If you are hosting a party and tne guest list includes everyone in a certain group but you already know that a particular member of that group will not want to attend, is it more polite to extend the invitation or not extend? Examples: You are having an Easter egg hunt and you invite all of your child's pre-school class. One child is Jewish. It's your kid's 10th bday party. She's known all tne kids in her class since preschool. The Jehovah Witness kid declines the party invite every year. Do you continue to invite out of politeness since you are inviting everyone else or do you skip him? You're hosting a shower for a 22 year old unwed girl. Her shower guest list is her former youth group. The youth pastor's name is on the roster.
Do you extend the invitation or is that just rude to the person receiving it?
-- Edited by dqm either on Monday 18th of June 2012 03:03:19 PM
I would extend the invitation. The person that is being left out might not have a problem attending the party and if the person doesn't want to attend you are leaving the decision to that person not taking it for him/her.
I think it's nice to be invited. When I was a kid the Jewish kids got Easter baskets as well but no one was really orthodox. Maybe ask the Jehovah Witness child's mother whether they find getting the invitation itself offensive. Growing up, my cousin's best friend was JW and my aunt never invited him to my cousin's party but it was understood that the following day he would come over and have some of the KFC and a piece of cake that she'd saved for him.
What about the youth pastor? Do you think it's rude to invite someone who's job is to teach kids a particular set of morals to a celebration that ignores that moral code.
Follow up question: have you ever hosted a party and looked at the guest of honor's list and said ' we can't invite this person'? How did your friend react?
Have you ever had that happen to you when you were thr GOH? If so how did you handle it?
I think I would invite the youth pastor and let him/her make the decision whether or not to attend. Just because there has been a straying from the "moral code" does not meant the youth pastor looks at her as a lost cause to be cast aside.
Agree with EmmDee. Additionally, assuming the youth pastor would not attend due to straying from the 'moral code' could be insulting if their beliefs are based on forgiveness or helping those in need.
As for telling a guest of honor what 'we can't invite this person', I've never had that come up.
From what I have seen, it seems more normal to just invite everyone you've ever spoken to for gift-giving occasions rather than leave anyone out.
