“I sent out invitations to a small group of friends for a special celebration later in the month. I did this by email. A few days later I got a response from someone who was not on the guest list. They indicated my invitation was forwarded to them by a mutual friend and they were sending me an RSVP to let me know they were coming.

“I had never heard of a practice of chain-invitations. How do you manage these kinds of party surprises?”

G: This is not quite the same thing as those who crash weddings, but it does happen at other gatherings. I find it surprising that it has now become a “thing” as it violates social norms that I thought were well established. But perhaps this happens because potlucks have grown in popularity among some communities.

While discussing this with a few people, I

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