The Thank You Note Chore

Writing thank you notes was tortuous as a child. After my birthday, I’d have to sit down with a stack of blank cards and address them to all my aunts and uncles, and then write them notes saying thanks for the cash or gift. If I’d had half a brain, I would have written one and then just copied it down a dozen times. But I imagined them comparing the notes, so I tried to make them all different. I’d lift a line here or there, but overall they were well thought out, though mostly illegible notes. Some of my friends got away with thank you phone calls instead of notes, which I always wanted to do instead of writing notes. Thank you phone calls were forbidden in my family, and if I have kids I’ll implement the same rules. Not that I think notes are better than calls, I just don’t want to let anyone off the hook.