're all in deep you know what. :scared:

[Rabrrrrrr]

7. And by golly I found it!

:rofl:

No, email is not sufficient. Handwritten snail-mailed notes are the only way to go. Though I suppose that buying national network time and recording a 30- or 60-second commercial personally thanking people might trump the handwritten note. Or creating a laser that carves "Dear Aunt May - thank you so much for the knife set. I look forward to cooking a thank you meal with them soon! Love, Urgard" in the moon in letters large enough to see from earth would also be okay, in lieu of a handwritten note.

[MountainLaurel]

5. E-mailing or telephone

Is fine with my family, certainly.

[bertha katzenengel]

4. You're not the only one.

And we never thanked anyone. I don't think it was a cultural thing where I grew up. I think it was that I had trashy, stupid, nasty parents.

I've since learned. I write thank you notes and put stamps on them and mail them, even if I've already thanked the person vocally.

[Kali]

6. My family did/does.

I make my kids do it. They can slack on husband's side, they aren't as into it as my side.

[babylonsister]

8. We were taught to mail them when I was a kid, but

I pretty much promptly forgot once everyone got a 'puter. Also, I'd prefer to pick up the phone.
I think written anything is turning into a lost art, sadly.

[wildhorses]

9. there is NOTHING like receiving a hand written thank-you note

on beautiful note cards with a really nice stamp...

such a nice addition to the mailbox...

along with all the circulars, bills and trashy sale papers.


both sides of my family insisted...

[Heidi]

10. Handwritten thank-you notes, mailed within a week of receiving a gift,

was the rule when I was growing up. The old "But other kids don't have to write thank-you notes" excuse didn't wash with my parents, who insisted, "You're not 'other kids.'" I still believe very strongly in hand-written thank-you notes; when someone expends the resources to give me a gift, the least I can do is take the time to write and mail a thank-you note. :hi:

[Rabrrrrrr]

11. If they went to the trouble to buy you a gift, then go to the trouble to thank them

We have never done the thank you note thing within the immediate family, because we're all together at Christmas so we can say thank you in person as the gifts are undone.

But, for gifts sent via mail for birthdays and etc., handwritten thank yous are the way to go - though again, within the immediate family, we don't worry too much about it. But when gifts come in from people that don't normally send gifts, a handwritten thank you almost gets sent by me (yes, even I have forgotten - my rule is to always do it; my imperfect human nature means that sometimes it doesn't happen).