'Tacky' Thank-You notes

[writerriann]

My DD did the fill in thank you notes when she was 5. It was appropriate for her age. As she gets older, she can write more and so we can send normal thank you notes.

Yep, we do fill in notes too for DS who is in kindergarten. He can usually write the name of the gift and sign his name. I think that's appropriate for his age, and when he can write more clearly (and for longer periods of time) that expectation will change. Prior to his learning to write, I always wrote the notes and "signed" his name. : We do notes for birthday and Christmas and phone calls for any small incidental gifts he receives (like Easter or Halloween)

My least-favorite SIL wrote a "newsletter" of sorts (like the ones some people send out at the holidays) after her wedding. : They got married, went on their honeymoon and then moved cross country. It basically talked about how great their wedding and honeymoon were and how they were settling in to a new place. Then it ended with a generic thank you for everyone attending their wedding and giving them a gift. They didn't even bother to sign it - just photocopied the letter. I was horrified.

 

[PudgetteD]

We get thank you notes from most of the kid parties that my boys go to. One type of thank you note that we send out for kids parties is....I take a picture of all of the kids at the party. My boys write a thank you on the back of the picture. They are fun to look at years later....who was there, how little they looked, who their friends were etc

I LOVE that idea! Wish I'd known about it when we were suffering through 2 Chuck E Cheese parties every year ( the only place DD and DS wanted their parties)

 

[jessica52877]

I know this thread is old but I also do not care for the fill in the blank cards. My son has always done his own thank yous. If he couldn't write he could draw. He still makes his own cards (he is 8) but now also has to write something. He does this for birthdays or Christmas (or if there is something else). I cannot stand it when we go to a bday party and he/we are not thanked for the gift. Even worse when the gift is not opened. I know alot of people have different reasons for not opening but I don't care for it.

 

[Anjelica]

My son wasn't even born when this thread started (he's 4.5 now) - WOW this is a oldie.....

 

[schin4]

After DD's 6th birthday party, we sat down and she hand writtened all 25 thank you cards. She tried her best to sound out the words and wrote a short sentence or 2. It took us about an hour but she did all 25 of them.

 

[Mom2apirate&princess]

When my kids were littler I would always trace their hands on construction paper and cut it out and then they would write thank you and their names. It was a big hit with the grandparents, great grandparents, & aunts & uncles. Now that they are older we don't do that anymore, but they still write out thank you cards.

 

[StitchBuddy]

Personally I don't care for thank you notes, I would much rather get a call from my niece or nephew letting me know they got the gift. As far as showers and marriages there I again I could care less. It is enough for me to see the joy on their face when they open the gift and get a verbal thank you. I only read a few of the posts, but I am guessing I am in the minority. I did however write thank you cards for my wedding ang baby shower. I just think in today's fast pace life style things have changed.

 

[bernmutt]

I'd pass on that wedding! I got an wedding invitation that had RSVP by email. I will because I like them but I still think the cost of stamps is not that bad for RSVP cards.
I can't believe people think a favor at a wedding or shower is a sufficient thank you! I have gotten "thanks for the great gift in my kids goody bags". I dunno, not something I'd do.

Well- everyone's different...

 

[maggiew]

Personally I don't care for thank you notes, I would much rather get a call from my niece or nephew letting me know they got the gift. As far as showers and marriages there I again I could care less. It is enough for me to see the joy on their face when they open the gift and get a verbal thank you. I only read a few of the posts, but I am guessing I am in the minority. I did however write thank you cards for my wedding ang baby shower. I just think in today's fast pace life style things have changed.

I have never been to a wedding in my life where the bride and groom opened up gifts in front of the guests. So I never get to "see the joy on their face when they open the gift" and I don't "get a verbal thank you." So I expect a thank you card.

Bridal showers or baby showers where they open up the gifts at the party, that is a different story. But I still think a thank you would be nice, but not necessary if they thank you in person at the shower.

