To expect a thank you card for gifts?

[Spitzer78]

I was brought up to be grateful for things that others did for me. If I went to a birthday party or stayed overnight at a friend's house I would follow up with a thank you letter. To this day I still send thank you cards and letters to friends who host dinner parties and give me gifts. However, it is very rare that I receive anything in return. For example, I recently sent gifts to three seperate friends. A month or more has passed and I have not even been sent a quick one line email or phone call to acknowledge that a gift was received, let alone a proper thank you. It's the same when my kids give birthday gifts to their friends. The only people who ever thank us are close family. Am I old-fashioned and unrealistic in expecting thanks or are my friends being rude?

A teensy bit old fashioned for expecting a card as that seems to have become rather outdated.

YADNBU for expecting a thank you call or text though

YANBU. A letter is correct, a card acceptable a call or text forgivable.

No acknowlegment at all is so rude.

i am a thanker too but recieve little thanks myself. somtimes i might just text or FB a thanks - other times i write.

I agree completely with catgirl1976.

A present isn't truly yours until you have thanked the sender. It only takes a couple of minutes, and everyone likes to be appreciated. Why begrudge someone that?

Thanks for your responses. I didn't think I was expecting too much, especially given the time and effort I put into choosing (in my opinion) thoughtful gifts. It's not like I just pick the first thing off the shelf. I feel that people don't make time to maintain friendships as much as they used to. If you're not a facebook "friend" you may as well not exist. But that's an entirely different thread...