I don’t know where this came from, but today I made a rather unusual, almost archeological discovery.
It’s an invitation for the 2001 Thomas Jefferson High School Senior Prom.
The first things I noticed:
For something 25 years old, it’s in pretty good condition. A few creases, but almost zero fading. Considering this was at one point cared for by a teenager, that’s impressive.
Secondly, inflation is real. $25 isn’t nothing, but I cannot imagine it going very far if you were trying to host an event today. With that said, a quick google search tells me that $25 them is worth ~$44 today, so still, an affordable evening.
The final thing is that this card is one of the very few artefacts we have of this event. For some students, Prom was a fun but largely forgettable evening. For others, it might have been a wonderful night, and for others, it could have been awful. I wonder if anyone who attended ever thinks back and wonders if things had only gone slightly differently, how their life would have turned out.
I have no idea where this card came from, but I am glad I found it.