No, you're not invited, yes you send a check.

I received a graduation announcement from my cousin's son - I've probably met him five times.

I sent him a generous amount of money because we're really proud of him- he's an outstanding kid. I wanted him to know that his family is proud of him.

Anonymous wrote:I did not send announcements as I did not want anyone to feel as OP does. If they did not know about the graduation then you do not know us well enough to be involved.

My mom felt that way and I remember how much it hurt my feelings. I didn't even care about the money. I didn't want it to be a gift grab. I wish there was a way to send these things without people thinking you're trolling for money.

I did not send announcements as I did not want anyone to feel as OP does. If they did not know about the graduation then you do not know us well enough to be involved.

What?! This is normal to send graduation announcements. Send $50 and be done with it. As a kid I didn't realize people saw it as a money grab, I just wanted well wishes.

I am amazed at the people sending $100 for high school graduation. What do you send for college graduation? Weddings?

An announcement is not an invitation.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:An announcement is specifically not an invitation. Normally announcements dont have the date/time details. We just got one from a family member and sent $100.

This one states ... request the honor of your presence at the XXX school at XXX in the morning.....

There is the typical place to insert the name card and they are printed by Balfour [who I think of as yearbooks and class rings]

Are you OP posting? Then you were wrong to call it an announcement. That's an invitation. Send a small gift and a friendly note to the graduate directly (not the parents). If you can't be bothered to send college gear as suggested above, send a small token Amazon or iTunes gift card.

You called it an announcement. Those do exist and are a whole separate thing.

When you order “graduation announcements” in FCPS from Balfour, they do state the day and time. I was quite frustrated when we received our box of 40 and saw that. We plan to send them out after the ceremony to avoid confusion.

That being said, they likely don’t actually expect you at the graduation. We get 5 tickets to ours and can’t even bring grandparents.

The thing actually says "honour of your presence"? That phrase normally implies a religious ceremony at a house of worship, and would never normally be used for a school graduation.

If it is an invitation, you need to reply by letter. You can accept or decline, depending upon your relationship with the family and child. Definitely send a card. Don't feel obligated to send a gift, though the child's net worth should be rrelevant to that decision.

You should send a card with a gift from the college they will attend, or something you know would be meaningful. The card should include a heartfelt message to the graduate. Perhaps they have fond memories of your family from when they were younger.

Anonymous wrote:It doesn't matter how much money the kid has.

You haven't been invited to the graduation so its a non-issue.

Send a nice congratulations card and be done with it. No money or gift. No one wants a first aid kit or something that takes up space. Maybe a college teeshirt or $25-50 gift card if anything.

+1

Would not attend graduation.
Would send a card with a token amount of money in it, whatever that is to your family.

You express your congratulations, send a token gift, and unless the announcement specifically states that you are invited to an event, assume you are not. If you are, you are free to decline. I would, just because graduation ceremonies are not important for me or my family.

Send a nice card and a $100.00 cash....that's what we do. We can't attend graduations as our school year in NOVA ends later as a school year in a different state. We don't expect anyone to attend our DC graduation except for the grandparents if desired.

"Oh, how nice" and move on. You were not invited to the graduation or to a party, no gift is required.

OP, why not think the best?
*what you do*, exactly .. gift of not, or what gift, is not as important as your bad attitude.