Quick Thank You Note Question:

Why not ? As long as you make it personal and don't send out a generic form type thank you, or email it as a group ! C. S.

i completely agree with KM below. maybe this makes me an old woman but it should be hand written. my son writes the notes and up until this year, i addressed the envelopes. my 2 cents. :-)

I'm in the camp with handwritten thank you notes.

That's just how I was raised and how I raised my daughter.

Handwritten just shows you took the time to think about the gift, thank someone for it and for participating in your special day.

Plus... It's good practice for children.

I wouldn't think so. I feel that if you invite someone to your party, and they take the time and effort to come, and buy a gift, which requires time , effort, and cash, the least you could do is send a nice handwritten note in the mail. Last wedding I went to, I got a text as a thank you. Tacky. Doesn't show much caring IMO.

Handwritten from child.

I am a stickler for handwritten thank-yous. I don't even like the fill-in-the-blank cards. Have your child pick out some special note cards and maybe a cool pen and then write a few per night until they're all finished. At this age the notes don't have to be elaborate — just a "Thank you for the [insert gift name]. I really like it."

There is nothing too wrong with it but it would be better to get your child to write them out himself, it teaches him gratitude and shows the people they are being sent to that he is more grateful, it would be like saying "Happy birthday" on Facebook, I mean it is not a bad thing but it does not mean much.

I'm kind of old-school about this. I think a handwritten thank you note goes a long way. If someone can take time out of their day to go to a store and select a gift for me, the least I can do is write a thank you note on real stationery. I'm actually so traditional about it that I don't even like cards that have "thank you" pre-printed on them. I really think the best thank you notes are written on monogrammed stationery or note cards.

Funny story - my daughter turns 11 tomorrow, and many family members have sent her gifts in the mail. The gifts are sitting in their shipping boxes on our dining room table. Today, she got out her monogrammed stationery and wrote out all of the envelopes, so that tomorrow when she opens her gifts, she'll just have to write the notes and can mail them immediately. That's my girl! ;)

I have done that but when I do I include a picture of the child with the gift :) ALso make it a personalized Thank You note

I think some things still need a stamp...wedding invites, sympathy cards, and thank you notes. Just my 2 cents!

I looked back at your past posts to figure out the birthday age group involved. Kids between 6 and 9, is that right?

Maybe your child/children should have the exercise of writing actual notes, and then his/her friends can have the fun of receiving snail mail and reading the note?

If it was a party for kids under 5, I'd say thank you emails to the parents were fine. But when the kids involved are old enough to read/write, I think notecards can be a good thing for the child to do.

Many people do just that, and I'm just thankful that they're thanking me at all! If you do that, send individual computer messages, not one big group one.

But it's good to learn (and to teach your children) to be thankful in a more personal way - which usually involves paper, a pencil, and a stamp. If that seems overwhelming, remember that thank-you note cards are small for a reason. It doesn't take many words to be thankful - just a little effort.

You don't mention how old your child is. I've had my boys write thank you notes themselves since they were able, when they were very young I would just have them sign their name. I think it is very important that the child be involved in the process, children need to learn the proper and polite way of handling these situations. If the notes are done by e-mail perhaps your child can help with the wording.

M

A parent did the same thing with us and I was offended one bit. Go for it. If people can send out wedding invites via email, you can say thank you via email.

I think either is fine. If it's like pulling teeth to get your child to write one than an electronic thank you is great. I know that I purchased some Hallmark software on Groupon and it lets you create your own e-card and then send it. It's actually kind of fun. I would rather get an electronic thank you than nothing at all and if they're offended that you sent it electronic, oh well. Would they rather you didn't thank them at all? Probably not. There have been countless times we've sent money or a gift and never heard a peep which then makes you worry if they got it in the first place.

When I've sent electronic thank-yous in the past I've done a couple of things....take a picture of your child with the gift and send that with the thank you or even take a quick video on your cell phone of them saying thank you with the object. While I don’t discredit the specialness of a hand written note I think people need to be realistic. We live in a digital age and people are super busy so to ask your 6 year old to sit down and write 20 thank you notes (that will end up in the trash in the end) probably isn’t realistic. It’s not an excuse but it’s reality.

One other side note, in my immediate family, we've decided that if we're having a party for one of our girls and they thank the family member in person for their gift that a thank you card isn't necessary. ;)

I think a written thank you note is much better than an emailed one. Unless the kids are older and have their own email accounts, it isn't as meaningful to them. Plus, kids love getting mail. My son really likes getting thank you notes and it feels much more personal. It doesn't take that long and, if postage is in issue, distribute them in person or drop them at the house.

My son turned six this year and, for the first time, had to hand write all of his own notes. Do three a day (maybe five if the kids are older and write better) and it's not that bad.