Just a courtesy

It need not be a letter or card, but a thankyou in some form is essential. As an adult, a phone call or email is just as appropriate and I find that social media makes it easy for us to say thankyou publicly if we wish. My kids have no option but to write short thankyou notes for gifts received, and I'm a big believer that personal notes delivered at any time cheer the receiver up no end.

Thanks a ton for sharing this discussion. Well i am so glad to hear that your mother had inculcated such good habits in you and that has helped u personally and professionally. i know people these days are not courteous and have been showing less respect and reverence towards others. So u should not think about this and continue with your good habits. What say?

Yes, those small courtesies are far away now. The thing is, even if someone truly appreciates a gesture made it seems to have become embarrassing or uncomfortable to one or both parties to mention it. Please and thank you are even losing their hold. I think with the multiculturalism we are experiencing where manners we are familiar with are non-existent in some cultures and there's in ours, the traditions that we stood by as we grew up are fading.

I do think manners in general have fallen to the wayside, but it's never out of fashion to say thank you. I don't think it always needs to be handwritten, but it definitely needs to be said. Unfortunately, there is a generation out there who tend to think they are entitled to whatever comes their way, so why thank anyone for it since they deserved it. Seriously, there are far too many who think that way. Gratitude is rarely taught these days.

hi dear Pike with that life of basically working and commuting I dont have much time to write these courtesy letters and I am way behind with it but I try to do better. Like you I was raised to write these letters and its sad that not many people still do that.

Hi friend yes these days people are not so bothered about all these. They are busy with their lives and courtesy hmm we can't /very hard to find these days. I don understand why people turned like this. values are changed and relationships also changed . Hope we get back all those soon.

It is important to say thank you but it doesn't need to be so formal. It's nice if it is. Whenever I receive a gift or service or whatever, I immediately thank the giver. If it's something not received directly i.e. through the post or something then I will send a message (usually by email or Facebook) to say thank you. I've always done the same (well except I would have hand written a thank you letter when I was younger because internets and things weren't about so much!). So I don't think there is a need to be quite so formal (although it is nice) but I do worry that a lot of people don't say thank you at all. That is certainly bad manners.

It's a shame and bad manners.

Hi, p1ke....When I was young, I was also made to write thank-you letters. I never got out of the habit and still do it. I think it is most disrespectful to not do so. Courtesy may be out of fashion for the youngsters, but it it still bad manners to disregard respect.

Writing a thank you letter for a gift is just common sense and respect. I think a lot of people just blow off the notion. They probably have the idea that the person gave the gift. Why do they need to be thanked for it? In the past it was just expected. Now it is often a nice surprise to the gift giver.

It does not happen very often but I have noticed that when I entertain Americans I invariably get a note afterwards thanking me and saying how much they enjoyed their visit. There may not be a need for a formal note but it is lovely to get one. I have a couple of thank you notes that were especially nice and I have no intention of throwing them away. They are keepsakes for good manners.

I don't think sending cards or thank you notes, in whatever way or form will fall out of fashion. Good old courtesy will never go out of style. I still send cards whether real ones or electronic ones to friends for gifts sent my way or when they did some favor for me.

I think its great she taught you that. I did as well, I still send thanks you cards out today. I think its the right thing, and respectful things to do.

Courtesy never goes out of style. I call the person who sends me a gift and therefore, I feel no think you note is necessary. But, we all should be polite. My granddaughter is 15 and never calls or sends a thank you. Her mother use to when my granddaughter was little. Guess her mother felt there was no need to continue and stopped she she reached 10. I have to call my son and ask him, which I don't think I should be doing.