saying thank you for gifts.

candygirl

As a kid i was always made to write little thank you notes for all my birthday and xmas pressies.I made my daughter do the same, and it really pleases all our old relatives when they get a thank you card.I have realised this year that not only do very few people write cards to say thanks, but a lot don't even say thanks or verbally acknowledge their pressies.
I know i sound like an old fogey here, but when someone has gone to the effort and expense to choose a gift the least the recipient can do is ring and say thanks, whether they like it or not

Elljay_2

Hear hear. I detest it when a gift goes unacknowledged. I think it is really rude. This happened recently to me (apart from Christmas) when I let my nephew have some of my toddler's old baby things for his baby. my SIL asked for them on his behalf and said that he'd be willing to pay something for them (which I wouldn't have taken anyway) but when I saw him he didn't even offer or say Thank You....These items included a high chair and travel cot, so they aren't small. I was really hurt.
I think it is showing your children nice manners in getting them to write thank yous.

littlemissfrugal

i always make my kids write a note to say thank you - its part of the christmas morning routine now to write down what you got from who so that your thank you note can be sent - same with birthdays

tinkerbell1978

am i sad? i write a thank you note from myself and OH and include a note from my son (2) i even go to lengths to make it look like he has written it and i like to include a painting which my son does do himself with it. is that a sad thing to do? not sure if they are appreciated but at least we have said thanks!

Jet

Yes, I'm the same but was starting to think I'm in the minority.

I do allow my little boy to say thank you in person or on the phone if it's someone we see all the time but I do make him write thank you notes to anyone we don't see very often.

Since when should we "expect" gifts and not even bother to acknowledge them? I think it's really rude.

play2day

I agree with you all. My kids send thank you notes, pictures, or photos as appropriate.

thriftlady_2

The rule in our house, is that you must say thank you (of course !) but letters are for people you can't thank in person

hpiper

My kids (Aged 4 and 7) have been writing 'thank-you' notes this afternoon...! Actually, I cheated and printed out thank you notes with a photo on the. The 4 year just had to write his name and the 7 year old had to write details of the presents as well. As he has just had his birthday, he had double lots to do.

Just for the record, whenever my children have attended a birthday party at school, most times they will get a thank you note from the birthday child so the habit of writing thank you notes is not dying out.

Guinea_2

Yes I also believe that thank you notes should be sent for gifts received. I am a teacher and always give thank you notes for any presents/gifts received. Even if it is just a note or a picture from a child then I give them a thank you sticker. I just think it's polite to say thank you. I go back to school tomorrow and have already written my thank you cards to the children and will be giving them out tomorrow morning as soon as the children come in.

My HTB and I had a low key engagement party where we invited friends to a cocktail party and we all had a fun time. We said NO PRESENTS and nobody did. Fine. We then went to a friends engagement party a couple of months after ours and they didn't say yes or no to presents so we stuck £20 in the envelope. We are STILL waiting for a thank you. I am SO angry about this as I thanked everyone for coming to our party and thanks for celebrating with us. They sent no thank you cards, no text/phone call to say thanks. We have even seen them after this and still no thanks. All they have done is brag about how much money and vouchers they got from the party. We have virtually fallen out with them about this. (It's not just us who feel this way as out of our 'group' of friends only one couple (out of four) that have been thanked!)
ARGH!

kathyd_2

I started a new job last year and the girls I work with went to so much effort for my birthday, really nice. I sent them a thank you card, as I would do normally and the response was "Oh, we don't do that here." How strange!

clairg_2

I always send thankyou notes my 2 are 3 1/2 and 20 months the eldist writes her name and the littl'en scribbles, if people have gone to the effort to buy a gift then a thankyou note doesnt take that long, and the children don't take it for granted. This year have bought some pre printed ones with just names needed to be added and some sent as an ecard (lots of free sites) and a fun hour on the computer with my daughter choosing coluours and pictures.

Good manners cost nothing!!