Anonymous wrote:No matter what the circumstances (like even if you had never once spoken), this is a rude reply to a single invite. She *is* too busy (she says), so replying that she's too busy right now isn't even a polite lie. It's a much politer truth.
However, have you actually ever hung out one on one before? In the house dinner situations, was there another couple there that was the link/glue between the families? I only ask because I have definitely been to dinner parties with people multiple times who I wouldn't consider friends. For instance, our BFF family has another BFF family as well that they know from a completely different context. In non-pandemic times, we see them all the time because our mutual BFFs are big hosters. I really like them, would say hi if I saw them on the street, would chat to them at a group event, etc, but I wouldn't even expect to be invited if they hosted a large-ish Christmas party. They are not, by any stretch of the word, my friends and I would be super surprised if they invited me to hang out except in very specific contexts involving our mutual friends.
I could see this too, but the kids have also been friends a while. Even if just "school friends," I mean... there are multiple connections. Even at the most tenuous:
-The kids are friends, even if more casually
-They have been personally invited to each other's houses-- so it's not just that they see each other at a third mutual friend's house-- OP has been in Rude Lady's home for dinner, and Rude Lady has been in OP's home for dinner. I know what you're talking about re: mutual friends-- I also have friends that are big hosters, and I can think of some couples I like but only know through my friends and only see at their events, etc. But this almost has to be more than that, with them having been in each others' homes.
-They also see each other in *large* friend groups
So maybe they're not super-close, but they're bare minimum friendly acquaintances who have already accepted invitations directly from OP! And they're certainly not "new."
Of course, I also agree with your first paragraph-- it's extremely socially inept and narcississtic-sounding in any event.