@jonsblond Not in my circles, but possibly people do it.
To me it is impolite to ask for a gift and telling someone where the registry is withut being asked would be akin to asking for gift. I have seen invitations that specifically say no gifts please, or in lieu of gifts please donate to a certain charity. Having a registry is not asking for a gift in my mind, it is there for people who want to give a gift.
I picked my SIL’s name for Christmas and today I agonized about going back to the stores (I bought two things at two different stores) and returning them and rebuying them with cash so if she wants to return them she can get cash and not be obligated to spend the money in that store or credit back my credit card. I want her to have something she likes, and you know, I’m Jewish, I don’t want to waste money on something that will sit in a closet. If she had a santa list with specifics it would have made things easier.
Her children told me she wants a wine aerator. There are many different aerators. The one I bought is rather fancy, and I worry she would prefer a less fancy smaller one since she lived in a small apartment, but she also tends to like the most expensive thing money can buy a lot of the time. The price difference is only $15 more or less, so I splurged and got her the snazzy one. I also bought her my favorite long sleeve t-shirts for the cold weather, because she is always cold. So, one gift is basically what I think would be on a registry if she had one, and one is my own personal addition. I wish she had a registry with exactly what she wants. Save me time, worry, and also her time if she winds up needing to exchange it.
For kids it’s the same for me. I want to get them what they want. What they will actually wear or play with. It can even be cash if they want to save for something, I don’t care what it is. I care what they want. However, I also understand that sometimes adults buy gifts they believe will be interesting for a child and the kid may not even know to ask for it or have ever heard of it before. That’s good too. Children are limited by their experiences of course.