<p>I don’t understand the viewpoint that announcements are tacky. I agree that you don’t send one to your next door neighbor or co- workers.</p>
<p>However, my elderly mother and other relatives love getting the announcements and are very appreciative. I see it more of a “We are thinking of you and wanted to share this news with you.”. I guess it really depends on your intent and who you send to.</p>
<p>“presence, not presents” </p>
<p>I like that. Trying not to feel really bad about sending announcements, but hoping I know MY friends and family better then some folks here do! </p>
<p>My closest family is thousands of miles away, and most haven’t seen my kids in years.-I thought it was a convenient war to say “remember him? Look at him now!” (picture inside). I also sent one to a Godparent ( local… uh oh!) and a mentor. People who knew my son at five or six might be surprised he survived childhood, let alone graduated!</p>
<p>Though it’s common, technically it isn’t considered proper to put " no presents" on any invitation. That’s because gift giving is always supposed to be at the pleasure of the giver, not up to a potential recipient to presume or dictate. I think the " no gifts thing" is also problematic because it is frequently ignored ( which is, counter-intuitively perfectly proper) and then others just end up feeling bad, which is the opposite of one’s intent. As a practical matter, I think it’s fine to spread the word informally, but I would not put "no gifts " on an invitation.</p>
<p>Here’s what I’m doing…and it isn’t specifically aimed at the graduation announcement conundrum: S1 graduated college last month. I’ve created a “new address” announcement with a photo montage of his new city and including a celebratory photo of him at graduation, with his new snail mail address (and email address and cell phone number). We’ll send them both by email and USPS to family and friends, and he’ll be able to use the announcement with his own friends.</p>
<p>The primary purpose is to let folks know that he’s out on the West Coast and has a new address. If the grad photo prompts some relatives to send a grad gift, that’s a plus. We will not circulate the announcement to anyone other than those who might need to know how to get in contact with him. In the past month I’ve fielded a number of queries as to where relatives could send a card/gift, without initiation on our end.</p>
<p>^^^
I agree! lol. Mu H had a surprise birthday party for me and told everyone “no presents necessary”. Not surprisingly, my friends all brought presents anyway. My family (siblings) just came and enjoyed the free food and open bar. Good thing I can choose my friends!</p>
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<p>We live in an area where if you don’t put “no gifts, please” on an invitation, you are going to end up with waterford vases and ipods. It’s ridiculous. Everryone I know puts “no gifts, please.” And we’re not a backwater.</p>
<p>As for people sending graduation announcements, I have no opinion. I’ve just never recieved one. (we live close to family, though. 
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<p>I agree about going to ANYONE’s graduation other than close family. With as many kids as I have and with their age spreads, we have had graduations from nursery school, kindergarten, grammar school,middle school, high school, college, confirmation, first holy communion and then all the awards ceremonies for academics and then sports. I don’t bother to invite my brothers to any of this stuff and they are grateful, but they do like getting the announcements, so that it sticks in their brains who is getting what this year. I did not get enough graduation announcements this year, and my SIL just asked me for DS’s. She just likes to prop them on her mantel for a while, then stick them in the niece/nephew scrap books she keeps. Now my brothers will give my kids a grad check, but they just like doing it, and it just happened that way with no expectations. I sent a gift and card to my niece for Kindergarten grad and will probably continue, because I want to do so.</p>
<p>But with 6 cousins graduating from high school this year, it would be one heck of a salami swap among us to give each of them a gift fromSom each other.</p>
<p>In my town pre-school graduations have caps and gowns. It is the most idiotic thing in the world. I wonder why I didn’t get any graduation announcements from my young neighbors? I couldn’t even bring myself to click “like” on Facebook!</p>
<p>I was partially facetious in my Facebook comment, but in a way these days posting Facebook photos serves as an “announcement” that enables people to say, “Hey, great! Congratulations!” and feel like they’re keeping up in your life without feeling the obligation to send a card or a gift. I certainly have enjoyed seeing the graduation pictures of old friends (as well as some of my CC friends) and it doesn’t carry with it the “uh, oh, why are they sending this to me, do I need to send something?” feeling that a graduation announcement would elicit.</p>
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<p>My kids’ preschool graduation did have caps, but no gowns. I know what picture I need to scan and put on Facebook, one of these days :-)</p>
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<p>MOWC, that made me laugh! Loud enough that my dogs raised their lazy heads from the couch to look at me. :)</p>
<p>I was working here on the computer tonight and thinking about this thread. I started adding up the number of graduations for my girls and thinking that I deserve a medal. Five nursery school, (thank heaven no kindergarten graduations where we’ve lived) three fifth grade (weird configuration in that particular school for those three, five 8th grade, five high school, five undergrad, two masters, one law school, and one med school to come in the future. Good grief. No wonder I dislike these things. ;)</p>
<p>“Graduations” before high school are just silly. There should just be some sort of get together/picnic thing but nothing called a graduation.</p>
<p>" “Graduations” before high school are just silly" " - Ah, I think they can be fun. </p>
<p>Our preK graduations were cute (parents only, at the end of the day). The Kindergarten celebrations were priceless, with slide show (photos from Sept and May of each kid)… and reading of “I Love You Forever”…pass the tissues. The middle school ceremony was great too - we almost replayed the DVD last night. I’ll probably be shocked at how those 8th graders that looked so big in 2006 now look so very young.</p>
<p>I think it’s great to do all the cute stuff without calling them “graduations.” The word “graduation” has a meaning and going from pre-school to kindergarten doesn’t fit it.</p>