Playbook for a weekend filled with celebration
It’s an action-packed weekend full of excitement and festivities. First off, it’s Super Bowl Sunday. My husband, being raised in Northern California, is a huge 49ers fan, whereas my daughter loves Taylor Swift, so she’ll root for the Chiefs.
Say what you will about her presence at the games this season; Swifties have raised viewership for the NFL, and Swift is always a celebratory presence, never putting a foot wrong and raising the bar for all of us when it comes to tipping.
The year of the dragon has kicked off as Lunar New Year is celebrated around the world starting this weekend.
Additional festivities are being held at home this weekend in honor of my birthday. It’s a significant one with a zero in it, so I’m full of reflection and giving this year its due.
The icing on the cake is that this column marks my 15th year writing Etiquette Rules! for The New Mexican. It’s been a fun challenge for me, expanding my expertise and education through courses with the American School of Protocol and Debrett’s of London over the years. It’s also taught me that I can turn any topic into an etiquette column.
So without further ado, here’s a little review of the most significant events of the weekend.
This is the Super Bowl — the holiest of Sundays for devout football fans — and it has a playbook all its own.
It’s one of the few occasions when hosts serve chips and beer and voila — dinner is served. Toothpicks morph into silverware. A football jersey and face paint make for proper game-day attire.
A lack of eye contact while staring at the television won’t be considered rude. Yelling and making hand gestures at an absurd referee call are appropriate.
A great Super Bowl party is a team effort, and hosts and guests alike have some strict rules to play by.
Host/guest duties
◆ Championship games are similar to election night. To truly enjoy the experience, surround yourself with a supportive fan base for your team.
◆ Keep children fed and entertained so you can stay focused on the game.
◆ Never mock a sports fan, but do gloat over your win for the entire year.
Host duties
◆ Supply enough ice for the beer chest and comfortable seating to cushion the backsides of every guest for at least four hours.
◆ Greet guests at the door and introduce them around. Invite guests for pregame for on-time arrivals.
◆ Die-hard fanatics require a sports center dedicated to the entire Super Bowl viewing experience. If space permits, offer casual fans and those inclined to talk during commercials and halftime a separate room for conversation.
◆ Arrange for a designated driver. After hours of intense game watching with beers in hand, a dedicated fan will likely take it up a notch to celebrate a win or soothe a loss. Inebriated fans can ride-share together if there is no designated driver.
Guest duties
◆ If you are invited to bring a guest, you must assess the level of fandom in your potential date. It is a breach of Super Bowl party etiquette to bring a guest whose naiveté is reflected in comments such as, “What color is your team wearing?” or “It’s only a game,” which equates to unsportsmanlike conduct. Guests have a responsibility to contribute to the fun, so get up to speed on the teams and the players.
◆ Bring a host/hostess gift like carpet stain remover or a tasty, low-maintenance snack. Don’t blitz your host upon arrival by asking for a preheated oven to prepare your goat cheese canapés. Food should be simple to prepare and typically consists of pizza, wings, chips and beer — foods that don’t require silverware.
◆ When bringing drinks, bring enough to share.
◆ No matter how casual the menu, do not double dip.
◆ The host is always in charge of the remote on their turf.
◆ Lend a hand for cleanup, like picking up the ground-in cheese puffs or separating the beer cans from the bottles for recycling.
The best defense is a good offense. Choose your plays wisely and win the etiquette MVP award.
Lunar New Year
Moving on to the other big event of the weekend, Lunar New Year, also known as the 15-day-long Spring Festival and the New Moon Festival, is the most important holiday in Chinese culture, celebrated by almost a quarter of the planet’s population.
It marks the beginning of a new year on the traditional Chinese lunar calendar, signaling the end of winter, and includes traditions celebrating family, culture, renewal and fortune. The first few days of the Lunar New Year are often a test of one’s stamina, appetite and social skills, as many people travel and visit immediate family, other relatives and friends.
Bags are stocked with presents and fruits to give. Visitors will in turn be showered with gifts after exchanging conversations over Lunar New Year treats.
Should you have the good fortune to be included in the festivities, here are some rules of etiquette to keep your hosts happy.
Greetings: “Happy New Year” or “We wish you happiness and prosperity!”
Gifts: Fruit or a fruit basket are welcome. Consider mandarin oranges, pineapple and plums, which symbolize good fortune based on either their golden color or the similar pronunciations to words like “wealth” in Chinese.
Flowers such as peonies, daffodils and orchids are welcome. Avoid white flowers, which are reserved for funerals.
Use two hands when giving or receiving a gift to show respect and appreciation toward the act and the giver. Present individual or group gifts to the most senior or oldest family member first.
With all my wise years accrued this birthday, I’ll take inspiration from the dragon of the Chinese zodiac and the numerous readers who approach me in the grocery store aisle by acting with intense clarity of purpose when it comes to writing about etiquette.
It’s been my honor to be given this opportunity and promote the thoughtful awareness of others. As the Cantonese saying goes: “Gung hay fat choy” (Congratulations and be prosperous).