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From how to start and carry on a great conversation to the traits of the most admired persons.
Give your children the skills to soar through life. And gain skills to manage your relationship with family.
Tips for shining as brightly as the lights of any holiday! Plus, dining etiquette and the hallmarks of the most-liked guests and hosts.
The Latest
Social Distancing Etiquette
By: Maralee McKee Social distancing etiquette is brand-new. But in the midst of the pandemic, we’ve had to create it to establish safe guidelines. Amid this distancing, how can you go out and about, interact graciously, and still set boundaries that help protect you and your family? Here are 15 social distancing etiquette tips to help you stay healthy and be a great friend and neighbor. Social Distancing Etiquette 1. Stand 6 feet away from others when you talk to them. In the United States, and most of Europe, people naturally tend to stand only about 3 feet apart. Why do we feel like they’re not invading our personal space when they’re just 3 feet from us? It’s because that’s the typical distance between two people when they extend their arms to shake hands with one another. It’s become our built-in default setting. But during this crisis, talk to one another at a further distance.Continue Reading
Opening and Holding the Door for Others – The Top 5 Manners
There’s more to the etiquette of opening and holding the door for others than turning the doorknob. That’s why when you know the five manners ofContinue Reading
Glove Etiquette: The Top 7 Things To Know
By: Maralee McKee Let’s talk about glove etiquette, including dress gloves, winter gloves, and wearing gloves during flu season. See the end of this articleContinue Reading
When to Stand and Why
By: Maralee McKee With the changing roles of women in the workplace, and workplace etiquette becoming more the norm in social situations (especially inContinue Reading
Opening and Holding the Door for Others – The Top 5 Manners
By: Maralee McKee There’s more to opening and holding the door for others than turning the knob or holding it for the next person. That’s whyContinue Reading
The Latest
By: Maralee McKee Valentine’s Day: the most romantic, lovey-dovey, glorious day of affection, gifts, and expressions of love of the year. Or it’s a day you wish you could sleep through so you don’t have to look at even one...
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By: Maralee McKee You’ve probably heard the much quoted joke about the couple that’s been married for decades. The wife asks her husband, “Why don’t you ever tell me you love me?” The husband dryly answers, “I told you on...
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By: Maralee McKee Using outdated etiquette rules can make us seem stuffy and out-of-sync with the expected norms of today. Here are ten old-school etiquette rules you’ll want to retire so that you’ll come across as current, confident, and...
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By: Maralee McKee Happy New Year! In this first edition for 2020, you’ll find a mix of timely, intriguing, and fun posts and articles. As always, they’re links I love and hope you will too! There’s a lovely, artful,...
Continue ReadingBusiness & Technology
Opening and Holding the Door for Others – The Top 5 Manners
There’s more to the etiquette of opening and holding the door for others than turning the doorknob. That’s why when you know the five manners of opening every door, you unlock a lot. By: Maralee McKee There’s just something nice about someone holding a door open for you, don’t you think? And have you ever held the door open for people who didn’t say thank you? It’s the worst! That’s because they weren’t holding up their end of the unwritten social code we all know (and appreciate): hold the door open for the next person(s), and say thank you when someone does it for you. The Lesson That Holding the Door Open Taught My Son About People Several years ago, when Corbett, my youngest son, and I were going in to Barnes & Noble, Corbett ran ahead a few feet to open the door for several ladies who were talking to each other as they enteredContinue Reading
When to Stand and Why
By: Maralee McKee With the changing roles of women in the workplace, and workplace etiquette becoming more the norm in social situations (especially inContinue Reading
Opening and Holding the Door for Others – The Top 5 Manners
By: Maralee McKee There’s more to opening and holding the door for others than turning the knob or holding it for the next person. That’s whyContinue Reading
10 Outdated Etiquette Rules You No Longer Want to Use
By: Maralee McKee Using outdated etiquette rules can make us seem stuffy and out-of-sync with the expected norms of today. Here are ten old-schoolContinue Reading
Social Skills & Special Occasions
When to Stand and Why
By: Maralee McKee With the changing roles of women in the workplace, and workplace etiquette becoming more the norm in social situations (especially in the US), this area of etiquette has undergone almost a total revision from what it was 25 or 30 years ago. If you haven’t checked out the etiquette of when to stand and why since you were taught it by your mom or grandmother, you’ll want to incorporate these modern manners into your everyday encounters so that your interactions are in sync with today’s best practices. The manners are easy to learn. And with these skills at hand, you’ll be able to rise to the occasion (literally and figuratively!) to interact with ease and graciousness as you greet and interact with colleagues, new friends and old, and family members! Here’s What We’ll Discover! What are best practices for when a man should stand? Should a woman stand to greet a man?Continue Reading
By: Maralee McKee Using outdated etiquette rules can make us seem stuffy and out-of-sync with the expected norms of today. Here are ten old-school etiquette rules you’ll want to retire so that you’ll come across as current, confident, and...
Continue Reading
By: Maralee McKee, Manners Mentor You’ve just been handed a gift and are about to open it. All eyes are on you. If what’s in the box isn’t what you would have picked out for yourself, you hope your face...
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By: Maralee McKee, Manners Mentor When you’ve been invited to a dinner or party, most of the time, it’s customary to bring a gift for the host or hostess as a way of showing your gratitude for having made the...
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Here are ten habits of gracious ladies (and gentlemen) that we can all make our own. When we put them into practice, we’ll be gracious, confident, and savvy — admired traits personally, socially, and professionally. By: Maralee...
