In this day of text messages and tweets, have we lost the art of letter writing? Perhaps, but in my house, hand-written thank-you notes are still mandatory.

My daughter just turned eight last week and by the next morning I had left a stack of cards for her to write personal thank-you notes for all her gifts. It’s not a surprise in our house…it’s an expectation.

I actually met a Mom once who told me her children had to write their thank-you notes before they got to play with any new toy or gift. I’m not quite that strict about it, but I also do believe it’s an essential piece of etiquette that shouldn’t fade away…like opening the card before the gift or making a gracious comment no matter what the content of the box. I must confess, I don’t always have them write notes to immediate family members…maybe I should.

How do you say thank you in your house? Am I antiquated to think that a handwritten note should be a priority? I’d love to hear from you.