Do you write thank you cards?

Image courtesy of apartmenttherapy.com

Sometimes its easy to forget that people once sent all of their communications via snail mail. With e-mail and texting keeping people in constant contact, the thank you letter or card may very well be a dying art form.

This article on apartmenttherapy.com highlights how one person, who was taught from a young age to always send thank you notes, realized they might be in the letter writing minority:

When I was a child, my parents constantly reminded me to write thank you notes for every gift I received. It seemed like such a pain, but now that I'm an adult it has turned into a tradition. If I don't send one I feel incredibly guilty. But it wasn't until a friend recently complimented me on my thank you notes that I realized I might be in the thank-you-note-writing minority. Could this be a dying tradition?

It has always been my understanding that if a gift has been given it should be acknowledged in writing. The only exception, in my opinion, is if they gift was given (and thanked for) in person — even still, a thank you will never hurt.

Unfortunately, in recent years I've noticed a lack of thank you cards being sent by my loved ones. Is it because mail is so rarely sent these days? With family and friends increasingly spread across the country and gifts sent through the mail, aren't thank yous more important than ever? How else are gift givers to know their gift even arrived?

Because we're focused on weddings this month, here's a gentle reminder to all couples out there to thank your guests. Even if they sent a gift but couldn't attend, or conversely if they did attend but couldn't give a gift — they're celebrating your special day and that deserves an acknowledgement.

So, we want to know: do you send thank you cards or letters? Texts or calls? Or do you send nothing at all?