Woman Offended After Receiving A Thank You Card From Goddaughter That Only Had 'Thank You' Written Inside Of It
Shouldn't the card itself be enough? Boomers don't seem to think so.
New Africa | Shutterstock Does anyone write letters anymore? It's certainly rare. The few exceptions are holiday cards, invitations, and thank you notes. But even those exceptions are usually just printed cardstock.
There are some people who think the art of personalized notes through the post should make a comeback, however.
After giving her goddaughter a gift for her birthday, a woman was dissatisfied with the thank you card she received in return, wishing that the young girl had written a lengthy, heartfelt message.
The woman was offended that the thank you card from her goddaughter only had 'Thank you' written inside.
“My wife and I are always on eggshells when it comes to thank you notes specifically to her (Boomer) parents and their circle of friends," the girl's father wrote in a Reddit post. "They are the kind of people ... that almost demand a thank you card for any sort of gift."
Following his daughter's birthday, the man received a phone call from his mother-in-law, whose friend is his daughter's godmother.
“Apparently, the lady has been getting irritated that the thank you cards she gets only say ‘thank you’ in them,” the dad explained. “She wants a thank you card to say more than just ‘thanks for the gift, I appreciate it, hope to see you soon,’ blah blah blah.”
His daughter made the woman "a custom card," something that she "spent quite a bit of time on." Still, it only said thank you inside, which was evidently unacceptable, according to her grandmother and godmother.
"This is the infuriating part," he continued. "My mother-in-law wanted to talk to my daughter to make sure she was going above and beyond with cards to this lady."
He and his wife refused — a custom-made card is more than enough.
Despite what this woman believes, thank you cards are on the decline.
“This may be a holdover from an earlier time," one commenter pointed out. "Not really necessary today. A text or email is sufficient."
Thanks to digital communication, more people opt to send a quick thank you via email, text, or even phone call rather than writing out and mailing a thank you card that will take a few days to get to the recipient.
This cultural shift is supported by data, too. According to research firm IBISWorld, the greeting card industry in the U.S. declined by 4.3% between 2019 and 2024 and is only expected to fall further over the next five years.
Stores like CVS and Walgreens have also reduced their floorspace dedicated to cards as fewer buyers are interested.
“They are archaic, they are out of date, they are old fashioned, they are unnecessary,” one content creator said of thank you cards. “If I give you a gift and you say thank you to me in person … I am not expecting then a second thank you on 120-pound cardstock like some legally binding contract of gratitude.”
"Also, stamps are really expensive and shouldn't be wasted on thank you cards," she added in her caption.
Ultimately, a thank you is a thank you, no matter how it's delivered — whether it's a lengthy handwritten note, a custom-made card, or a simple text message. Frankly, in today's day and age, it seems you should expect the latter (and be happily surprised if you receive the former).
"When somebody gives a gift," the Redditor wrote, "it should not be a transactional arrangement where a card is needed."
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.