Modern Manners: the Holiday Party

Content by Modern Manners Guy: Quick and Dirty Tips For A More Polite Life

The holiday season is fast approaching as is the holiday-party-going season. And while this time of the year can be a lot of fun, it’s no excuse to send your manners on holiday.

As you all know, there are several types of parties that take place over the holiday season: the family and friends party, the work party, and the organization/club party; and each of these have different protocols that must be followed to ensure that you will secure an invite for the following year.

FAMILIES AND FRIENDS

For some of us, the holidays are the part of the year wherein our families and friends set aside all of the bitterness and hard feelings that we’ve spent the better part of 10 months amassing and come together to celebrate the consumption of entirely too much food. For the rest of us, your host included, the holiday’s are a time to truly appreciate the things that matter most to us in life, be it our faith, our friends, our families, or some delightful combination of these known as The Holiday Party.

Now, as a guest to a holiday party of friends and family, even though the situation is typically relaxed, there are a few rules that you should remember.

First, always remember to ask the host if there is anything that you can bring to the party. Though they will likely thank you and decline the offer, offering is the polite thing to do. Also, you are making yourself available for the last minute life-saver phone call to “stop and grab a bag of ice on your way over” when the host simply cannot get away– an indispensable gesture.

Next, when attending a family and friend party, it is a good idea to bring a gift for the host. It needn’t be overly extravagant or expensive, but it should say, “I recognize the time and effort that you’ve put into this party, and I appreciate what you have done.” That’s a lot for a gift to say, but I assure you your host will be grateful.

Remember to be helpful during the party. Even little things like, managing your own trash and picking up the occasional slack when another guest isn’t as vigilant as you are can be a huge help to the person throwing the party. After the guests leave at midnight, somebody has to be up until 2 a.m. putting the house back together, so every little bit helps.

THE WORK PARTY

The work party is a unique animal in that few of the people attending actually want to be there — I’m being a little facetious, but you know what I mean. There’s always something slightly awkward about a work party. That being the case, let’s review a few things to keep in mind while attending an office party.

First, remember that you are basically at work, and your best behavior should be on display. It’s easy to find yourself sitting with people who you rarely see in the office. And while the dude from the mailroom might think your lampshade-headed table dance is one for the books, it’s likely that Mrs. Dunbar, the HR director will find it one for an entirely different sort of book.

Second, I believe that it’s always safest to dress better than you would to an ordinary day at the office, unless of course the party is either during work or immediately after. The little extra effort can go a long way. Fellas, for example, should get out the suit and tie. It’s easier to take off a jacket at a party when you realize that you’re overdressed than it is to fashion one out of napkins when you realize that you’re lacking.

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