Apr 26 2023 - Those Three Words

 

Are you the subject of sarcasm?  There's nothing like a "Harvard-trained etiquette expert" to guide you on how to reply.  What is Harvard doing training people in etiquette?  That's Sara Jane Ho's bio. It turns out her Harvard degree is an MBA.  She then went on to a Swiss finishing school.  And then on to an English degree, and now on to a Netflix series - Mind Your Manners.   So she's travelling in the professional realm that Emily Post made famous in the 1920s.  But there's no comparison between Emily Post and Sara Jane Ho to be found. There is lots written on her as she's quite the celebrity material. "Ms. Ho lives and runs Institute Sarita, the charm school she founded in 2012. With a curriculum that includes courses with names like “British Afternoon Tea,” “Pronunciation of Foreign Luxury Brands” and “Introduction to Expensive Sports,” Ms. Ho initially catered to nouveau riche Chinese interested in learning Western-style snobbery."   She's made a big impression in the U.S. with lots of coverage in the news.  What are those three words to reply to an insult?  They are:  "Are you okay?" Comparing her to Emily Post is possible as there is an Emily Post Institute with lots of advice:  "It’s OK to stand up to rude behavior as long as you don’t respond unkindly. Staying cool is the best way to make a point, and perhaps your good manners will be contagious. Here are some guidelines for responding to rude behavior—or not: Give the offender the benefit of the doubt Size up your announances Set a good example Encourage a positive response Laugh it off What I did notice at the Emily Post website is that one can get a signed copy of the NEW Emily Post's Etiquette Centennial edition.  Emily Post died in 1960.  More Cherry tree pictures today.   Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblogspot.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Dec 7 2020 - Christmas Thank You Notes

 

Since Millie has been taking up my mornings, I am writing the photo of the day post closer to noon.  I might end up with a High Noon quote or I just might schedule it each day. Today's question:  Is it proper etiquette to send thank you cards for Christmas gifts?   Here's the answer from Maralee McKee who is dedicated to helping you become the person you most want to be, particularly when it comes to contemporary etiquette, manners, and so on: You could send a thank you note to everyone who gave you a Christmas gift, but it's not necessary if you thanked them in person. However, there are three persons you really should write an after-Christmas thank you note to. Not only does Maralee McKee, The Etiquette School of America say you could, she says you should, write thank you cards to: 1. Persons who've made a positive impact in your life 2. Persons you work with personally and professionally 3. For any gift you received or party you attended but haven't thanked the person yet. And she instructs us to do it in hand-writing.   That's the tough part: I will have to learn to write again.  It seems odd to have lost a skill within my own lifetime - not any skill, but a daily living skill considered critical. I have lots of Christmas images.  This one is peeling paint on the side of a transport truck at Vineland Research when they were building the big greenhouses.  They are seeking to hybridize tastier winter greenhouse tomatoes.  You can see them in the dumpster - perfect little red tomatoes - hundreds of them.  I've been told to leave them there by one of the researchers who works there.