As others have said, I wouldn’t mention the hamper in the review for the reasons given. I would have said the owners were very generous, and certainly thanked them with a card and probably left them a gift of flowers or chocolates
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As an Airbnb host I actually ask guests not to mention kindnesses. I don’t want to set an expectation for all guests. I individualize these things.
Good manners does dictate a private thank you. That was very generous of you. But these things vary according to culture, how individual families teach their kids, etc.
You earned a 5 star review and you got to make someone’s Christmas better. Be happy with that.
I’m Southern American. We send thank you notes. I bring tiny gifts for Airbnb hosts I stay with. Everyone is different.
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I have noticed when reviewing sits that some of the reviews are five star but very brief. “Good sit, great animals”. This is not very helpful to would be sitters as it doesn’t give any information about the animals, home, garden, local amenities. I always put it down to the peoples writing style. We all articulate things differently. I ramble (as you may have noticed on the forum), others are brief and concise getting their view over in a few sentences. In a review I have sections - animals, home, garden, pet parents and local amenities. In doing this way I’m trying to give prospective sitters an insight of the sit from our point of view.
You definitely went above and beyond. I too wouldn’t have mentioned the gifts as your next sitters may expect the same and feel short changed but I would have left a card or private letter saying than you so much for everything, which I do on most sits. I like to give people the benefit of the doubt. They may have been short of time or couldn’t find a pen. Or they may just be ignorant so and so’s. Who knows?
Please, most of us are very appreciative of anything a pet parent does for us and someone like you who went above and beyond is a treasure in our little world. We are not all like that. Try again and I’m sure you’ll get a fantastic sitter. Good luck.
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You sound like an amazing and very thoughtful host. I would always thank a HO privately for any kind gestures and there is no excuse for bad manners. As for leaving your lovely gifts with no comment, that was unkind and inappropriate.
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Rest assured that we all appreciate these lovely gestures on your sitters’ behalf! It does make a real difference especially at these times of the year so you deserve an A+
I’ve gotten the impression from previous threads that some sitters are not so keen on receiving gifts for various reasons including luggage but also that they don’t believe accepting a gift is in line with the THS ethos (debatable but anyway). Personally I think it’s rude to leave a gift behind.
Don’t take it too hard. I’m sure they appreciated the gesture nevertheless but certainly should have said thank you and acknowledged the kindness in some way in their review without actually spelling it out.
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But you kind of did the same thing here as you are stating the Sitters/Guests did. You have four paragraphs of what you did, which you offered or decided to do, they did not request these things. But then one line about the fact they did a good job, the house was clean, dogs happy - which is the whole point. When I had pets I paid $100-$200 a day for boarding or overnight care.
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You’re an angel @doglover24 . I would have been thrilled with the generous gifts and decorations. Unfortunately some people were never taught manners. They should have thanked you in writing and/or in person and mentioned your extra thoughtfulness in their review. I would feel as to do, unappreciated. Regardless, know that you are a star!
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@doglover24 Keep being you. Don’t let the less than great manners of these sitters keep you from doing what you feel inclined to do. You sound like a most welcoming and generous HO.
I anticipate doing some Christmas sits in the future and would be very touched by such gestures. Please don’t feel offended if I leave the wine behind (I don’t drink) and the things with gluten (that was taken away by my doctor too).
We’re sitters, and whilst we would have thanked you personally, we wouldn’t have mentioned any gifts in our review, as we wouldn’t want to put an HO in the awkward and costly position of having to supply the same for every future sitter. Do you really want every sitter to have a special hamper, as that would be the expectation of future sitters if it gets mentioned in a review.
You did a lovely thing, it was a very kind and generous thought, so can I just say a huge a thank you on behalf of all sitters. T H A N K Y O U 
. You are amazing, and most sitters would really appreciate the level you went to.
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Thank you for your kind words .
I did double check what food allergies, if they drank wine , what food they liked before putting the hamper together
I just wanted to make Christmas Day special for them as they were away from home in a different country. I only gave them small light gifts for Christmas Day .
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I checked with them before doing anything .
I asked if they celebrated Christmas , if they would like Christmas decorations and a tree. They said they would love that.
I asked them about any food allergies and preferences .
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Thank you
Now that I have read all your replies , I wouldn’t expect any sitter to mention anything specifically about hampers , gifts etc .
I just hoped they would say something in a general way . Like doglover made a huge effort to make Christmas special .
They did mention in review that I picked them up from airport .
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You are a very kind person and the amount of extra effort you made is wonderful of you. They are so lucky to sit for such a kind pet owner and I too hope they have acknowledged it with you personally. If an owner has made extra effort for me, I always mention it in the review unless I’m asked not to, for the reasons others mention above. I also appreciate being acknowledged for the extra efforts I make during every sit, and most people would. Glad you are getting the positive feedback here.
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So there then! They probably know what a huge favour this is, especially when the HO is preparing for travel themselves.
I understand your frustration, but perhaps you are creating more frustration for yourself by overthinking about the sitters’ reactions (or lack of). Some people are not good at showing appreciation. Others are uncomfortable with gifts, compliments, etc. You don’t know what goes on in the heads/lives of your sitters, and you might benefit from not judging them too harshly.
If you expect a specific reaction after doing people a favour, it might be better not to do that favour. I have been there. I am a recovering people pleaser who has done loads of kind things for others, and they were not always appreciated, and sometimes people respected me less afterwards. Now when I do people favours, I always ask myself if I do them because I really want to, and if I am OK with people not thanking me the way I would myself. If the answer is no, I don’t do it. Doesn’t always work, but it’s a good guideline.
I would not put this in a review, because it might make you look bad to potential sitters.
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I totally agree Elsie… I prefer to leave a review that addresses everything. That includes homeowner, home, pets, garden, surrounding area. We have gotten only five star reviews. Sometimes the HO is very elaborate with all the things we’ve done and that feels very rewarding. You are recognized for the excellent job that you do. One in particular, I remember, the HO was gone for three weeks. My husband routinely cleaned the pool and patio every day, swept out their dirty garage, even clean their car(Which we were not using). We went above and beyond walking their dog twice a day, that pulled on the leash, and had no training at all. The review we got was three sentences. One of them said “ I was worried about being away for three weeks but everything turned out OK.” WHAT!!! Then I had to let it go…consider the source, even tho it was disappointing.
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Wow I would have been upset with that review too . You sound like an exceptional sitter
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If they didn’t express gratitude to you directly, I may have been miffed, but in public, I agree with the others.
I think past saying there were some lovely touches that made me feel cozy for the holidays, I wouldn’t want to make it seem like people should expect all the things and then set you up to assume it will always be like that.
If they have a 5 star and kept it brief, that’s also really gray because it means they had no notes…it was just a rock solid experience. At least that’s how I would view it if it was clear from the rest of their profile that they were open and honest people.
I currently have no plans for Christmas 2024. Do you need a sitter? Where are you located? 
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It sounds like you really went over and above there. I’d have felt so incredibly grateful if a HO had gone to all that effort for me.
Even though I’m a sitter, I remember a few years back sitting for a new couple to THS and they had a particularly anxious rescue dog. To put their mind at rest, I updated the HOs daily with videos and photos.
One day, I decided to go all out and make an extended video compilation on my laptop complete with lovely music that took me quite a while to put together but it showed that their dog was very happy, relaxed and content.
I didn’t even get an acknowledgment from the HOs when they’d got it and watched it so that was a bit of a damp squib. Whilst I did enjoy making that video, I decided after that I wouldn’t go to all that effort again when some people don’t even have the grace to acknowledge when somebody has gone out of their way for them. Just wanted to say I really do get how you feel.
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