Continue ReadingDaily Life & Must-Knows
Social Distancing Etiquette
By: Maralee McKee Social distancing etiquette is brand-new. But in the midst of the pandemic, we’ve had to create it to establish safe guidelines. Amid this distancing, how can you go out and about, interact graciously, and still set boundaries that help protect you and your family? Here are 15 social distancing etiquette tips to help you stay healthy and be a great friend and neighbor. Social Distancing Etiquette 1. Stand 6 feet away from others when you talk to them. In the United States, and most of Europe, people naturally tend to stand only about 3 feet apart. Why do we feel like they’re not invading our personal space when they’re just 3 feet from us? It’s because that’s the typical distance between two people when they extend their arms to shake hands with one another. It’s become our built-in default setting. But during this crisis, talk to one another at a further distance.Continue Reading
Opening and Holding the Door for Others – The Top 5 Manners
There’s more to the etiquette of opening and holding the door for others than turning the doorknob. That’s why when you know the five manners ofContinue Reading
When to Stand and Why
By: Maralee McKee With the changing roles of women in the workplace, and workplace etiquette becoming more the norm in social situations (especially inContinue Reading
Opening and Holding the Door for Others – The Top 5 Manners
By: Maralee McKee There’s more to opening and holding the door for others than turning the knob or holding it for the next person. That’s whyContinue Reading
Class, Confidence, & Conversation
Glove Etiquette: The Top 7 Things To Know
By: Maralee McKee Let’s talk about glove etiquette, including dress gloves, winter gloves, and wearing gloves during flu season. See the end of this article for surprising advice on wearing gloves for protection from viruses. Today’s reader question about glove etiquette is one that I almost didn’t answer via the blog. Why? Well, it’s about a subject in etiquette that essentially doesn’t apply anymore. The reader is asking about the etiquette of wearing dress gloves. They fell out of favor decades ago as a fashion staple, and today they’re even rare as a fashion accessory. Glove Etiquette Was Once Something Every Lady Knew Well I remember that, when I was a little girl, my mom would go to Sears every Easter and buy my dress, white patent-leather shoes, and a pair of gloves. She had a couple of pairs herself. They were laid out perfectly in a flat, dark red box with inlaid, fancy goldContinue Reading
By: Maralee McKee With the changing roles of women in the workplace, and workplace etiquette becoming more the norm in social situations (especially in the US), this area of etiquette has undergone almost a total revision from what it...
Continue Reading
By: Maralee McKee There’s more to opening and holding the door for others than turning the knob or holding it for the next person. That’s why when you know the five manners of opening every door, you unlock a lot. “A...
Continue Reading
By: Maralee McKee Using outdated etiquette rules can make us seem stuffy and out-of-sync with the expected norms of today. Here are ten old-school etiquette rules you’ll want to retire so that you’ll come across as current, confident, and...
Continue Reading
By: Maralee McKee, Manners Mentor You’ve just been handed a gift and are about to open it. All eyes are on you. If what’s in the box isn’t what you would have picked out for yourself, you hope your face...
Continue ReadingChildren & Family
When to Stand and Why
By: Maralee McKee With the changing roles of women in the workplace, and workplace etiquette becoming more the norm in social situations (especially in the US), this area of etiquette has undergone almost a total revision from what it was 25 or 30 years ago. If you haven’t checked out the etiquette of when to stand and why since you were taught it by your mom or grandmother, you’ll want to incorporate these modern manners into your everyday encounters so that your interactions are in sync with today’s best practices. The manners are easy to learn. And with these skills at hand, you’ll be able to rise to the occasion (literally and figuratively!) to interact with ease and graciousness as you greet and interact with colleagues, new friends and old, and family members! Here’s What We’ll Discover! What are best practices for when a man should stand? Should a woman stand to greet a man?Continue Reading
How to Graciously Let Others Know You Won’t Be Buying Them a Gift This Year
How do you tell people you won’t by buying them Christmas gifts this year? For your news to be well-received, you need to address bothContinue Reading
Do You Know Your Etiquette I.Q.? Find Out Here!
Etiquette and manners best practices are often not what our first instincts tell us. Take this fun modern manners and etiquette quiz and put your knowledgeContinue Reading
Forgetting Someone’s Name — What to Do
By: Maralee McKee, Manners Mentor Forgetting someone’s name leaves us feeling awkward. We can all relate because it’s happened to everyone more than once, andContinue Reading
Holidays, Dining, & Entertaining
The 5 Manners of Valentine’s Day Everyone Should Know
By: Maralee McKee Valentine’s Day: the most romantic, lovey-dovey, glorious day of affection, gifts, and expressions of love of the year. Or it’s a day you wish you could sleep through so you don’t have to look at even one gushing, bouquet-carrying, heart-shaped-chocolate-eating, drunk-on-love person. I’ve been on both sides of the Valentine’s Day love fest, and on both sides feelings are deep and emotions are high. There’s a problem with the way we celebrate Valentine’s Day. It should never hurt, because it should never be an either-or day. Valentine’s Day should be a day when no one feels left out. That’s because everyone is loved by someone, and that someone (or lots of someones) should express it! It doesn’t need to be extravagant. It does need to be authentic and kindly expressed. The day would be sweeter if there were less stress about gifts, dinners, and flowers. And more connecting through smiles, compliments, andContinue Reading
By: Maralee McKee, Manners Mentor You can make this your best year ever. No New Year’s resolutions required! That’s a good thing, because while 62 percent of us make them either frequently or sometimes, only eight percent of us ever...
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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;...
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By: Maralee McKee, Manners Mentor It’s 10 AM Christmas morning, and you’re already asking yourself, “Why in the world did I agree to this?” You tell yourself that it’s not all bad. But you don’t fool easily. This isn’t how...
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By: Maralee McKee, Manners Mentor Here’s your weekly gathering of links to love from around the web. Enjoy, and Merry Christmas week! This week I hope you’ll have lots of time to sit at night and enjoy the...
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