The Do’s and Don’ts of Holiday Party Season
Be the perfect host or guest with these tips.
By Caroline Craighead December 4, 2017
This article originally appeared in the November 2017 issue of Seattle magazine.
While sharing a meal with family and friends can be the highlight of the holiday season, navigating the unspoken rules of these gatherings can also be stressful.
Enter Arden Clise, founder of Seattle-based Clise Etiquette and author of Spinach in Your Boss’s Teeth: Essential Etiquette for Professional Success ($15.95; Silver Fern Publishing), who offers expert advice on the do’s and don’ts of holiday gatherings.
How early should a host send out invitations?
Get invitations out at least three weeks in advance to ensure good attendance; an emailed invitation is best (texts and Facebook are discouraged). When guests reply, ask about food restrictions so there are no surprises.
Do you have tips for organizing seating?
I like to be intentional and use place cards to break up spouses since they already know each other, and alternate female and male or quiet and chattier next to each other.
How can a host keep the conversation flowing during dinner?
Ask your guests questions like “What is your favorite holiday memory?” or “What dish does your family always serve at holiday dinners?” and follow up with additional questions. Keep it light and fun so everyone can participate.
Should guests bring a gift for the host?
Bring a gift if the dinner is not a potluck. I like to bring cocktail napkins, wine charms or wine stoppers. Avoid bringing cut flowers as the host has to step away from guests to put them in water.
Follow Us
Blueprints for Building Community
After tragedy struck a local restaurateur family, one of their daughters stepped in to complete the design for her brother’s unfinished home.
Although he was just 35 when a heart attack took his life, Khoa Pham’s imprint on Seattle’s international district was such that the city quickly designated April 21 as a memorial day in his honor. With his rescue pitbull, Pinky, by his side, Pham cut a colorful figure through Little Saigon and became well known…
Tuft Stuff
Tuft Ruft turns fiber art into a social, hands-on experience in Pioneer Square.
It all started with a bout of pandemic boredom. Like many, when COVID-19 hit, recent graduate Carrie Xiao found herself stuck at home, with extra time on her hands. One day, while scrolling social media, she discovered tufting: a textile manufacturing technique that creates a garment or rug with a “pile,” or raised surface. After…
Collaborating Cultures
Looking to build a home to welcome family and friends, one Kirkland couple turns to a sister to design a modern house with influences from the wife’s Thai heritage.
For many years, when homeowners planned to build or remodel, architects and designers advised them to think first and foremost about resale value. From the number of bedrooms to the materials, appliances, and finishes in the kitchens and bathrooms, homes were often treated solely as an investment, with an eye to future sales. In recent…
Whale Of A Remodel
The transformation of an Orcas Island home takes advantage of remarkable views
For many years, Apollo 8 astronaut Bill Anders entertained his Orcas Island neighbors with breathtaking acrobatics in his vintage airplane. Anders and his wife, Valerie, had purchased a five-acre compound on the isolated western edge of the island for its mesmerizing view, a subject he knew something about. As a member of the first human…