Invites

The Good Life with Eli F.J. Tajanlangit

It used to be called invitations, until somebody found out the verb can also be a noun, and started using it, following the rule about the shorter word being always better and elegant.

And so, did you get any invite for Christmas parties?

It’s only November, I know, but there are companies and organizations that have been holding the traditional Christmas party this early. The underlying reason being that December is always a horrible schedule, with party after party we hardly catch our breath. So some wise guys have moved their parties to November, and I don’t know if that is such as good idea. What is Christmas if the schedule is relaxed and easy, with time for every invite to a party that comes along?

And what is a Christmas party when you do not pass through traffic gridlock in tinsel-crowded streets, and buildings festooned with holiday cheer on your way to it?  You can simulate the holiday cheer by putting up decors in the venue, but the spirit you cannot fake.

But invites are an interesting matter. There are small invites and large ones and somewhere in between and if it wasn’t a breach of privacy, would be worth publishing on this space. The most elaborate one I got was studded with  a faux pearl, something for the party of a pearl company.  Last year, somebody sent one with a stainless miniature champagne bottle.  Somebody also sent an invitation in three envelopes, with dainty ribbons that screamed they came from Italy. And oh, I remember  something that was bordered with quilts – so pretty and so incomprehensible to my 40-something eyes, I had to ask someone to read the message aloud.

Don’t get me wrong. Receiving invitations is always an honor; it means your presence is something the host wants. Therefore they must be handled with appropriate measure – say thank you at least to the one who sent you the invite. And follow the RSVP -- say you’re coming or not – so the host does not waste his or her resources. By the way, RSVP is a French phrase that means “please reply.”

Invitations set the tone of the party, or event.  Thus, a staid and formal looking invite should tell you, even without the dress code, that you cannot come in your slippers and jeans here. A casual, down-to-earth invitation means a relaxed, down-home party.

Someone I do not even know texted me the other week, thus: “Hi! I would like to confirm your attendance to What: Christmas Party of…; Where: …Restaurant… There will be lots of prizes.” This one I don’t think is an honor. Firstly, I did not know the sender, and secondly, this was already asking for confirmation of my attendance when there was no prior notice.

I am too old to quibble over little transgressions like this, but we invite because we want to be honored by somebody’s presence. This one sounded like I was, along with the other guests, being herded to a place where we shall be fed and given a shot at “lots of prizes.”

It’s such a waste of resources to spend so much on the party that is bungled by a badly-prepared or badly-executed invitation. So, while care is taken to ensure that every detail of the party is done accordingly, the first one to take care of, with equal measure of attention, is the invite and how you send it.*

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