Ways To Politely Decline An Invitation

December to January is the time when invitations to where and what is all over the place. We have parties such as Christmas party, Year-end party, New Year, etc. It is time for celebration!

Receiving an invitation means, they remember you but not all the time we want to go because of personal reasons. We do not like to go because we do not vibe with the people invited or you are just too lazy to get out of your bed because you are watching your favorite movie.

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In this article, I will list down tips on how to be not rude or on how to politely decline an invitation. This is to avoid conflict or awkward moments with the parties.

1) First, when invited, always respond to it. Do not ignore the invitation.

We still need to respond to the invitation even though we do not intend to go. This is to let know if you are coming or not. Some celebrations are budget tightened and so, they need the number of people coming to adjust the food or chairs needed in the venue. It is very rude not to respond because first of, you are remembered to be invited and it means you are an important person for them.

2) Be grateful that you are invited.

Include in your reply that you are extremely thankful that you are one of their invited guests. Out of many people, they thought of you to be included in their list. Some people might be wishing to be on that list but instead, they choose you. Also, you should respond immediately. If unable to go, you should tell them immediately.

3) Be honest about why you are unable to go.

This is the critical part. You should be honest about why you cannot come to celebrate. The best way to put your excuse is in a short format. Do not try to over-explain it. Just letting them know that you cannot go is enough.

I know this is awkward but sometimes I do white lies because of personal reasons but I make sure that those invitations that I decline are not major celebrations. I decline some invites like drinking sessions or just hanging around because I have better things to spend on my time. I do not like drinking too because of the taste. I drink like twice a year and I make sure that I have my sister with me. I do not like being intoxicated with alcohol with nobody around me that I trust. We should all be always careful.

4) When you cannot come, you might want to send a gift to the celebrant.

To let them know that you received the invitation and are truly sorry that you cannot come, you might want to send a gift. It is a gesture of saying thank you that you are chosen as one of the people invited. A simple gift is okay, but if you want to go big, why not, right? The important thing is you are sincere in your gift whether how big or small it is. You might also include a card on the gift and say that you wish you were there to celebrate with them.

Here is an example of how to write it:

Hello, friend!

Thank you so much for inviting me to your birthday celebration. Sadly, I already have plans for today that is why I cannot attend. Wishing you a big blast!

Your friend, Jijisaur

Another example:

Hello, Sis!

Good morning! I am happy about your career growth. Unfortunately, I cannot come to celebrate with you because I will be out of town this week. Hoping you to have a wonderful celebration.

Best, Jijisaur

Final Thoughts

We have different reasons why we decline invitations. It is not hard to say no because if you truly cannot come, you can decline it politely. There is nothing wrong with declining unless you have a bad reason. We do not like to experience friends not coming to our party for bad reasons, do we? I know for sure they will understand your situation. It is just a matter of good communication.

Thank you for reading my article!

Lead image edited on Canva, Images from Canva

Opensea/Twitter/Noise.cash: @Jijisaur

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