The word ‘etiquette’ in French means ‘label,’ which is appropriate because nothing labels us like our personal behavior.  Every time a new piece of technology becomes available to the general public, etiquette has to be created to cope with it.  There’s no point in bemoaning technological changes; they’re going to happen no matter what we may think of them, so it’s important to develop practical rules for how to use cellphones and other social media platforms in a way that […]

People seem to have anxiety about giving wedding gifts, and rightfully so.  I was shocked to read on one wedding website that the average amount of money spent on a wedding gift is well over $100.  This has to be a dilemma for young people whose friends are getting married in droves; a young woman I know has been invited to thirteen weddings this year!  How is she supposed to pay her rent and still buy 13 wedding gifts? This […]

It’s not the thought that counts; it’s how thoughtful the thought is… The other day I was wrapping a few hostess gifts and thinking they needed a little pizzazz.  They were perfectly acceptable gifts, but it’s not enough for me to give a gift; Ineed to see that the giftee really, really likes it. There’s no pleasure in giving something that elicits a meh. Gift-giving can be a source of anxiety in modern life.  Too many people confuse the cost […]

There’s a saying that you learn good manners from those who have none. I was reminded of this on a recent plane flight.  The big passenger seated in front of me fell into his seat like a dead weight, launching the open bottle of water on my tray table into my lap.   As he organized himself, he stretched his head backward over the top of the seat, leaning back so my face was less than a foot away from his […]