25 years ago, we had a cat. His name morphed from Hector, to Puddy, to Dr J across his lifestyle, but there was one thing that remained constant; we kids ADORED him. Even now, when we rate the 25+ cats we have had over our lifetime, he is always, always on top. Truly the GOAT.
To celebrate all the joy he brought us, we decided to have a birthday party for him. I must have been around 8-10, but I do remember my sisters being very keen. So one afternoon after school, we made about 20 handmade invitations, inviting our neighbours to come to our cat’s birthday.
I can’t remember it word for word, but it was along the lines of:
Dear Neighbour,
We are celebrating our cat’s birthday.
Please come to [address] at 5pm TODAY.
Bring your cat.
Harry, Victoria, Olivia, & Puddy
Unsurprisingly, although still disappointingly, no one turned up.
It’s a fun story, but it perfectly illustrates the golden rules related to invitations:
- Give people enough time to come. An hour is usually not enough.
- Make it easy. 5pm on a Wednesday is a tough time for anyone who isn’t chronically unemployed, or nearly dead, to make.
- It’s much simpler to bring a plate, than bring a cat, to events. Plan accordingly.