When my kids were living at home, I always made sure they mailed out a thank you for gifts they received in person or in the mail. But now that they are on their own, and some with kids of their own, mailed thank you's are a thing of the past. I never get thank you's from them for any gifts - big or small - except for the ones given in person - of which I receive hugs & kisses and thank you's at the time. But if I mail something to any one of them, I finally break down about one month later, call them and ask if the gift was received - at that point I will get a verbal thank you out of them! And it's not just my own kids that don't send thank you's - it's their spouses and their children too! Ahhh, what's a mother (and grandmother) to do?