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
Your Land, Your Legacy: A New Way to Build at Suncadia
For those who believe that where you live should reflect how you live and how you’ll be remembered Suncadia invites a deeper kind of ownership. It’s an opportunity to create a home that is entirely your own, on some of the most desirable homesites in the Cascades, while benefiting from the ease, support, and long-term…
Settling In, Not Just Moving In: How Seattle Newcomers Find Their Footing
Photos courtesy of Royalty Moving & Storage Seattle. Explore: Seattle Relocation Resources Moving to Seattle is rarely just about transporting belongings from one address to another. For many newcomers, it marks the beginning of learning a city that operates on its own terms, shaped by distinct neighborhoods, changing weather, and an unspoken culture that locals…
Coasting Into Calm
After purchasing a weather-worn, ant-infested cabin on an Oregon beach, a Seattle couple hires a regional team to transform it into a stylish weekend retreat.
When architect Andrew Montgomery first pulled up to his clients’ house in Arch Cape, Oregon, there were logs in the driveway, courtesy of the sizable swells that come with the coast’s king tides. At just 28 feet above sea level and as close as you can get to the water without being on the beach,…
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…