Second Hand Invitations

The Second Hand Invitations (SHI) is when someone who has received an invitation to a gathering/party/event then decides to invite others even though they are not the host. Thus the invitation is a SHI or, an invitation by proxy.

Personally I never attend anything on a second hand invitation. You are always left with that lingering doubt that the host probably thinks you’re an absolute tool for turning up uninvited. The SHI giver will always try to convince you that the host really wants you to come, but whether they really do or not is another matter. When you receive a SHI it can be quite a catch-22. If you do go you feel uninvited, and if you don’t you feel like you have turned down an invitation and must therefore come up with a plausible excuse in case the host asks you why you weren’t there.

I never give a SHI and I certainly don’t attend anything on a SHI and when I am the host I always think people who have turned up on a SHI are more than slightly peculiar. As for THI (third hand invitation) don’t even get me started!