Thank You-Schmank You: Let's Ban the Thank You Card
Never was good with thank you cards. Never.It wasn't something my mom really pushed when I was a kid.
My mother-in-law? She's old-school.
She ceaselessly hounded us for weeks to finish our wedding thank yous when in those same weeks I had a newborn, graduated from college, my husband went active duty, and we moved cross country to Missouri then moved cross country again to Alaska.
Excuses I know. They just were not a priority.
Now as a mother, I do try. Try miserably that is.
Yesterday we went looking in a box of party stuff for some pink sparklies from PB's birthday party from last year for a costume we are making.
Yes, the box, 12 months later, is still sitting in the office.
{{Shut up, I feel you judging me. Heh!}}
There we found some sparklies for her crazy hat... and a pile of half-written thank you notes.
Also in that box? Five loaded gift cards, 2 pairs earrings, a doll, a spa set, and the list goes on.
You see I made a rule to encourage us.No using or playing with birthday gifts until all 25 notes were written.
How'd that work out for us? Hmmmm... I guess motivation was not enough.
For either of us.
Same rule applied to Eldest's birthday bash this summer. Still mostly unwritten and $200 in gift cards sits fallow on our island.
Here's the thing, we do evites and I hardly have half the mailing addresses anyways so it will be a major pain if he does actually finish hand writing them.
Seems too late. Maybe I want it to be too late.
Honestly? Is it just me or do thank you cards seem like a waste of time, paper, stamp, and pollution? Can't the party and party bag be thank you enough? Or perhaps an email?
Here's the thing: I hate getting mail. I glance at a beautiful thank you card and then cringe while I throw it in the trash when I get it.
I do the same for birthday cards.
It seems so decadent and wasteful in this age of clear cutting forests and global warming.
Of starving children and bloated bellies.
Of girls not having the basic sanitary napkins to go to school in Africa.
For us to throw away a card.
Christmas cards I understand because we at least display them for a month as decoration. Still? I sent our holiday letter electronically.
But a thank you card? It's discarded almost instantaneously, yes?
Then environmentally, was that 10 second read worth filling the landfills, the carbon-emitting mail truck, the cost, and yes, the time haranguing my daughter or son to hand write them?
I guess I see them as a waste when a simple email would be so much more responsible and appropriate and yes, in this day and age of over-scheduled families, easier.
Yes, I said it, easier.
Am I wrong?
I know older generations and old-schoolers will get out the sticks and rocks for this sentiment. They'll string me up, but I'd like their opinion as well as those from younger generations: Don't you think this throw back from a different age's time has passed?
I honestly think the push to keep it is from greeting card companies and elderly grandmothers with no email accounts. Just like the newspaper, perhaps the ink and paper version needs to fade away?Truly, is it the paper, envelope, and stamp or the actual sentiment that counts?
I've had this idea in my brain for a while:
If we sent email thank yous, around $20 would be saved that I could donate instead to Heifer International or another charity. That's an entire flock of geese for a village. Seriously. A protein source for little bellies.
If you received such an electronic thank you with a note notating a donation to a worthy cause, would you be offended?
I am thinking for my sanity, the environment and for charity, we could start a movement.
Who is with me?
Thx for the Flickr pics by AllisonKo, by massdistraction, by paperladyinvites, by OkayMaybeNot
