The season for invitations arriving at your doorstep has come. Christmas parties, weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, charity balls, you name it, it is almost as if people get caught up in the revelry of the holiday season by throwing parties—and who doesn’t enjoy a good gathering of friends, right?

But the most common complaint of hosts is that they never know how many people to prepare for. Why? Because people just show up or do not show up, based on their whim. Modern manners or not, it has been an age-old tradition all over the world to simply acknowledge the invitation with a response.

Just look at it this way. If someone has taken the time to invite you, take the time to respond. Whether it is a simple dinner at home or a grand occasion such as a wedding, every invite deserves a response.

All formal invitations come with a phone number which will only take two minutes of your time to call. Even in this day and age, where text invites are the norm, particularly for smaller affairs, a simple thanks for the invite—“I will be there” or “unfortunately I cannot attend”—is all you need to acknowledge the invitation.

“Filipinos never RSVP”—you hear this a lot. It is so true that it has already become part of our culture. But on the flipside, it does not mean it is correct or polite behavior.

So be a part of our changing culture and please take two minutes of your time to simply say yes or no to someone who has thought of you and would value your presence in their affair. It is not only the nice thing to do, it is also the proper and polite thing to do.

Just a simple reminder of an age-old tradition to help us enjoy this party season.

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