Advice about a present given

Oh! That’s quite rude.

Could you not call the person and simply ask?

Id say thank you at the time and assume that was enough.

I wonder
1) how many people were at this 80th party?
2) How many thank you letters the recipient might be obliged to write?
3) Whether the name attached to the gift contained enough information for a thank you note?
If people say thank you in person that should suffice however much our mothers drummed into us the importance of Thank you letters.
I was recently invited to a 90th and the invitation stated clearly NO PRESENTS on the basis that by 90 (or indeed 80) we all have more than enough “stuff”as evidenced by all the decluttering threads here on GN!

I don't understand the reference to it being broken.

MissAdventure

Id say thank you at the time and assume that was enough.

Me too.

I wouldn't find it at all odd not to get a letter, or any other communication unless I had posted the gift and there was a chance it may not have arrived.

I suppose if you wrote a letter of thanks for the gift, and heard nothing back, you might worry they'd not recieved it, and would think you rude...

The OP says that ‘she left the gift where she was told to’ which implies that she wasn’t thanked by the recipient.
I would expect a note of thanks or an email or text of thanks from the birthday boy/ girl tbh.

Ah, I think I understand, so it was a surprise party, guests arrived first, gifts all left together, perhaps on a table, then guests shuffled into a room (maybe), then surprised “host” escorted in?

And maybe all the presents were opened one after the other as often happens with children at Christmas. It all gets a bit frantic as one gift after another is pushed at the child. Open this! Open this!

In the end, nobody can remember who gifted what and all the wrappings have already been scooped up and put in the recycling.

I wouldn’t worry about it. The pleasure is in the giving.