Every day's newspaper seems to list things that are endangered or becoming extinct.  I have an addition to that list:  the thank you note.

It seems that many gifts I send are never acknowledged by the recipient or are acjnowledged only in a half-hearted way, such as a passing comment in an online chat.

As we are leaving the high season for graduations, showers, and weddings, I want to put in a plug for thank you notes.  They are still required and you don't have a year after the event to send them. 

One need not rewrite War and Peace, but a brief handwritten (not e-mailed) note thanking the recipient for the thoughtfulness and expressing joy in the gift is necessary.  The only exception I grant is when gifts are exchanged mutually in each other's presence, as at Christmas.  If you open a gift sent by a distant relative, a thank you necessary even if you sent a gift as well.

Thank you notes should be sent promptly and should be individual.  This is not the time for a form letter. 

When in doubt, send a note.  Who doesn't want more gratitude?