Thank you note woes!!!?

I am horrible at writing thank you notes, I have always been this way and end up procrastinating doing it for so long that sometimes I never do it!! I know this is terrible as I am so thankful for everything I am given. My mother is throwing me a baby shower in two weeks, I was thinking of writing a pre-party thank you note to everyone attending and giving it to them the day of the party. I thought I could write a personal note to each person thanking them for being a part of mine and my husbands life and how great it will be for our son to grow up knowing them etc... and attaching the note to a bulb of some sort (gardenia, tulip, etc..) and saying something like, here is a little something you can plant and always remember the love I have for you (that sounds cheesy, but I would write something similar) What do you think?
Thank you note woes!!!?
I don't know why everyone expects to receive a thank you note with the exact gift placed on the card (who really cares nowadays). Your idea is actually quite unique and sweet. To confirm that you appreciate the gift (for those in attendance), I would open it up acknowledge who it's from and tell them thank you and if you want, give them a hug. For those who expect more I guess they'll just have to suck it up (they're looking for special acknowledgment and really not worth the time).

For the ones who forward the gifts, make a note to send a thank you note to them with or without the gift.
Reply:well as much as you hate it , thank you notes are important. I hate having to go shopping for gifts to showers, but I do it!! Suck it up and send thank you notes after the party for the gifts. The card with the bulbs is a cute idea to give out at the party thanking people for ATTENDING, it does not however replace the thank you note for the gifts you recieve.
Reply:Personally I think it's a great idea - I am just like you so I do understand!



The only down side would be that there are bound to be one or two people who have taken a lot of time and trouble choosing a gift and they might think it too impersonal. I mean they actually want you to write "Thank-you for the lovely.."XX XX" that you bought...I love it..it will be really useful etc etc.



Doing the note in advance is definitely better than not doing it all though. You know the people and probably know what their reaction would be...maybe do notes for all attending the party and then do the odd extra thank you for very close friends or family or someone who has really gone the extra yard and bought a very special gift.



You'll just have to hope the people don't get together to compare "notes". Good Luck!!!
Reply:Great idea, but I would mail it to them after the party.
Reply:I think that by pre-writing the thank-you notes, you are in effect saying, "I don't really care about the time and effort you spent to select and bring a gift." You must recognize the unique gift brought by each in order to be correct in etiquette terms.



Buckle down and meet your obligations, or you may find that people will not feel obligated to give you anything ever again.





A separate issue is the thoughtful note that you are planning to give [individually, it sounds like] to your attendees. This is a wonderful gesture and quite nice. It does not, however, "get you out of" your thank-you note obligation, which is common courtesy, after all.
Reply:I would wait until after the party, mention the gift that was given and tell them how cute or useful it would be.
Reply:I think that's a lovely idea and so much more personal than just a "thank you for the gift" note. Go for it! (-:
Reply:You really should mention each gift you get, but pre-writing the thank-you notes is a good idea. Just write the part about you and your husband, etc., address the envelopes, then after the shower, add the last line, "Thank you so much for the beautiful blanket. Fred and I really appreciate your thoughtfulness. Love, Mary". The thing that helped me was taking my thank-you notes to a dr. appointment. It was the one where they test for gestational diabetes, and you have to drink the liquid, then sit there for a while. They don't want you walking around, so I sat there and finished my notes. Good luck.
Reply:Not been done before, DO IT.Cheesy is GREAT.Like nike,JUST DO IT!!!!!Get your thankfulness and love for friends and family out of your head and into theirs NOW..It's so WONDERFUL to have a remembrance of a friend saying thanks in your HAND!!!!! DO IT,NEVER TOO LATE,until one of you are GONE!!!!