Gift from Group Needs Individual Thanks

Dear Dr. Dave and Dr. Dee,

I had a surprise baby shower from my co-workers, and received several group gifts from 2 or more people. Do I need to send separate thank you notes for one gift that was sent by 2 or 3 people? In the card, should I specifically name each person that pitched in for the gift? How should I address the envelopes? Is it okay to just write first names? I was planning on hand delivering the thank you notes, since I live close by.

Signed,

What To Do?

Dear What To Do,

A group gift from people who do not live in the same household should be sent separate thank you notes. You do not need to mention the other contributors' names. It can be implied by stating something like, "Thank you so much for the XXXXXX. Everyone was so thoughtful in choosing such a wonderful gift." If hand-delivering, it's fine to have only their first names.

If the group gift is from a large group, for example, a whole classroom of students, then individual thank you notes are not necessary. Verbal thanks to each student is sufficient.