Let’s Talk Turkey

Have you ever heard that saying? My mom used to say that all the time when she wanted to talk about something. I don’t know where it started or why, so I decided to look it up:

The phrase “let’s talk turkey” is thought to have originated from colonial times, likely during negotiations or trade between colonists and Native Americans. One popular story suggests it arose from a hunter who initially avoided giving his partner a valued turkey, prompting the partner to demand a more honest approach. Another theory points to the phrase’s association with Thanksgiving dinners, where “talking turkey” could have meant engaging in pleasant and straightforward conversation. 

I guess it’s true that we learn something new every day.

Anyway, I want to talk turkey. About? Let’s just say there’s something going on that bothers me.

It’s bad enough that everybody feels the need to put their lives out on social media.

It’s bad enough that kids wear their pajamas to school, the store, the show house, etc.

It’s bad enough that kids don’t have respect for authority.

It’s bad enough that it’s ok to hate, yes hate, people who don’t have the same political views as you have. And ditto on this one about religion, and anything else that we don’t agree on.

I could be at this ‘It’s bad enough’ game all day so I’ll just quit right here.

I’ve accepted the things mentioned above because I’m not involved in any of it. I do not, under any circumstances, discuss politics, religion, or money. My parents told me at birth to never discuss those subjects. It’s probably the only thing they ever told me that I actually listened to.

But there is one thing that I cannot and will not accept EVER. Not acknowledging the receiving of a gift.

Let’s analyze this. Everybody, well about 99.9% of people, have a cellphone in their pocket. From said device you can call, text, email, FaceTime, Facebook messenger, Facebook video, and about one hundred other forms of communication are available for someone to send a thank you.

Many years ago there was a grandmother who wrote in to Dear Abby saying that her out-of-town grandchildren have never thanked her for gifts or checks for any occasion and she didn’t know what to do. Dear Abby, in all of her infinite wisdom simply said, “Stop sending anything.”

I suppose you can do that for birthdays and a few other select holidays where you’ve been burned before, but some occasions you can’t.

Case in point. About six or eight months ago my husband and I attended an upscale wedding…formal attire required. We dressed appropriately, gave a little more than the going rate with our cash (check) gift, and still have not received a thank you note. And yes, the check was cashed.

I also heard that it’s ok to send a thank you note up to one year after a wedding. Why wouldn’t you want to get this out of the way instead of waiting up to a year to send them out?

I have considered that this situation may be cultural. The families of the bride and groom are from another country. We’ve been invited to other events within the groom’s family over the years and have never received a thank you for the gifts. But…when in Rome…!

When my boys were little, if someone sent them a gift, they immediately went to the phone and called the sender to thank them. When they got older, they sent thank you notes.

Let’s face it, social graces, manners, etiquette, and more have simply fallen by the wayside today. Can’t we just hang on to one little thing?

I am retired but work a part time job a couple of mornings a week. This past Christmas I received a nice cash gift from the owners and managers. I sent thank you notes to both of them at their respective residences.

Please don’t let the last thread of dignity that we have left in our society today fall to the wayside. Send a thank you note…even if you’re in your pajamas on your way to a political fundraiser, school, or the show house.

Thank you for listening!