I enjoy gift giving, and give some thought in gifting someone, esp to those who i consider near and dear to me.
Lately a number of family members (in laws), acquaintances and very close friends have received decent and even substantial gifts for weddings, housewarming etc.
No acknowledgement or even a thanks .
Is a thank you considered too much ?
Re: To acknowledge/ not acknowledge , or say thanks for a gift received
Don’t people thank while you are giving the gift? (assuming you’ve gifted in person)
Re: To acknowledge/ not acknowledge , or say thanks for a gift received
I know weddings are different because you’re not handing the gift directly to the bride or groom on that that BUT other occasions like housewarming/birthday etc., are you handing the gift directly to host (or one of the hosts)? And they don’t say “thank you” when you hand them the gift directly?
Re: To acknowledge/ not acknowledge , or say thanks for a gift received
Proper etiquettes and manners is quite a rare thing, you are setting yourself up for disappointment if you expect acknowledgement of your kindness and generosity. We had situations where people who received boat loads from us attacked us rather than showing appreciation. Now we are extremely cautious.
Re: To acknowledge/ not acknowledge , or say thanks for a gift received
With weddings I have usually seen thank you cards. With housewarmings though…you may not see a thank you card. The host that has invited you to their housewarming party is usually running around tending to hospitality needs and doesn’t really keep track of which guest brought which gift until after the guests leave. Some folks think that it’s an “even” exchange: you came to my house and I cooked for you…and you got a gift…hisaab baraabar. I am not saying k that’s right...but some folks could possibly have that thought process…and they then make a mental note to themselves to give you a similar “return” (in the form of a gift) in the future…the next time that you are the host and they are the guest.
I understand that at the very least a verbal thank you (if not a card) is the polite thing to do. And sometimes people say “thank you” in different ways like “oh you shouldn’t have”…“tsk tsk…takalluf kia aap ne”…“is ki kya zaroorat thi?”…“aydi ki load si?” 
Easier said than done, but try not to let it bother because you can’t force someone to respond in the way you want. But to ease your heart toward them…try reminding yourself that if you bought the bride/groom a gift or gave them money…then they, too, had spent a sizable amount of money and energy in arranging for every guest’s meal and seating and entertainment. Weddings are expensive. Similarly, the host of the housewarming also spent time/money/energy in hospitality. So aap ne kuch dia and us k badlay main kuch milaa bhi.
Apart from that, you can also opt to lower your expectations or spending amount as well in the future.
Re: To acknowledge/ not acknowledge , or say thanks for a gift received
Majority of gifts have been placed on a specific table set up for gifts or a money box.
And yes, sometimes a gift has been placed in the recipients hand who almost always puts it aside with a hurried “thank you”
As mentioned above, there have been times when someone says " oh , you shouldn’t have" . So after reading some of the above replies, this equates to "thanks’? I didn’t see it that way.
THank you for pointing out that it is a form of thanks.
I was taught to call , respond later on following an event etc with a thanks for the gift etc,
A very close friend purchased her dream home. Myself and a number of friends pooled resources and purchased her her dream dinner set, a “British” set well known for its floral patterns. As friends we were super excited and put a great deal of thought into the gift. It has been several months and she has not acknowledged receiving / nor mentioned the dinner set. On the day, we placed the boxes on the “gift table”. I don’t expect someone to gush their thanks, but an acknowledgement?
Re: To acknowledge/ not acknowledge , or say thanks for a gift received
Yep, among auntis I have heard various Urdu/Punjabi phrases that equate a “thank you” …lol.
In the situation you mentioned, it’s odd that she didn’t say anything at all. A gift that she had wanted for a long time and that was purchased by not one person, but a group of people…does stand out. 
Has she thanked anyone at all from your group? Perhaps she has been crazy-busy in setting up her new home among other things. Consider her past behavior. If she has responded with silence many times in the past when she has received a gift…then her recent behavior is nothing unusual. However, if she usually has thanked you and others in the past…then this is isn’t typical of her and maybe she’s just been insanely busy or stressed.
If she’s a close friend…why not give her a call to see what she’s up to…and in a light and friendly way (without a grudge) …ask her..“So how are you enjoying your dream dinner set that we got you?” And then give her the chance to respond. And then…very lightly…say, “I’m so relieved you like it. We all pitched in and were so excited to get it for you, but we hadn’t heard from you…so we were a bit worried.” It all depends on your tone. And if she’s smart…and especially if she has always said “thank you” in the past…she’ll realize her mistake.
In my opinion it’s better to do the above than to nurse a grudge toward her. You have a couple of choices; either you move on from this without saying a word and without letting it bother you…or you can casually bring it up with her and get it out of you.
