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By
Diane Forrest,
What kid doesn't like opening presents at Christmas? Surrounded by toys, clothes, treats? When I was young we would have several
Christmases, going from one grandparent to the next, then seeing aunts and
uncles. A week full of parties, fun and
food. Every year, after all the gifts
were open, and the decorations came down, I had to start writing thank you
notes. That was worse than homework. While it was great getting the gifts, it
wasn't as great having to write the notes.
Then it hit me, these people, my family and friends, cared enough about
me to brave the stores, find the perfect gift, wrap it and deliver it to
me. Just that thought alone made me
appreciate their kindness, even if I didn't like the pajamas or Jean Nate'
splash.
Everyone who knows me knows that I am a stickler for
thank you notes. I send them out as soon
as I receive a gift. I want to make sure
the giver knows how much their gift means to me. While I prefer sending a card in the mail, it
is acceptable these days to send email, even a phone text will do. I remember a while back reading a Dear Abby
letter from a grandmother who never received thanks from gifts she sent to her
grandchildren. Abby's advice was to send
a box of thank you notes at the next gift giving occasion. I think about that often, and haven't ruled
that advice out.
I am constantly sending gifts to family members. I will give them a few days to let me know
they got it before asking about. Not
only to see if they liked what I sent, but to also make sure they received it
in the first place. Occasionally the
post office will lose a package, or it will get stolen. I mail things to my stepson frequently, but
didn't hear back from him on his birthday.
I finally called to see how he liked it, and discovered he had not
recieved it, so I was able to check with the post office, and even though it
couldn't be found, I was able to replace the gift.
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One year I sent my elderly great aunt an arrangement of
flowers. I always believed it was the
law to immediately call and say thank you.
After 2 days of not hearing anything I began to get concerned. She lived alone, and there was no family
near. She took frequent trips with her
group from church, so I contacted the church to see if a trip had been
scheduled. There wasn't one, and upon
further investigation I learned that she had not been to any activities for
that week, which was unusual for her. As
my concern began to grow, I called other family members to see if they had
heard from her, no one had. It was now
the third day, so I decided to call the local police station and ask if they
could go by and check to make sure she was ok.
When they went by she was not at home, but her neighbor saw the police
arrive, and assured them that my aunt was alright, she was at the store at the
time. While I was relieved that she was
alright, my aunt was livid that I had sent the police to her home. She called all the relatives complaining
about my actions, however she was reminded that the same thing happened to a
friend of hers, who had fallen and had no help for 3 days. While this helped to calm her down, my name
was removed from her greeting card list.
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So today, on National Thank You Note Day, take some time
to write a note of thanks for the gifts you received, and also remember to
thank each time you receive a gift, such as graduation, wedding, birthdays,
holidays anytime you receive a gift. You
don't want the police knocking at your door!
P.S. The reason
my aunt hadn't called to thank me for the flowers was because she thought I was
in town, and would be coming by to visit, and was waiting to thank me then.
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