The Lost Art of the Written Thank You Card

I spent the better part of yesterday morning writing thank you cards for Harper's Baptism gifts. Do you remember what thank you cards are? Do you recall how important they are and what an impression they can make?

I, for one, think that, in this digital age, most have long forgotten about written thank you cards. Most people think it's acceptable to email or text a thank you note. And, there are many people who think it's acceptable to not even bother with a thank you. {Gasp!} But I beg to differ.

A thoughtful and well-written thank you card is the only way we have of truly showing appreciation for a gift received. A proper thank you note shows that we care enough about both the giver of the gift and the gift to offer thanks. Plus, how much fun is it to shop for thank you cards? I just love stationary. So many beautiful choices.

What I've found lately is that when we go to kid parties, the parents are now including printed thank you notes (not even hand written) inside the goodie bags that state, "Thank you for coming to my party. Thank you for my gift. Your friend, X".

Seriously?

Not only is that upsetting to me, but it's insulting too. How can you possibly thank me for a gift that you haven't even opened yet? And, what if I didn't bring a gift to the party????? I'd never do that, but...

I'll be the first to admit that writing out card after card can be dreadful. And monotonous. It's not fun. And trust me. I know this because I just did it. But don't we owe it to our guests to thank them for their generosity and thoughtfulness? They could have just as easily shown up not bearing a gift, after all.