Graduation cards / announcements - is this a thing in DC?

[Anonymous]

I’m in Massachusetts and would find it incredibly tacky.

[Anonymous]

I have family in the south (nc and tn). And they are surprised not to receive any type of formal announcements for our kids graduations. (I think they think we lack good manners. They want to send a monetary gift and expect an announcement). Maybe it is cultural or geographic? We posted our kid's ed acceptance news on Facebook last December. And im sure my kid posted sonethinh on IG. But we haven't sent anything else

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That's too bad it's not done here. We just received an announcement and photo from a graduate out west and it was lovely. My DC saw it and was looking forward to sending theirs next year. The one we received was official from the high school (as I remember when I graduated high school). Do the schools not offer that here? (MoCo)

Oh it’s offered but it is so tacky. As others have said, it is a money grab. If you’re okay with it, then grab away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's not really a DC thing. More in the south.

+1. The only ones I've received have been from friends/relatives in the South.

[Anonymous]

Tacky money grab in the days of social media announcing your kid’s college choice to family. Surprisingly, I get them from people in California and Arizona. In DC it is considered gauche.

[Anonymous]

I'm from the Midwest where it is very much a thing. Have lived in VA for 20 years and can't remember ever receiving one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's not really a DC thing. More in the south.

I've gotten them from the midwest, west, DC, NE, south. It's a thing. I sent them 40 years ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tacky money grab in the days of social media announcing your kid’s college choice to family. Surprisingly, I get them from people in California and Arizona. In DC it is considered gauche.

No, it isn't. Nor is it a request for money. It's traditional and formal. Not everyone uses social media, and some people think announcing on social media is gauche.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's not really a DC thing. More in the south.

I’m a third generation DC native. Yes, it has been a DC thing for generations. Maybe that’s changed in recent years with all of the transplants? When I graduated from Wilson, many years ago, the graduation “packages” include both announcements as well as name cards. It was customary to send an announcement with a name card and a senior picture to friends and relatives who would not be attending the graduation.

Back then, though, graduations were held either in the football stadium behind the school — with the auditorium as a back-up if it rained — severely limiting the number of invitations. Perhaps now that graduation ceremonies are held in larger and more comfortable spaces, announcements for people who aren’t invited due to space limitations are less common.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That's too bad it's not done here. We just received an announcement and photo from a graduate out west and it was lovely. My DC saw it and was looking forward to sending theirs next year. The one we received was official from the high school (as I remember when I graduated high school). Do the schools not offer that here? (MoCo)

It is done here. Our high give a small number of formal announcements for each grad to send, and many people have additional ones printed up privately, like with a photo, etc. to sent to extended family who are not attending the ceremony.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tacky money grab in the days of social media announcing your kid’s college choice to family. Surprisingly, I get them from people in California and Arizona. In DC it is considered gauche.

No, it isn't. Nor is it a request for money. It's traditional and formal. Not everyone uses social media, and some people think announcing on social media is gauche.

It is clearly a cultural difference in different parts of the country. One poster was talking about these gaudy bed party displays that are common in other areas. I think it can be argued that those are just as tacky as any announcement card.

Northern poster if that's relevant.

[Anonymous]

Who are these people who don't send formal announcements? Do you also thank people for wedding gifts by text?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's not really a DC thing. More in the south.

DC used to be “in the South”.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m in Massachusetts and would find it incredibly tacky.

Really? I had them here in HS, as did at least a few generations of people both older and younger than I am. I got them as part of my graduation packages — along with senior pictures and name cards — when I graduated from Yale (New England) and NYU (Mid-Atlantic). Maybe it’s a generational thing?

All of my graduations were held on campus, with very limited numbers of invitations. Perhaps the trend to move graduation ceremonies to much larger spaces so that students can have more actual invitations has changed things?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tacky money grab in the days of social media announcing your kid’s college choice to family. Surprisingly, I get them from people in California and Arizona. In DC it is considered gauche.

No, it isn't. Nor is it a request for money. It's traditional and formal. Not everyone uses social media, and some people think announcing on social media is gauche.

Many people don’t use social media but everyone close enough to you, knows your kid is graduating. Family knows the age of your kid. Friends know the age of your kid. There is no reason to send these except as a money grab. You may not like how that comes across, but it is 100% true.