As I sit in Panera and watch a mother put together all of her son’s graduation party invitations, and attempt to control all the notifications on Facebook that I receive to attend certain graduation parties, I’m wondering, how does one manage and decide which ones to attend?
Even though we are now in college and have moved on from the “wonderful” high school days, we still remain in touch with the friends we made in sports, musicals, band… etc. And it is that time of year again – graduation parties galore!
This is a fun time of the summer. The graduation parties remain all jam packed into the month of June, and it is fun to see someone’s entire life wrapped up into a little party from 4-6 on a sunny Saturday afternoon (and nothing beats the free food). But, at the same time, we have to prioritize.
I, so far, am at 18 invites on Facebook to graduation parties, and approximately 15-18 that came to “The Redick Family” in the mail. I can assure you right now, I will NOT be attending 30 graduation parties. But, I do have to attend some.
I think there should be a few rules to follow before deciding whether to throw an invitation in the trash or ignore the incessant notifications on Facebook (because you said “yes” - you didn’t want to feel like shit for flat out saying no).
1) How close are you and the person actually? Being friends on Facebook or following them on Twitter is not a good enough reason to go to that person’s graduation party. The point of a graduation party is to look back on all the accomplishments this person has done throughout their entire life. I can tell you right now, I do not care about the majority of people and their entire lives that I am friends with on Facebook. If you remain in contact with the person regularly, look forward to seeing them when you come home, and were actively involved in their lives, it wouldn’t kill you to stop by.
2) Do NOT go to a graduation party because you know they are rich and the food will be good. Graduation parties are a huge expense. The catering is a very large amount of the total price of a graduation party. If the person is irrelevant to you, take a hike. Go eat a streamer hanging up in the doorway.
3) Did they send you/your family an actual invitation, or a Facebook invite? This one is easy. When you have other things to do that one sunny Saturday afternoon in June, you should attend the invitation that was mailed to you. That means, that specific person or parent went out of their way to print enough invitations specifically for you and your family. That costs money. They didn’t just go through their friends list and click “invite all”. That family and graduate actually put forth effort to invite you to their party. Those should have a 100% attend policy.
4) Do not skip work for a graduation party, unless it is family (or your very best friend). This one is also a no brainer. You need to work. You need the hours. Getting work off for a friend’s grad party is not acceptable. I got off work for only one graduation party – my sister’s – because I obviously have to be there. For obvious reasons like that getting the Saturday off is OK. But going back to priorities, you will regret not getting a Saturday paycheck.
Graduation parties are an excellent time to celebrate the life of a person who has worked incredibly hard to get where they are today, and to start a new journey of their life. We have all been there, and know the feeling. Because we know how good that feels, keep in mind, would that person want me to go? And should I go?
