thanks, i think

I was talking to a friend who's wedding reception I recently attended. We were discussing how relieving it is to finally be done with all the planning and effort. He then mentioned how he and his wife were only almost done as they still had the thank you cards to knock out. And that got me to thinking... I sort of hate the whole concept of thank you cards. I mean, I'm all for being appreciative and grateful, but I think it's a waste of time and money to have to write out cards. Saying thanks at the party should be enough. That being said, people put a lot of weight into the thank you cards. Let's look at this from a gift giver's perspective: When I get a thank you card in the mail, I open it, say to myself "of course I got you a gift, I didn't need a card" and discard it. (When I originally wrote these words, there was no intentional pun, but I believe one may exist with "card" and "discard"...you decide.) At first thought, this made me think, "See the thank yous are unneccessary." But then I was thinking about when I haven't received one. I feel like the person is so unappreciative and ungrateful. I judge them instantly. Why is it that when we receive them we act like no biggie but when we don't, it's the end of the world. As further evidence of this, I had people ask if I got/enjoyed their wedding gift and then when I confirmed that I did, they brought up the fact that they never got a card. Now, I assure you that we sent a card to everyone and it probably got lost or something, but seriously, why do people make a big deal out of a little card? That being said, you can expect a thank you card from me next time you "deserve" one because I will stand in line and meet the status quo like everyone else.