To not send graduation gifts

[Wrenna]

Family friends have twins graduating this year and have sent out graduation announcements (Not invitations to a party). Our own son graduated last year but with Covid he couldn’t have a party so I didn’t send out announcements so no one would feel pressured to send him a gift. These friends definitely knew our son was graduating last year but he didn’t receive even a congratulations card from them - which is fine. However now that we received these announcements I’m thinking they are expecting a gift. Can I just send them a congratulations card and not gift or am I just being miserable?

Utterly ridiculous. As PP have said, it's just for finishing school. I hope to God it doesn't graduate over here (see what I did there?).

So given that I have a child graduating soon I thought I should check to see if we are somehow missing something we’re supposed to do here.

Everything I read says an announcement is simply an announcement, and that gifts are not expected.

I think you may be worrying about something that’s not even expected here OP.

Is your husband American? What are the expectations where he grew up?

BrumBoo

DenisetheMenace
School? It gets worse. You graduate from university. You leave school.
Bonkers.
To be fair, from what I've watched of American TV (total expert), 'graduate' is a term they use for finishing any school year and/or moving on to the next schooling experience. Even quite old media has lines such as 'did you even graduate the 4th Grade?' or 'she's going to her Middle School graduation'. It seems to be just part of the vernacular. However, getting money (lots of money) for completing the basics seems ott even for me. Also seems like another huge wealth divider in the American class system“

I don’t live in America, I live in the UK where graduate very distinctly refers to someone successfully passing out of university, hence “graduate trainee” programmes in industry, , banking etc. open only to people with qualifying degrees.
School leavers are not graduates. Primary school leavers most certainly aren’t. Nuts.

@DenisetheMenace but the OP is in America, that's the whole point. Just because we British don't 'get it', doesn't mean it's not a long standing 'thing' elsewhere. Not everything American is evil and trying to infiltrate British culture. In America you 'graduate' from your year group or from the many stages of school, it's not a new thing.

I believe you are able to not graduate high school in the USA. It's like not getting any GCSEs I assume. And therefore no certificate of learning to show future employers. It's important without a doubt but personally I don't think it merits the massive fuss that seems to surround it. But I speak as someone amazed that a friend gave her kids £100 for every gcse they got an A in.

One auntie gave me a card with £20 in it when I got my undergrad degree. I got married the next day so really wasn't expecting much graduation fuss, I was really touched.

In Thailand in Y2K I saw a group of 4 years olds "graduate" with caps and gowns. I was really worried in case one of has failed, I thought they were too young to feel that rejection, but apparently that fear was groundless, they all got through.