DEAR MISS MANNERS: Is it appropriate to give a roommate a thank-you card upon moving out?
I am living in my college’s dorm, in a shared room with three other people. While the individuals across the hall have caused almost constant problems in terms of messiness, excessive noise and petty fights about chore charts, the roommate on my side of the dorm has been genuinely fantastic. We keep vastly different schedules and aren’t close enough to really be friends, but we’ve bonded over the fight to keep the communal areas clean, and get along great on the occasions we are able to talk.
When the semester is over, I am wondering if it would be acceptable to give her a thank-you card, or even a small gift, when we move out for the summer. We will have different assigned rooms next semester, and I want to somehow show my appreciation for how delightful it has been to live with her. Would a thank-you card be appropriate? Or just weird?
GENTLE READER: It might be misunderstood, which is worse. Miss Manners herself might take exception at being thanked for moving out. Tell your roommate how much you enjoyed living with her and that you hope to remain friends, even without a shared cause of complaint.
(Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)