I have a general question regarding thank you notes. So, obviously, I'm writing thank you notes for all the wedding and shower gifts FI and I receive. I also write thank you notes for all Christmas presents I receive, etc. However, this post is about more general thank you note etiquette.
FI comes from a very giving family. His mom is constantly sending us things for Easter, Valentine's day, our birthdays, etc. I don't think FI has ever written a thank you note in his life. Which is not a big deal to me - it's just how his family operates. Up until now, I've been writing thank you notes for virtually every gift received. Today, as it is my birthday, I received a $50.00 visa gift card from his parents. I got to thinking that if my parents did this, I would simply give them a phone call and say, "Hey Mom & Dad! Thanks for the awesome gift!! I can't wait to put this in savings/buy new clothes/etc." I'm sure Emily Post would frown upon this, but at what point do you think thank you notes (such as 5+ a year) get ridiculous? Should I still be writing thank yous to them for every gift received or would a simple call suffice? Just curious to how things work in your families. I would totally post this on the etiquette board, but I don't want to be torn into a million pieces.