Thank you cards

Thank you for all your views. It was lovely this year not only to be able to give our gifts personally but also to see that the boys really enjoyed them. I had asked my niece what to give as I see them so rarely I don’t know their interests. Their thanks on the day was perfect for me.

I too hate these pre- printed cards. My niece sends them on behalf of her children but as both children can read and write I think they should do their own. Even a phone call would be preferable. Like maryeliza my DGSs have always helped mummy do the letters from the time they could hold a pencil.

I agree in this case it was totally unnecessary why if the children had already thanked you did they need to send another thank you sounds strange and a very expensive way to say thanks

If I am thanked at the time the presents are given that is always fine with me and if I did get a thank you note as well that is always nice.

Fellowfeeling I think you have to accept that this is the way that some people cope with the busyness in their lives. It is impersonal but at least you were able to give them their gifts personally and receive their thanks at that time. Any little notes and letters, emails or texts have to viewed as a bonus. On the other hand if you had not given the gift personally and received thanks at the time I would find that to be an entirely different matter and I would expect the recipient of whatever age to respond. I'm afraid that I operate on 3 strikes and you are out and have let that be known!

Thanks at the time in person seem to me to be fine and no need to send anything written. If that was not the case, the children should say thank you in some format which is age appropriate. Today I received two thank you cards from children of 3/4. One added her scribbles to her mummy's card and the other one had painted a picture on a piece of card to say thank you. In both cases the mothers added their own thanks and said something about the actual gifts and how they were being played with and enjoyed. I thought it was lovely - their mothers are old schoolfriend of my dd. I think emails/texts are fine too and phone calls

I agree that it doesn't matter how the thanks is done so long as it is personal.My DD always makes the 10 year old twins thank everyone who has given a gift.The boy prefers to pick up the phone but the girl likes to send a letter.If they open the gift in front of the giver ,they thank them face to face. That is enough.

I think you are being a bit churlish. The children thanked you personally, and then the parent acknowledged your gift, even if you felt it was impersonal.

I am glad to read that other people get hurt by not receiving personal thank you cards, even an Email would be acceptable. I am afraid that if there are more than two occasions when I do not receive a thanks I then stop sending presents.

I personally don’t like this way at all it really means nothing an mature photo in an envelope with a brief thank you is a hundred thousand times better than an expensive remote control bulk ‘thank you’

I think if they thanked you at the time there is no need for a card.

I always forced my children to write proper thank you letters if they had not been able to say thank you in person, but a card is better than nothing. My grandchildren write little notes.

We had one of these from a relative thanking us for her newborn's gift. It had a beautiful, professionally taken photo of the baby on the front with the 'thank you' message printed on the back. Lovely but, we felt, just a little impersonal. This same relative always sends printed Christmas cards, in printed envelopes and I do wonder whether these are all 'outsourced' too so all she has to do is choose a design and upload a mailing list to the company

Well, if they thanked you at the time, I suppose this is just an extra thanks from their parents really. It seems quite impersonal, so I suppose it may not please people who didn't see the children and just sent a gift.

Sorry, Guernsey