Making Etiquette Easy: Unknown Gifting

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Thanks to generous friends and family, we’ve all been blessed at one time or another with gifts. So much so, we lose track of who’s given us what... A bride and groom sorting through their gifts after returning from a long honeymoon, a child trying to assemble their Christmas gifts after tearing through them, an overwhelming reception of hot food dishes given to a family going through a hard time….in all of these situations, be it bliss, excitement, or sadness, it can be hard to remember who gave us those beautiful flowers. What should you do?

• As a general rule, try to write thank you notes soon after you've opened gifts. If time doesn’t allow (i.e. in the middle of a baby or bridal shower), have someone else help you make quick notations of who got you what. Even if you think you’ll remember, the more details you have recorded will help when it counts.
• If you didn’t have the chance to do the above, start writing your notes to those you do remember. On occasion, this will narrow things down a bit, and you may discover that the leftover card you found goes with the unlabeled present.
• Finally, if you truly cannot remember and the shop-owner/florist or wedding registry is unable to help you identify your sender, call or write to those you think it might be from. It is better to reach out to people and identify their gift instead of never thanking them at all. And this one truly comes from personal experience...

Making Etiquette Easy,

Susan K. Medina