Serve a variety of snacks to please all your guests’ tastes
I’m organizing a holiday get-together with some girlfriends. After I sent out a save-the-date, one friend replied all, saying she’s not eating gluten. Then another replied saying she can’t eat dairy. And a third requested low carb. COME ON! What do I do? It’s the most wonderful time of the year! I know, I know, it can all get to be a bit much. But you can do this. And you don’t need to make everyone an individual meal. Carry on with a reply all message to the group saying you’ll be serving an afternoon tea. That way, no one is expecting a serious meal (which is code for come peckish, but not hangry). Then hop online and search “gluten free + lactose free + low carb” recipes and see what you come up with. You’ll be surprised . . . you’re in very good company (Nuts! Crudite! Coconut-based stuff! Egg-y things! Options abound!). Or hit a local bakery and fancy food shop to see what they have on offer. If you can find a few cookies or snacks that fit the bill, serve a lot of a few things, rather than attempting small servings from a ton of recipes. Plate them up beautifully and serve them with tea (milk, almond milk, coconut milk, naturally) and feel the rush of the holiday spirit. Know what else is low-carb, gluten-free and dairyfree? Red wine. Happy holidays.
I am so busy I can’t fathom the idea of sitting down to write 100 holiday cards. Can’t I just send out a big BCC email to my contacts, wishing them a happy holiday?
Sure you can! You can also serve Christmas dinner on paper plates if you want to. But do you really want to? There’s something special about a handwritten card that an email just doesn’t convey, no matter how pretty or carefully worded an email might be. But busy is subjective, so only you know how much time you want to devote to this. Personally, I’d rather get a thoughtful, handwritten card in the mail a few days late, rather than an on-time but hasty email. Perhaps if your schedule slows down a bit after Christmas, you can write Happy New Year cards? They are far more forgiving for delivery time, as they’ll be perfectly appropriate any time in early January. And who sends hundreds of cards? People who send hundreds of cards have staff to help them write those hundreds of cards. Pick the people you wish you could hug this holiday and write their cards first. You might build up some momentum and send a few dozen! Etiquette expert Karen Cleveland answers your questions about life online. Email her your questions: karen@mannersaresexy.com