The weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s supply bountiful opportunities for expressing joy. We entertain. We cook. We worship. We decorate. And we exchange gifts.
Directions to the dinner party? Check. Appropriate attire? Check. Leaving yourself enough time to get there? Checkeroo. You’ve thought of just about everything. Everything, that is, but a gift for your host.
Unless you live on a houseboat off the coast of East Jabib, chances are you’ve gotten phone calls from friends who unexpectedly announce that they’re going to be passing through your neck of the woods.
Despite “assistance” from the plethora of high-tech gadgets we now take for granted, most of us feel more time-strapped than ever. That’s partially because a good percentage of the population—yours truly included—spends many hours each week on-line.
Okay, it’s quiz time. You done a giant favor for a friend and you’ve just received his only expression of thanks—via text message. What do you think? Would any of the texts below satisfy you as adequate for the scenarios described?
The time for holiday parties is upon us. Although many of these get-togethers will be diversions you’ll look forward to with great anticipation, in the case of annual office gatherings, you may not be quite so psyched.
Can it be ten years since the calendar retired “19-” in favor of “20-”? I’ll never forget standing in Times Square as the ball dropped on that historic night.
There may be nothing so regrettable as an invitation that ends with the words regrets only. I cringe anytime I receive a party notification with that instruction. The concept of “don’t call to say you’re coming…just call if you’re not coming” is, quite frankly, a recipe for party disaster.
We’ve all been there. After a fun night out for dinner with friends, the check is being passed around. Wallets and purses are pulled out.
Whether you are attending a game or concert it is necessary to remember the importance of a quality tailgate. Done right the tailgate can end up being the best part of the day! To ensure everyone’s tailgating experience is a success, here are five key tips to the perfect tailgate.
It’s wedding season! You’ve got your designated plus-one, you’ve bought the gifts off the registry — now you just need to decide what to wear.
You have the menu, the strategy, the guest list — the biggest variable left is your stress level, and stress has a funny way of making us morph into those beings (or other B-words) we don’t want to be.
A real meal can be hard to come by in the early days of unpacking. Requiring no cutlery or plates, fried chicken with biscuits, served in a vintage cake tin, is delicious.
Each place should be set with all the glasses that will be used during dinner (except dessert-wine glasses, which may be brought out when the dessert is served). The water glass belongs to the right of the plate, just above the knife. Wineglasses should be set to the right of the water glasses in the order in which they will be used.
Last Friday night I found myself at an annual ornament-exchange holiday party. The event is in its ninth year, but this was my first time attending. Before we began to open ornaments, white elephant-style, the hostess felt the need to introduce “the newcomers” (myself and another girl).
A gift for your hostess need not be extravagant, but a little creativity does go a long way toward making this present surprising and special.
There are many upsides to throwing a really great party — the rush of self-satisfaction, the guaranteed invites to your guests’ future bashes, the matchmaking/networking/stand-up-routine-honing that you facilitate. The downside? It’s 2 a.m. and your college roommate and your husband’s golf buddy are still rooted to the couch, while your best friend is happily holding court in the kitchen with your dog walker.
An awkward pause can open like a sinkhole in the middle of party patter, sending you and your conversation partner scrambling for safety. Here are some suggestions next time you need help reaching for the right words.
