The problem with the

The problem with the post-wedding thank-you note is that you can't ever be sure if the thankee received it. I mean, it's not like your Uncle Morty is going to seek you out at the next family reunion just to say, "Hey, I never got your thank-you note." Likewise, you can't call up your Aunt Edna to ask if she got your note yet. To do so would throw all social rules out of wack, so to speak. And so, instead, you've just go to keep your fingers crossed in hopes that the postal service delivered your note without incident. And you've got to pray that Edna's giving you the evil stare only because she's crazy, and not because she's feeling like you snubbed her on the thank-you note.

Of course, you could just send all your thank-you notes via certified mail, but who has the time or gall to try something like that? It's bad enough having to stand in line at the post office; making everyone else stand in line while you certify 150 thank-you notes is just asking for bad karma.

So what's the solution? "You're welcome" notes. That's right -- add another link to the chain of social niceties. With the you're-welcome note, the burden of completing the chain is back on the gift-giver's shoulders. If you send out a thank-you note and don't get a you're-welcome note in return, you get to be the one giving evil stares at the next reunion! (Of course, this also leaves room for the "No, thank you" note.)

Oh, you pretend like you're disgusted at this idea, but I know the truth. If you happened to be a junior executive at Hallmark, you'd be writing this down and taking it with you to the next big meeting. Yes, this would be your ticket to that corner office with the view, my friend.