#holiday-gatherings

#holiday-gatherings

"When someone says 'Make yourself at home,' they usually do not mean this literally," said Jodi R.R. Smith, president of Mannersmith Etiquette Consulting. "You should keep your feet off the furniture, and unless this is a close friend, you should not be opening the fridge without being asked to do so." Wait for the host to give you the go-ahead to touch or interact with things you see. Until that happens, quickly ask for permission if something strikes your fancy.

You have food, you have alcohol, you have questions about what to wear, you have people you don't see very often, or who you see very often but not in this context. There's also a lot of pressure on the holidays in general. We have a lot of expectations that don't always align-like we want it to be a lot of different things, and maybe it can't be all of those things.

A runny nose alone doesn't scare me. A lot of kids are going to have runny watery noses in the winter season. It can be from the cold weather, or it can be from allergies in the fall. A sniffle is not going to do much damage, especially with good hand hygiene.

Parting with a lot of expensive wine is the cost of hosting Harry. Although his liver would probably appreciate it, placing any limits on what he's allowed to consume would be rude and decidedly non-festive. So here's what you're going to do: Open one bottle of the good stuff, or as much as you need to pour everyone a glass. When that's gone, switch to bottles you don't care about-perhaps