People being thankful to the objects that make their life so much better ought to be the norm.
It's a reminder of how impotent we truly are without them.
I was thinking about Marie Kondo. I believe she touched on something deep and spiritual there. We have a problem with utilitarianism and materialism in Western society. The distress we experience when throwing things out is the result of the disconnect between our attachment to an object, and the 'knowledge' that it's "just a thing". Marie gave people permission to formally end a relationship with the thing, which at least allows for some closure.
It's probably psychologically healthier, and the environment would probably be in better condition, if we interacted with 'things' as beings worthy of our thanks. (In the end, a utilitarian argument.)
Really? I usually find the autistic people have a hard time treating an inanimate object as if it has sentience, since they can barely do it to people.