Maggie

 

[cassandrap83]

My rule is this: If I thank you in person, I have no reason to send a "thank you" card. If I receive a gift in the mail, or one that I don't open until later (when the gift giver isn't around) I will most definitely send a thank you card.

 

[Beckypooh1972]

We get thank you notes from most of the kid parties that my boys go to. One type of thank you note that we send out for kids parties is....I take a picture of all of the kids at the party. My boys write a thank you on the back of the picture. They are fun to look at years later....who was there, how little they looked, who their friends were etc

I love that idea! I've seen a similar version where a Mom took a picture of the birthday kid holding a thank you sign and sent that out as the thank you. I think that would even be cute sent as an email to the adults who attended the "kids party".

In my family the kids don't typically send thank you notes until they can write them for themselves. I think the picture idea is great though for little ones for birthdays, Christmas, etc.

 

[Beckypooh1972]

Please don't take this as a slam or anything but Am I the only one that doesn't care if I don't get a Thank You card? Espicially from a kid. I've got more important things to worry about than receiving a Thank you card.

I kind of agree too about the card. What I really care about is a thank you in person from the kid. I always, always encourage my own kids to say thank you and at 4 years old they show a lot of enthusiasm and appreciation for gifts. Teaching my kids to be thankful and say it is a must in our family.

My DH used to get really ticked off when we'd give our nieces and nephews Christmas gifts and they'd toss them aside without a thank you (or worse, grumble about the gift itself). We stopped gifting after a few times of no thanks... not my idea but I could see where he was coming from...

 

[beckysmith18a]

inspired by the thread on kids and thank you notes

someone mentioned hating the pre-printed ones that kids fill in the blanks on.

i hate the little generic rolls of paper that have a plastic wedding ring on them and are handed out to everyone at the wedding.

but the tackiest i've ever received was one 3 YEARS after the wedding and timed such that it arrived the same day as the baby shower invitation (which the 'bride' was hosting for herself).

share-

Write a note on those photo cards and please don't worry about your handwriting. It is more important to express your appreciation than the form used to express it -- although Miss Manners would frown on e-mailed thank you notes!!

 

[Tara922c]

I always send thank you notes for gifts I receive. Although--- Am I the only person who doesn't get offended if someone doesn't give me a thank you note? A simple phone call is good enough for me. Even an e-mail! We rarely get thank-you notes from kid's birthday parties, but the fact the little kid, and the mom told my dd thank you is good enough for me. If I go to a wedding, and I don't get a thank you note, I don't ban that person from ever getting a gift from me again!

Same things goes with Christmas cards, and presents. My dd wanted to buy her friend a little something, so we did. The friend didn't get dd anything, but said thank you, and gave her a big hug. This year, if dd wants to, we will still get her a gift. We don't give gifts and expect a gift in return. Same with birthday parties. If some kid came to dd's party empty handed, we would still buy them a present if we were invited to their party. You should give a gift because you want to, it is a gift, not an obligation.

 

[pensgirl10]

Going to the store and buying ONE gift (when you were probably going to the store shopping for other things anyway) is not the same as filling out a stack of thank you cards.

I guarantee it took me longer going to three different stores looking for the exact items on a cousin's baby shower registry than it took for her to address AND write by hand all her thank you cards put together.

People now want gifts for the engagement party, bridal shower, wedding, baby shower for each child, and don't let's forget the christenings. Not only that, but if registered they are telling you exactly what gift is acceptable. Gimme, gimme, gimme, but I don't have 60 seconds per person to address a thank you by hand.

I was in charge of the games for a niece's baby shower. We put together little pads of paper tied with ribbon for the games. There was an extra sheet of paper at the end so each guest could write out their address for the mom-to-be. She appreciated it. Once you have all the info at hand it doesn't take long at all. Easy enough to do during one lunch hour or while sitting in front of the TV in the evening.