Graduation Party Etiquette Quiz
Interview With an Etiquette Consultant
As an etiquette consultant, I receive countless
etiquette questions. Many of these
questions are from anchors from our local television networks. So, I’m frequently interviewed. As is typical this time of year, these
interviews concern graduation party
etiquette.
My most recent interview was more of a quiz, which
made for a lively segment.
Of course, I would have loved to have begun by emphasizing what is most
important—people are more important than gifts.
Many times grads – and their parents – place too much focus on gifts and
not enough on their guests.
Unfortunately, due to time constraints, I only had time to quiz my
favorite anchors.
It was a very enjoyable segment and I was able to
stump both anchors. Read on to see if
you do any better with your answers.
Question
number one: For whom may I host a graduation party?
A. Kindergarten,
high school, and middle school graduation
B. Only
for traditional benchmark graduations, like high school and college
C. Only
for high school grads
I bet you knew the correct answer to that
question. Most of us realize that
graduation parties are most appropriate for those benchmark graduations. Consequently, the answer is “B”. Bravo to all those who answered correctly!
Question
number two: As a parent of a graduate, how may I ask for cash or gift cards?
A. List
gift request on the invitation
B. We
never ask for cash or gift cards
C. Ask
a friend to spread the word about gift preferences
A graduation party isn’t necessarily a gift-giving
event. I realize that may seem a bit
harsh, but it’s true. Often those who
aren’t very close to the grad, like neighbors, are invited to these
events. They shouldn’t feel obligated to
give a gift. They are attending,
basically, to display their support of the graduate—to congratulate him or her. Out of a feeling of obligation, close family
typically do give gifts. However, no one
is obligated to give anything, besides his or her well wishes. Thus, the correct answer is “B”.
Question
number three: Do parents have to invite all their child's friends?
A. No
B. Yes
C. Only
invite close friends
More than likely, all of the graduate’s friends
will have parties as well. So, there is
no need to invite
all of his or her friends to the party.
Invite whomever you wish. The
correct answer is “A”.
Question
number four: What should I give the grad—does it have to be cash?
A. Give
gifts that could help the graduate--No, cash isn’t necessary
B. Cash
is the only gift
C. Give
cash, but only in $50 increments
This one should be simple after reading the answer
to number two. However, some people do
believe that cash is king, especially when the recipient is a graduate. This just isn’t true. A gift, if given should be thoughtful and
something you truly think will help him or her.
That may or may not be cash—your choice.
Thus, the correct answer is “A”.
I hope all of you did well on my little quiz! For those of you graduating,
congratulations!
What are your thoughts?
What are your thoughts?
