I'm on a roll with gift related threads today, and I've barely become a pea; don't mind me!

This question is mostly for parents of older little ones (toddler aged and up, I would imagine), but I'd love opinions/thoughts from everyone!

When your child is gifted (birthdays, holidays, or just because), how do you go about thanking the giver? Do you thank them on behalf of your child (verbally, or with a card), or do you encourage your child to thank them, independently (verbally, or with a card/picture)?

I remember, as a kid, my mom was rather strict about our manners, and we were expected to look at our gifts thoughtfully, and always say, "thank you". She also used to have us sit down and draw pictures that she would mail to relatives and friends that gifted us around holidays. I hope to do the same once our little one is old enough.

Our nephews are seriously little monsters about gifts. They rip through one gift after the next, only stopping to examine the ones that have to do with video games or technology. I used to carefully research and select their Christmas gifts, but they rarely even said "thanks" - so, last year, everyone got art supplies or books. Yes, I was *that* aunt.