Etiquette: Holiday Entertaining

Holiday season brings a relationship issue that most people don’t
even realize — what to bring as a hostess gift. During this season,
above all others, food is prevalent, and makes a great hostess gift
– but you have to know the rules!

* Never show up to a party or a dinner empty-handed. It’s bad
manners and it’s inconsiderate. Whether it’s a cocktail party, a
dinner party, a Christmas party or you’re a weekend guest at
someone’s home, bring something.

* Gift Giving doesn’t have to be stressful.. When in doubt,
visit AskApril.com’s “Gift Giving Rules, Tips & Advice” column –it
offers answers and solutions to all your gift giving questions.

Follow these tips, relax, and enjoy your holiday visit!

If you’re meeting your honey’s family for the first time at the
holidays, you’re probably nervous about what kind of hostess gift to
bring, and you’re probably not the only one who’s nervous.
Introducing a boyfriend or girlfriend to your family for the first
time is a major step in any relationship that announces, “We’re
serious.” No one should introduce a boyfriend to your family unless
this is someone you want to go all the way with — and I DON’T mean
sex. I mean marriage or a long term, committed relationship. If
you’re not serious about him, don’t bring him home to meet the family
- unless it’s in a group of your friends who are coming for dinner.

1. Discuss a hostess gift with your girlfriend or boyfriend. Some
guys don’t know that they should bring a gift to your mother. Educate
him. Tell him what she would really like. Or what your dad would
like. If this is a holiday gathering, a fail safe gift is a holiday
plant like a Poinsetta, or festive centerpiece , also great are a box
of goodies for the entire family. If the family loves music, he might
want to burn them a compilation of great holiday songs, which is very
thoughtful, and they can put it on the stereo and have something to
listen to and talk about. Regardless of what it is, when he shows up
at the door with a big gift basket, a bunch of CDs that he either
bought or burned himself, the attention will be on the gift, and you
can avoid any awkward getting to know you silences or not quite
knowing what to say.

2. If anyone in the family is alcoholic, recovering from something
like an eating disorder, drug abuse, or has a chronic illness, or a
new divorce, you should let your boyfriend know so he doesn’t show up
with a case of wine as a gift or make jokes about dying or any other
topic that may be off color given the circumstances.