Most of us have one. We have one member of the family, friend or acquaintance circle who is best described as “colorful”. I am no exception. Last Thanksgiving was especially meaningful. For the first time in 25 years my entire extended family joined together for merriment, food and fellowship. The youngest tot to the oldest patriarch united together under one roof for a day of loving chaos. As the day progressed and the wine flowed, my “colorful” sibling became increasingly colorful. Never one to restrain his gaiety (or his filters), I found we were about to enter forbidden and uncomfortable territories. Good taste does not have to squelch good humor. Unfortunately, there are some folks whose joke telling stipulates that all those within earshot…
Posts from the “Holidays / Occasions” Category
I’m reissuing a post I wrote in May due to the nature of the season. With all of our lives filled with busyness and last-minute reminders of forgotten gifts, take a moment to pause and read (or re-read) etiquette guidelines for re-gifting. I don’t know about you but as the days creep closer to Christmas and panic begins to set in, I find I must resist the temptation to wrap Grandma’s crocheted plant holder lovingly given to me in 1979. Happy Holidays everyone! ♥ Re-Gifting. This is a relatively new term for off-loading your loot to another person all under the guise of an original gift. There are many justifiable reasons: You want to be “green” and recycle, you don’t have time to shop,…
“Dear [INSERT NAME], It’s hard to believe that another year has passed! You just can’t imagene the many blesings our family has experienced in 2012. Bob was promoted in July to the position of CEO. After the many long and tireless hours he’s committed to the compnay over the past 38 years, we are enjoying a more liveable wage of $650,000 per year. I just don’t know how we managed to get by on the pittance of just half that all these years. Now we will be able to afford the procedure to get rid of his little “wart” problem! Buffy just graduated Magna Cum Laude of her class at Yale. She missed Suma Cum Laude by .2% and attributes the oversight not to…
If you really want to feel special, order yourself a corsage and wear it for no apparent reason. You are not headed to the prom (thank you, Lord), a wedding or funeral. You are not celebrating your 50th wedding anniversary, winner of the Publisher’s Clearing House sweepstakes or named Pickle Salesperson of the Year. You simply love you. What a treat to be able to go about your day with the aroma and beauty of a fresh bloom or two. This little luxury will only cost you a few bucks. Much less than the cost of a bouquet which will sit on your counter while you spend the majority of your time away from it. Cheaper than a manicure, pedicure, facial or trip to…
The heavy traffic of wedding season is now upon us. Fond memories of weddings past conjure up images of kisses and toasts. Many times the former is a direct result of the later. Ad nauseum. I have not pinpointed the reason why this bothers me. The reception room is filled with the cheerful clinking of glasses by utensil, groom kisses bride, bride kisses groom. All I can ever think is “please, just let them eat!“. I have no idea where this custom originated but am hoping that it is contained and quickly eradicated the world over. Aside from the dollar-dance, it is the lack of toasting know-how that disgruntles me. Toasting is not unique to weddings of course so the following simple rules apply…
“A dame that knows the ropes isn’t likely to get tied up.” Mae West The wonderful world of wedding season is upon us. For some, this means excitement and joy, for others it signifies relief from the abyss of planning purgatory. Having personally survived many weddings (my own as well as my children’s) and being witness to countless others, I feel it is my duty to right the ship on Maid of Honor duties. Ladies, if you have been honored with a request to be a Maid or Matron of Honor, you’ve essentially been called to duty. Don’t panic. This is a job for the tenacious; the tough; the strong and forcible! YOU CAN DO IT! Here’s how you can do it with style……
Categories: All, Holidays / Occasions
This posting will be painful for some of you, but necessary. Please try to remember that what does not kill you just might make you stronger. At least, it will enlighten you. Ignorance might be bliss but it isn’t if you step on the toes of another person. You’ve received an invitation. You’ve studied it for hours. The invitation does not list your child by name nor does it mention that children are invited. The invitation may be in written form or verbal; it does not matter. The rules apply for each scenario. What do you do? In the midst of your bewilderment you will recall these words: THEY ARE NOT INVITED. You are now plotting… You are considering bringing your bundle of joy,…
Elizabeth Taylor once said “It’s not the having, it’s the getting“. Liz and I were not besties but I’m sure she was alluding to the great American past time of the garage sale. It’s that time of year again where the American public opens themselves up to the humbling experience of self-enterprise. Where complete strangers follow the beacon of handmade signage to obtain the holy grail of ” THE DEAL”. I confess I am one of the flock. Not only do I look forward to this pilgrimage as a customer, I also become a vendor. Today, I’m directing this entry to the pilgrims. Each year I tell myself that it will be the last. Exhausting hours of preparation and imploring my friends for extra…
Believe it or not, there are faux pas avoidance techniques specifically for the knock-back category. Tackling the “how to drink” adventure is in no way neglectful of the fact we are all born with the ability to drink. It is the refinement of this gift that needs attention. Your stylistic beverage consumption may never be noticed or rewarded with accolades. If your technique is less than stylish, you will be noticed. For some of you, that might be a bonus. I’m going to divide this into two categories; non-alcoholic and alcoholic. If you only consume alcoholic beverages, you can skip to the second part. FOR ALL DRINKERS: Please sip rather than gulp AND sip without food in your mouth. Non-Alcoholic Beverage Swilling Technique Tea…
Ladies of Prom age…it’s your turn. If you took a moment to read my post on Prom aimed to the Boy-Men, you will see that there are some cross-over points for you to ponder. Even in this day and age of increased gender equality, the guys may assume most of the financial burdens. Yea. Sometimes it’s just really great to be female. There are some caveats to this however. I’m not going to bore you with another tragic prom story from my past. Take a look at the last post and you will have enough fodder to keep you for a long time. In fact, my pictures may give you the confidence you might be lacking. I will support you completely if you (silently…
Proms are age specific. Sometimes I wish they weren’t. If you are one of the fortunate girls who went to prom with someone you actually liked (or puppy loved), I congratulate you!! I, on the other hand, was not THAT girl. Although I had a modest amount of popularity, I was forced to attend prom with boy-men I did not like. I will not name names but it is very tempting. Time for the story and lesson… My goal was to be able to attest in my old age that I attended all the proms I was able to. It was a numbers game for me. This is a sad and sobering fact. While I was successful in achieving my goal, I can honestly…
After struggling with what to write about for my first post, I’ve been lead to a subject near and not so dear to my heart; How to be a good dinner guest. With all of the topics to choose from, this one, single theme continues to creep into my personal life. While I might be going out on a limb, I’m going to assume that most of us have not been raised in a barn or had (real) monkeys for parents. With that said, the obvious question might be why some folks behave like they have. Parental example. It’s common to blame our parents for all the wrongs in our life. Of course, our bad choices are their fault. It’s their fault for…
Categories: All, Entertaining, Everyday Civilities, Guest Relations, Holidays / Occasions, Out & About
faux pas [foh pah] noun, plural faux pas [foh pahz; Fr. foh pah] a slip or blunder in etiquette, manners, or conduct; an embarrassing social blunder or indiscretion. There are as many words for a social blunder as social blunders. My personal favorite (aside from Faux Pas) is peccadillo; a very minor or slight sin or offense; a trifling fault. The word is just flat-out fun to say. Years of silently and sometimes not so silently witnessing social errors lead me to purge through blogging. I can’t possibly be alone in my frustrations! Misery loves company… Not only are there a zillion words for etiquette, there are a zillion more possible subjects just waiting for juicy comment. BUT… comments are not enough. As…
myfauxpas 