About 3 weeks ago my mom sent 5 gourmet smoked salmon to people she has done business with over the last few years. These smoked salmon which were packed in a carved wooden box cost about $50 a piece not including shipping. My mom routinely does this at the start of the holiday season, but every year she sends to different people.

My mom had expected everyone who got the gifts to call, email, send a card, etc saying "Thank you". 3 people thanked my mom, the other 2 said nothing. She called the company that sent the salmon to be sure they had been shipped and was told they had all been shipped and delivered. The company even provided date, time, and name of the person who signed for the package. My mother was boiling mad.

My question is this: Is it normal to thank people for something they send you out of the blue or do you only thank them if the gift is real expensive? Same thing happened to my mom last year, she got upset then too.