NEW Day 3: #WebWednesday

Happy National Etiquette Week! Today is...

#WebWednesday

We love this handy guide on social media (and common sense) from "Modern Manners: Tools to Take You to the Top" by Dorothea Johnson and Liv Tyler!

NEW DAY 2: #TastyTuesday

Happy National Etiquette Week! Today is...

#TastyTuesday

Let's talk dining etiquette and table settings!

Bread plate & drink

Make a b and a d with your hands. B is for bread; D is for drink. Your left hand makes a b...bread plate goes on the left! Your right hand makes a d...drink goes on the right!

Forks, knives & spoons

How many letters in the word "fork"? 4.

How many letters in the word "left"? 4.

Your fork goes on your left.

How many letters in the word "knife"? 5.

How many letters in the word "spoon"? 5.

How many letters in the word "right"? 5.

Your knife goes on your right.

S&P, together forever

Salt and pepper are "married"—you never pass one without the other!

Come back tomorrow for NEW Day 3!

Happy National Etiquette Week!

NEW is here again!

May 11-15 is National Etiquette Week, an event founded in 1997 by children's etiquette consultant Sandra Morisset. What a great way to celebrate the importance of courtesy, civility, and good manners—not just once a year for a week, but in the little, ordinary moments that make up everyday life.

So, how are we kicking it off?

#ModernMannersMonday

For excellent examples of Modern Manners, check out our favorite book - "Modern Manners: Tools to Take you to the Top" by Dorothea Johnson and Liv Taylor. (We'd love it even if Dorothea Johnson, founder of the Protocol School of Washington, hasn't called us "the nation's most outstanding source of children's etiquette training"!)

"Modern Manners" is now being translated for readers in Russia, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Netherlands...it's a good time for you to find a copy, too!

We'll see you tomorrow for NEW Day 2!

Catching up, and lots of dancing!

We stay busy year-round at our etiquette school, Perfectly Polished, even in the long post-holiday winter days. And right now, we have dancing on our minds—not just teaching it, but planning for the dances we hold for our students. This means spending quality time with our college staff...

...to help plan fun events like the Cotillion Club Tea Dance...

...teach our students during our regular classes...

...and of course, we're already planning for our annual Spring Formal! It's a great way to get through the winter!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

We hope you have a very merry time with your loved ones...

With love from some of our Perfectly Polished family to yours!

Parties, hosts, and gifts

Whether you've got one more holiday party to attend, a New Year's get-together on the horizon, or any party for any reason at all....it's a good time to think about bringing a gift for the party host. 

We love this idea and think it never goes out of style to show your appreciation in a festive way—and you don’t have to go overboard, either. A small but heartfelt token will do nicely! 

When it comes to host or hostess gifts, keep practicality first and foremost in mind. If the host is a good friend, then you’ll likely already have several ideas for the perfect gift. But if you don’t know the host very well, we have some ideas for gifts that have wide-ranging appeal!

• Are you traveling to the party? Bring some local interest with you! Non-perishable foodstuffs from your hometown (maple sugar candy from Vermont, or peach jam from Georgia, for example) are thoughtful presents.

• Go with a monogram! Stationary, guest towels, coasters…there are plenty of choices.

• High-quality tea often has the bonus of coming in beautiful tins or packaging. Or if your host prefers coffee, find a favorite blend—bonus points if you have a local roaster!

• Support local artisans while selecting something truly unique! Search for hand-made soaps, lotions, candles, jewelry, knitting, or other goods, which you might find in local stores, art galleries, or even farmer’s markets. (Remember that unless you know your host well, avoid strong scents!)

• Flowers in an attractive keepsake vase are a perennial favorite, no matter how elaborate or simple the arrangement. Potted amaryllis is also a beautiful choice that will come back next season. Make sure that if your host has pets, the plants are safe! 

Holidays on a budget

Are you doing some last-minute holiday shopping, only to realize your budget is a lot smaller than you thought? 

Who can afford to be this guy?

Don’t be embarrassed—you’re not alone! Luckily, there are plenty of ways to show your love for friends and family during the holidays that rely more on thoughtfulness and less on money. That’s right—it’s time to revisit the idea of a “budget holiday." Here are some tips!

• For large families, consider drawing names, at least among the adults, to cut down on the amount of gifts to buy.

• If the children of the family are, well, no longer children, consider coming to a group consensus on gift giving (say, when the youngest graduates high school or college, or gets a job—or some other marker of maturity—agree to send holiday letters or cards rather than money or gifts).

• Rather than exchange gifts, think about all pitching in on an experience, whether that’s a weekend getaway, a road trip, or dinner and a movie. Younger children might have fun with geocaching or a more low-tech scavenger hunt.

• If you know what they love and are well aware of any food allergies, there’s nothing wrong with a plate full of cookies (or other such treats). Or how about a cookie-decorating get-together?

• If someone has a Christmas tree, it needs ornaments! Browse Pinterest or other handy sites for inspiration and get to crafting. (If all else fails, a good old-fashioned paper chain is always cheerful, and you can make it more meaningful with hidden messages written on each paper link.)

• Give the gift of your time. Make a date with a friend for a long talk, coffee, or spending time on a mutual hobby. The memories will last long after the holidays!