This guest blog hits on a pet peeve of mine. I would actually like a time-sensitive detonator that would start to smell like rotten fish if you don’t reply in a timely manner. If you specify RSVP, people don’t call. If you say “Regrets Only” they don’t call. If you have free tickets to Taylor Swift, they are going to call.

I have a similar rule with Christmas Cards. You get one grace year. Two years without a card, and you’re off my list. I make exceptions for people who may include me in their will, my Jewish friends, and Kristi Erickson.

Thanks, CSM for the snoot.

RSVP doesn’t mean “Reply If You Feel Like It”, but don’t bother if you don’t!

Why is it so difficult for people to RSVP?  If I’m going to the trouble to invite you somewhere, the least you could do is let me know if you can make it or not.  In today’s world, you don’t even have to talk to me, you can email, text or reply online thru the Evite I sent out.  Just let me know!  Are you waiting to see if you get a better offer for that day perhaps?  Just commit already!

People still reply to wedding invitations at least, right?  Maybe if I really want replies I have to include self-addressed, stamped envelopes with reply cards so all people have to do is check the box and drop it in the mail.  I hate to think this disturbing trend has worked its way up to ignoring formal invitations too.

What I don’t understand is, everyone I know complains about not getting responses to their party invites- or more typically- the invites they sent out for their child’s party.  You know, at the place that charges by the child so you have to have an accurate head count for them a few days in advance?  And where frequently the pricing is tiered based on party size?  Yeah, that kind of place, so it matters if you’ve got 8 or 14 or 24.  And, of course, you have to have goodie bags for the right amount of kids.   But if you didn’t reply and show up anyway, you can bet your kid will be the one going home without a goodie bag if I run out- and I hope he whines to you ALL THE WAY HOME that he didn’t get one.  Then you can tell him that it’s *your* fault because you didn’t RSVP so we didn’t know your child was coming – not because the birthday child’s mom is mean or can’t count.

So, if everyone is complaining that no one bothers to RSVP for parties, that must mean they aren’t replying either, right?  Or is there a small subset of people who not only don’t have the courtesy to reply, but also don’t have the courtesy to reciprocate?  Maybe these people never actually HAVE parties so they have no idea how annoying it is to be the hostess trying to guess who is coming?

I’d like to start dropping the kids whose parents don’t reply from the party list- but of course they’re always kids my child really wants to include.  So, like a good mom, year after year we invite them, and year after year I call a few days before to find out they’re coming or not…