Recently I planned a farewell lunch for a good friend of mine who was moving to Europe. The RSVPs were in, the caterers lined up, the silver polished, the menu and place cards already on the table, and buckets of flowers waited to be arranged. On the morning of the party, the minor precipitation predicted became six inches of a wet, heavy snow surprise that made our street impassable, and most of Washington’s roads treacherous. It doesn’t take much for […]
Many years ago, while out shopping with my four-year-old daughter, I ran into an elderly friend and stopped to chat. There was a large fake rubber tree that was part of a clothing display nearby, which Liddy started to climb. I tried to catch her eye to make her stop, and kept throwing her dirty looks as I attempted to keep the conversation going with my friend. Liddy looked up at me and said loudly, “Why are you looking at […]
One of the perks of being a former White House Social Secretary is that we’re invited back for a Christmas luncheon each year by current White House Social Secretary, Deesha Dyer. It’s a chance to dish with my friends, admire the holiday decorations, and enjoy the warm hospitality of Deesha and the White House staff. We had a beautiful dessert service in the Green Room (with visits from White House Executive Chefs Cris Comerford and Susie Morrison), after lunch in […]
We’re officially into the last-minute shopping time of the year, and in my house, that means looking for gifts for my girls. It’s been such a crazy holiday season that I didn’t have time to do a gift guide – see last year’s here – but I was asked to be a tastemaker for To The Market, a wonderful website of survivor-made goods that allows you to shop by cause or country, so you know that what you’re giving is also […]
Washington has seen more than its share of great hostesses. Whether they’re first ladies, ambassador’s wives, major philanthropists with a specific agenda for an evening, or people who just like a good party and entertain beautifully because it’s a form of self-expression, all great hostesses operate on the same theory articulated by Dwight Eisenhower when referring to the D-Day invasion: plans are useless, planning is indispensable. It’s not surprising that great hostesses are compared to generals. There are details to […]
