Guests’ shoes always hot topic on holidays

NEW YORK — In Michigan, you’re expected to leave snowy boots in the mudroom before going inside. In Alaska, boots are taken off in “Arctic entries.” In Japan, Thailand and many other countries, you wouldn’t dream of entering a home with your shoes on, regardless of the season.

But removing shoes before coming inside has not been the norm in much of the U.S.

These days, however, city dwellers and suburbanites from New York to Los Angeles often find that hosts expect footwear to be left at the door. Sometimes it’s because of weather; other times, homeowners want to protect lightcolored rugs and high-gloss wood floors from dirt and dings, or parents don’t want street germs on floors where kids play.

Some guests find the request irksome — especially at holiday parties when they’re dressed up. “But this is an outfit!” squeals Carrie Bradshaw in a “Sex and the City” episode when asked to take her shoes off at a baby shower. (Insult to injury: Her high-heeled Manolos are stolen during the party.)

Wedding in socks

Another must for shoes-off parties: Put a chair by the door. Don’t make guests hop unbalanced on one shoe while taking off the other. And put out a shoe rack so footwear doesn’t end up in a pile.

Adi Bittan planned her wedding at the home of friends in Pescadero, Calif., before realizing that the hosts had a no-shoes rule. “We were worried how that would look and whether our guests would feel uncomfortable or embarrassed,” she said. She solved the problem by buying fun socks — with noskid soles — as one of the wedding favors. Even she and the groom wore them.

“Guests young and old ended up loving it,” she said. “They compared colors, took photos with their fun socks on and were excited to take them home.” Some of the women