DEAR ABBY: The letter from the woman complaining about the value of a wedding gift reminded me of something that happened to us years ago.
Advertisement
My family declined an invitation to the wedding of a neighbor's son, but we sent a gift -- an expensive crystal bowl trimmed in sterling silver. We had it gift-wrapped and asked the salesperson to send it to the couple with our card.
A couple of months later, we received a note that said, "Thank you for the orange ashtray." We debated and finally decided not to embarrass the couple by correcting their error.
However, we've always feared that they thought we were cheap, and wonder if we should have corrected them.
Perhaps if you publish this, the couple will recognize themselves. They are mature enough by now to view this as a rather funny mixup, which is how we have come to look at it.
I would advise people who send gifts from stores to make sure their card is included inside the package, which we did not. -- CHARLES WELCOME, LOWER WATERFORD, VT.
DEAR CHARLES: Most establishments are conscientious when sending customers' packages, but mistakes do occur. Had you notified the store at the time, it would have contacted the recipients for you and informed them of the error. Now, will the person who sent the orange ashtray please identify yourself?