Christmas Thank You

When I was young I had to write thank you letters regardless whether or not I liked the gift. I tend to buy books for the grandchildren and they really seem to like them. They seem to love reading or enjoy puzzle books BUT this is because I've seen them at it in their bedrooms. I don't remember many thank yous Perhaps it's old fashioned these days.

Yes definitely had to write the thank you letter, as we opened, my father had pen and paper at the ready noting down who sent what. We did get our children to write a few resentful letters but eventually they dwindled and with the advent of mobile phones, most these days send a thank you via a WhatsApp.

My dd and Dsil are hot on good manners with the boys. They say thank you for everything they get, even a biscuit. At birthday and Christmas, they say thank you and give hugs. My children both were taught to say thank you or send thank you notes.

My grandchildren thank me in person. I don't require notes or letters. I give without needing to be thanked. Knowing they love me regardless is enough.

I get a thank you for gifts via WhatsApp

I wrote thank you letters, my children wrote thank you letters, and two out of seven grandkids, wrote thank you letters while they were young… the others didn’t.
Of course no one does now its texts or phone calls

When I was young Boxing Day involved writing thank you letters. As we see all our DGCs on Christmas Day they thank us verbally, usually with a hug as well.

J52

When I was young Boxing Day involved writing thank you letters. As we see all our DGCs on Christmas Day they thank us verbally, usually with a hug as well.

This was the same in our house. After any visitors on Boxing day had gone we were sat down with a pen and paper or thankyou cards and told to thank relatives for their presents.
We probably played up a bit when younger but there was no swerving the task.
And one day I remember seeing a thankyou card I had written to my aunty still on the mantlepiece in summer, she said she cherished it too much to take it down, after that I made sure I wrote my thankyou notes/cards without being asked.

A set of children’s stationery - small lined sheets with little envelopes - were a standard Christmas present when I was a child. And yes, we had to write a proper letter - at least one side in our best handwriting.

We will always see the Gdcs on or very soon after Christmas or their birthdays, so will get thanks and a hug in person.

Ours will be with us, thank yous and hugs, I used to write letters too.

keepingquiet

My grandchildren thank me in person. I don't require notes or letters. I give without needing to be thanked. Knowing they love me regardless is enough.

True, but good manners equip one nicely for life and it’s easy to text a thank you these days.

Even writing a thank you note is not too much hard work when someone has taken the trouble to buy and wrap a present.

I wrote thank you letters, made my children write thank you letters, and now my grandchildren, in their teens, write them too, though they tend to be just a note in a card rather than a proper letter now. Of course, if we are there with them, there are
spoken thanks.

We had to write more than one side, so became expert at spinning it out. “Thank you very much for the lovely [whatever] that you sent me for Christmas this year”.

My nephew never wrote letters to thank me for presents. His mother, my DIL, said she just couldn’t make him. Now, his children are the same - never a word of thanks. I stopped sending them presents as soon as I decently could.

Witzend

A set of children’s stationery - small lined sheets with little envelopes - were a standard Christmas present when I was a child. And yes, we had to write a proper letter - at least one side in our best handwriting.

We will always see the Gdcs on or very soon after Christmas or their birthdays, so will get thanks and a hug in person.

I used to love those stationery sets. They usually came in pretty folders with matching paper and envelopes. Sometimes they contained cards as well. Like you, I had to compose at least a full side for thank you letters.

One year my 10 year old DD wrote her letters before Christmas but left a gap to mention what the present was . They always did thank you letters .
My DGC always say thank you after they have eaten a meal , no matter how modest , at my house .

My GC have very good manners and always thank us in person or on the phone for presents, days out, meals etc. BUT at age 12.5 and 10.5 they still think that Santa brings the Christmas presents and we have to label them from Santa. I can't believe either of them do actually believe in Santa - but they are going to Lapland next week!

That’s old to still believe. Are you sure they are not just pretending? Most children pretend to carry on believing long after they know the truth, sometimes for the sake of a younger sibling or cousin.
I gave up sending presents to my great nephews and nieces as I never even knew if they had arrived. I actually never see them. We only keep in touch on Facebook,
My daughter’s children ( almost grown up) are brilliant at saying thank you. They used to write letters but now it is a text if I don’t actually hand a present over in person. My son’s children rarely thank me - never have- if I don’t see them in person.

Yes, I was made to write thank you letters for both birthday and Christmas presents. I also made my girls do the same and then with technology they used to do them on old desktop with a Christmas pic and we printed them off and they signed them. Now...???? My daughter always sends a thank you message for their presents.

In some cultures thank yous are not needed and if anything rude as the giver is blessed to be able to give. I don't expect thank yous from my grandchildren. I feel privileged to be able to gift them things they like and always ask the parents' advice first re acceptable gifts.

I find it hard to understand why anyone would say that they don't need a thank you. My granddaughter is nearly eighteen and has written a thank you letter to us every time she has had a gift. Some years ago when my great nephew was probably about six months old at Christmas, I sent a gorgeous pair of pyjamas with a little giraffe in the pocket, wrapped it in lovely paper and sent in the post, tracked. I never got a thank you or any kind of acknowledgement. Surely you don't think that is acceptable. I unashamedly say when I give a gift I want a thank you. What does that make me?

Local GC thank in person or ring to say thanks.
Distant ones used to thank us as part of the Christmas Day Facetime. That developed into an email, then a message on the phone.
Now they’re older and usually ask for money I do a bank transfer and send a message in their Christmas card asking them to let me know the money is safely there. That always produces a thank you.
We always wrote thank you notes, even for locals, but with the cost of postage. . .

We are a mixed culture family. One group finds it most strange to write any sort of Thankyou note
They tend to think that it is the older relatives who are required to send gifts on any suitable occasion without any requirement for a reciprocal note
On one occasion, however, when I had no idea of the complexity of the situation, the mother of the girls (my d-i-l) decided that they had too many presents and withdrew mine, explaining that she had already put 50+: presents each under the Christmas tree.!

Perhaps I shall try to be charitable here and say that her customs and mine do not often coincide.
However the older daughter needed to know why, too, and why grandma never sent them a gift ( she doesn't now as this usually most affable d-i-l has her own regulations and culture
I said I couldn't explain but she should ask her mother
Oh dear

widgeon3
I agree. You have gone to the trouble of choosing and sending a gift. Even a quick text, call, WhatsApp to let you know the gift has arrived would be nice.

We were brought up to write thank you letters, but with the relatives with whom we spent Christmas our verbal thank yous were considered enough. My birthday is in early December (it was last Friday) and I can remember as a small child asking Mum if I could write a combined Christmas and birthday thank you letter. The reply was that if I wanted a present for each occasion, I had to write a thank you letter after each occasion. I can still remember writing a letter to my aunt and her family when I was eight and including the line “l hope you are all fighting fit.” These days, in the midst of being the chief (only) Christmas card writer in this house and with all the other numerous preparations associated with the event - as a musician l am involved in a lot of carol services - l text or WhatsApp my thanks instead. My children were always expected to write thank you letters, too.

I remember the thank-you letters vividly. All our grand-parents were in England. I recall after the obligatory’thank you’ the weather seemed to feature largely in these letters! But yes, thank yous were most definitely the accepted follow-on after receipt of gifts. Parcels which missed Christmas by a country mile, but which always contained heaps of English sweets and biscuits, heaven!