Question..

Calimama wrote: So Bella got a bunch of boxes in the mail today for her birthday tomorrow, and I'm trying to figure out if I should send thank you cards. Most of it is family, but I thought it would still be nice to send a card saying thanks. I don't know, is that dumb? I know you do after you get wedding gifts but does the same etiquette go for birthday presents?

ETA: A lot of them are from friends of the family, my parents clients, etc, so if I send them thank you's and not our family won't that look bad? Confusing stuff..

Brias3 replied: I've always sent thank-you's for any gift received; however, what I usually am on the line about is to whom. With closer family, like my siblings and parents, I usually have went ahead with the kids saying an "in person" thank you, if its given in person, KWIM? When we were overseas and the kids got packages, they of course sent a mailed letter but typically, I send thank-you's to everyone for every gift, minus CLOSE family on occasion.

mom21kid2dogs replied: It is NEVER dumb (or in poor taste) to thank someone, ever! I generally include a picture of O with the gift. If they were with her at her party, I take a picture of her, the giver & the gift and send them out with the thank yous.

A&A'smommy replied: its really up to you there is no right etiquette for this kind of thing IMO but its ALWAYS nice to send out birthday gifts!!

sparkys2boys replied: I think its a very nice gesture to send a card. Not dumb at all.

Our Lil' Family replied: I send them, usually with his annual birthday picture included.

Calimama replied: Thanks everyone!! I found some cute cards online!! Hopefully they'll be here in the next couple of days.

Sam & Abby's Mom replied:
Nice to know I'm not the only one ! I do the exact same thing. (include pic of the birthday child and a pic of the gift giver at the party. If the gift giver wasnt at the party, I take a pic of the birthday child with the gift and enclose that in the Thank You).

Great minds think alike ?

holley79 replied: I always try to remember thank you cards. Nicole's is still sitting on my desk unmailed. I think it's best to acknowledge when a gift is received.

stella6979 replied:
I agree. And I think including a pic of her with each gift is such a cute idea.

luvmykids replied: I send written thank yous, even to my parents who we see a few times a week. As the kids get older and better at writing, they'll start doing their own thank yous.

momtoMegan&Alyxandria replied: I am sooooo horrible, I don't usually send out thank you cards. It isn't because I don't think it is a good idea, it is because I AWALYS end up putting it off for so long, months go by. I also have a difficult time keeping track of who bought what. How do you ladies do it? I often buy the cards, but then there are times I forget them all together. I guess making a grocery list would help in that aspect, but I don't do that either.

I love the idea of the pic of the guest with the child with the gift. Very cute. But, just something else for me to forget to send to be printed.

I am such a bad mom. I do always make my girls say thank you to the person either at the time of the party or a later date if they weren't there.

Boo&BugsMom replied: I usually send out thank you's or have Tanner call depending on who it is. I think it's a good idea. However, if I were the one sending the gift, it would not bother me to not get one. I'm just not bothered by things of that nature. I guess I think it depends on what people usually do that you know. It also depends on what that person does as well. If it's a person who usually sends a thank you after I give them something, I'll send one. If it's someone who geneally doesn't, I wont.

mom21kid2dogs replied:
In our house no one plays with it, wears it or spends it until the thank you note is done and mailed. My mother wasn't a stickler for much (much like me) but this was a hard and fast rule in our house. Olivia started writing her own out last year when she had her first "friends" party. She wrote 20 thank you notes by hand (at her insistence, not mine~I told her to write a few a night until she got them all done) the night after her party and we mailed them the next day. My mother showed everyone she knew because she was so thrilled to get the note in Olivia's hand last year, not mommy's! She still has it on her fridge It only gets done in my house because it's priority and a habit.

If you don't do it, you certainly are of the majority. O goes to about 10 or so parties a year. In all that time she has recieved exactally 3 thank you notes. One of her friends gave thank you cards out at the party~also a nice gesture. While not all that personal, it was still very much appreciated.

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied: Never dumb IMO. I send thank you's for everything and to everyone. I have done it since I was old enough to write!

bawoodsmall replied: I think that you should send out thank you's. It always reminds people that you do really appreciate them thinking of your child. The picture idea was good. I am going to use that on my daughters bday. I will get pics up as soon as I can figure it out. My hubby will prob have to do it.