Re: To acknowledge/ not acknowledge , or say thanks for a gift received
Also in big events, people (host) take a not of everyone RSVPed/attended/gifted and later they send a card of “thank you” with a picture or something on it. I like it that way.
Re: To acknowledge/ not acknowledge , or say thanks for a gift received
Has the Asian subcontinent caught up with this trend?
Re: To acknowledge/ not acknowledge , or say thanks for a gift received
The “Thank you” card will probably go missing in the mail and then available for sale later in the market 
Re: To acknowledge/ not acknowledge , or say thanks for a gift received
Referring back to my earlier thought provoking thread of, “is empathy a mostly western thing.” appreciating the time, effort and sincerity involves empathy. We used to invite people for lavish dinners, people would show up late without so much as a box of chocolates, show no appreciation of all the hard work preparing the meal for them and leave within seconds of having dessert.
Re: To acknowledge/ not acknowledge , or say thanks for a gift received
To answer the OP, I really dont even know a single person who deosnt thank for the gifts. So what you experienced must be an individual behavior and should be ignored. There are all kind of people but we shouldnt stereotype.
You be persistent with your good habits.
Re: To acknowledge/ not acknowledge , or say thanks for a gift received
Unless the purpose of the invitation was receiving gifts, I don’t think it’s wrong to show up without one. It has nothing to do with empathy. Gift giving isn’t an obligation but something done if you want to. I personally don’t like getting gifts on occasions because I feel the person gifting me felt obliged to. I love gifts which are given without any occasion. These are the ones which come from the heart.
I don’t think Giving gifts or receiving thank you cards should be obligatory.
Yes, a verbal thank you while receiving the gift should be done.
Re: To acknowledge/ not acknowledge , or say thanks for a gift received
Showing appreciation is a good practice, when I spoke to Bridgette about it she seemed appalled. A box of chocolate, flowers, house plant, a bottle of wine are tokens of appreciation. The same function we had invited a European couple and Maria brought a beautiful house plant and Zuk a bottle of Georgian wine. When a guy takes a girl out he customarily brings flowers then is the purpose of the date to receive flowers?
Re: To acknowledge/ not acknowledge , or say thanks for a gift received
My take on this is different. I’d rather not get flowers on a date and get them on one of the days I’m feeling blue and he thinks it will cheer me up. I’d rather not be gifted at a housewarming or even my marriage. In fact I’ve told my mother that when I am to get married, we will clearly tell people that no form of gifts will be accepted, monetary or otherwise. I do not want people to feel obligated to gift me.
When I see something which reminds me of someone close, or I’d heard them speak of it and it is within my means, I buy it and give it to that person. No occasion needed. That is what gifts were supposed to be, not an exchange. Not an obligation or a competition. People took the fun out of receiving gifts. Or giving gifts.
Re: To acknowledge/ not acknowledge , or say thanks for a gift received
The reason this society works well is because of unspoken social rules, these rules create expectations of behavior. If everyone lived by their own rules than this society will turn into a chaos. Here are some unspoken social rules. People who don’t want gifts ask that anyone wanting to give should give to their favorite charity. You could do that at your wedding.
https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-top-unspoken-social-rules
Re: To acknowledge/ not acknowledge , or say thanks for a gift received
Re: To acknowledge/ not acknowledge , or say thanks for a gift received
Brown people don’t say thank you lol, they’re the worst customers in my experience. I only fw with other races now.
Re: To acknowledge/ not acknowledge , or say thanks for a gift received
My middle name may as well be “thank you”. I even thank people for spending time with me, I usually follow it up with a text. Of course, I don’t hold the same expectations for other people, I am starting to lower my expectations for people who are close to me as well.
Re: To acknowledge/ not acknowledge , or say thanks for a gift received
Like @Sidra54, I’m a thanking person too. We’re a dying breed sadly. In the past, I used to invest a lot of time, effort, thought and energy in getting ‘just the right type’ of gift for others. I never got thank you’s. I’ve found that people have started judging gifts on how much something has cost against the other gifts and then brown nosing the more expensive gift-giver! So, if Sumbul gave the hostess a gift for £50 vs Sana’s gift of £100, Sana would be the guest of honour! I really can’t be doing with superficial and cheap (ironic, I know) people like that. Now, I just go for generic (chocolates, candles) gifts and leave it at that.
I do believe culture and ethnicity, like @Bobby1 and @third_string have said, play a part. In my experience, my Caucasian friends fall over themselves when expressing their gratitude whereas the ‘apni’s’ go AWOL! We all have pressurised lives with commitments but good manners don’t cost a thing and shouldn’t be discarded.
In your case, ask your friend if she liked the gift you got her or if she’d rather you swapped it for something else. Be direct and then let it go.