When you text someone - an acquaintance, a friend, a significant other - you close the text with an x, which technically is the electronic equivalent of a kiss. After a heated confab with Jon and his sister Ellie, we've come to two conclusions:
1. There is no rule about how many kisses you give to whom.
2. If there were to be a rule, it would be that one gives one x to a close/friendly acquaintance, two to a chum, and three to a significant other. If you receive an x-less kiss, that generally means the sender is mad at you. If you send more than three, you're either very keen or asking a favor.
Like Lauren, I'm getting used to attaching xs to texts and emails. I'm more comfortable with it than I was the last time I lived here, when I felt very prudish about showing such affection. But I do still get thrown sometimes - like on Friday, when I received a work email from a high net-worth donor whom I had never met that we were inviting to a very posh event. He responded to my emailed save-the-date with a casual yes followed by an x. Oh em gee, email etiquette crisis! Was I supposed to send him an x back? Or pretend I didn't see it? Or... man, I was not prepared to deal with errant electronic kisses at 5pm on a Friday afternoon.
How do you handle a texted x?
Hmm. I have never received an x text. Ever. This may mean several things: Everyone is mad at me (hark!); I am friends with mostly Europeans who may not share this trend; I don't text enough.
ReplyDeletemaybe they just know that you're American and have altered their texts appropriately? Not sure how it's done in other countries... but I wouldn't worry about it! I think I'm just looking for something to whinge about - how British of me!
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