<p>We just received a very fancy college graduation announcement from an old friend of my son whose family we used to socialize with, who moved away a while ago. It tells the date, time, and place of the graduation and has the graduate’s name and major and minors on it. The names of all four members of our family were handwritten on the inner envelope.</p>
<p>I feel foolish because I should know this, but I have never received an announcement like this before. I assume that we are not actually invited to the graduation, but this is to notify us, and that we may give a gift if we would like.</p>
<p>You are correct (and not foolish). It is an announcement and not an invitation. You may send a card, a congratulatory note, or respond in any other manner you see fit!</p>
<p>I feel and sound like Miss Manners! Whatever happened to her?</p>
<p>Yes, it’s an announcement. Most kids only get so many tickets to graduation and they are far and few in between. Hopefully, they sent you a picture of the grad. We usually give a $50, but then again… we don’t get but one or two grad announcements every other year, if that. It’s also perfectly acceptable to give nothing at all, or to send a card. I think most people are just tickled that their kid is graduating and want the world to know.</p>
<p>I think so too. I will probably send a gift. Knowing this family, I am sure that they are VERY proud of their son and want people who knew him well when he was a little kid to share in their joy. That is the type of people that they are.</p>
<p>I have not been sent one before, but I have received advertisements to buy them both for high school and college. The schools must sell mailing lists of parents of graduates to the companies that produce these announcements.</p>
<p>This one is VERY fancy. Both the return address label and the seal/sticker on the outer envelope have the seal of the college on it. Both the inner envelope and outer envelope are lined with foil. The announcement itself is folded in a fancy way, and has the college’s seal in multicolor foil as well as the name of the college embossed in color and an embossed cap and diploma on the outside. The message inside is engraved and the paper is like a really nice wedding invitation.</p>
<p>And she would probably say that a hand-written note of congratulations is all that’s required, unless you are close to the graduating senior and would like to send a gift.</p>
<p>I know my son had a couple of different choices for his college graduation invitations/announcements. We bought the basic, which did include his major and minor on it, and sent to family and close friends only. The invitation was pretty and was very special to have my son’s name and major/minor engraved on it! I am sure some schools have really fancy invitations while others have very basic ones.</p>
<p>We received 10 for my D’s HS graduation I’ve been hesitant to mail them because they do look like an invitation although in fine print at the bottom it does say “Admission by ticket only”.</p>