The Lady Hooper-Brackett: Etiquette. Manners. Advice.
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Cherished readers, on of The Lady’s favorite pastimes is watching vintage and retro videos on YouTube. Today I am sharing a video from the Doyenne of Etiquette, Emily Post. I cannot help but wish these types of educational film strips would regain popularity in the schools. I hope you enjoy!
Best Thursday Wishes,
The Lady Hooper-Brackett
Cherished readers, The Lady Hooper-Brackett is happily perusing the new volume of etiquette wisdom that she purchased yesterday.
In one section of this book, titled “You Can Send Yourself a Telegram” Miss Post offers a suggestion for removing oneself from an uncomfortable stay in someone’s home. And the picture she paints of the uncomfortable is most dreadful: it involves a lumpy bed, a room filled with mosquitos, near a room with a wailing baby, and the temperature of the room approaching a hundred degrees. Goodness. That does seem like a hellish environment. Miss Post suggests sending oneself a telegram the next morning, presumably to call one home.
The Lady thinks this was a fine idea. She also is glad that we now live in a world with much more technology and options at our fingertips. In our day and age, we would not have to spend a night in hell and then extricate ourselves the next morning. We could text a friend, have them call under the guise of an emergency, and pack to leave immediately.
The two admonishments that Miss Post (and the Lady Hooper-Brackett!) give is that one must never let your host family know how miserable you were and no matter how bad your brief stay, you must never complain, divulge, or otherwise confide that the visit was anything other than pleasant.
Woe to the next person who stays in the hellish accommodations.
Best Guest Wishes,
The Lady Hooper-Brackett
As a tie-in to the previous post about setting the table for entertaining guests, let’s look at the nice custom of guests bringing the hostess a small gift as a thank you for putting on a wonderful get-together.
The guest need not spend a fortune or spend an inordinate amount of time searching for the perfect gift. These types of gifts, in my opinion, should be simple and useful.
Some items you may wish to consider when choosing a gift for your host:
A bottle of wine
A box of chocolates
A bouquet of flowers
Some lovely cocktail napkins
A box of pretty stationery
Non-perishable foodstuffs (jams, jellies, mustards etc..) in a gift box or set.
A beautiful coffee table book (I prefer photography or travel books)
Marble cheese cutter
If your host is an avid barbecuer, an apron or BBQ tool set
I’m fond of getting good deals on beautiful things so I suggest finding a sale at one of the better department stores on some of the items on the list and stocking upon these items to grab and go when you are asked over. I’ve found appropriate items that any host would be proud to display at Dillard’s and even TJ Maxx!
Best Guest Gift Wishes,
The Lady Hooper-Brackett
I spoke to a group of my friends about planning ahead for entertaining. One easy way to take some stress off is to set the table ahead of time. Years ago a kind older lady gave me this tip and I have used it each time I’ve had guests.
Set your complete table the day before you will be entertaining. Lay out your serving dishes on the sideboard, also. Take new and clean clear shower curtains or other clear plastic sheeting and lay it over the settings and dishes. Keeps dirt and dust off and then you merely remove right before the guests arrive.
Incidentally, if you have eager young table setters, a cute way to have them remember where the silverware is to be placed on the table is thus:
Spoon and Knife….5 letters same as RIGHT
Fork…4 letters same as LEFT.
I hope that the youth of the world will be interested in good table settings. It is a nicety that we should all revisit in the civilized world.
Best Table Wishes,
The Lady Hooper-Brackett
It is always an adventure to settle down with my cup of coffee in the morning and read through my emails to see what is concerning my darling friends. I came across this interesting problem regarding towels.
My friend went to a First Communion party at her niece’s house and when she used the bathroom facilities, was dumbstruck that her niece had only provided a small hand towel for the fifty or so guests that she had in her home. Her shock did not come from the fact that there was only one towel, however. The shock came from seeing others using the facilities and then discovering that the towel was perfectly dry…it had not been used! She found wet spots near the sink and the soap was wet, so hands seemed to be washed…so why not use the towel?
I can recall a time in my childhood when I was admonished by my dear mother to not use the ‘guest towels’ that were specially hung on a bar near the sink. So, I never used them. She had elevated them to sacred status in my impressionable mind. For years, even when using the facilities in other’s homes, I avoided touching the guest towels and wiped my hands on my pants! (Yes, I know…the horror of it!!!)
I believe that there can be a solution to this problem, however.
Best Clean Hand Wishes,
The Lady Hooper-Brackett
The Lady Hooper-Brackett: Etiquette. Manners. Advice. 