Holiday Quiz
Test your party knowledge
by Ann Crossley
First and foremost, though, don’t forget to include at your holiday parties those wives whose spouses are deployed. Here’s a little quiz to test your knowledge and see whether you’re “in the know” or “in need of a little holiday help.”
1. You and your spouse are invited to someone’s home for dinner. Should you take a hostess gift?
(a) It’s not necessary to take a gift. If you take a gift, it will look like you’re trying to “brown nose” the hostess or host.
(b) Depends on who the hostess is. Yes, a gift is necessary if the hostess is the boss’s wife. No gift is necessary or expected if the hostess is your neighbor.
(c) Definitely take a small gift. The hostess is going to considerable trouble and expense to entertain you
2. Thank-you notes are written to whom?
(a) The hostess
(b) The host
(c) The hostess and host
3. You are the hostess, and guests have brought you hostess gifts. When should you open them?
(a) Open the gifts right away, or at least while the guests are still there, so you can thank them for their gifts.
(b) Put gifts aside to be opened later, after the guests have gone. Flowers should be put in a vase and placed where the guests can enjoy seeing them throughout the evening.
(c) Any wine or candy that is brought should be opened and shared with the other guests.
4. What do you do if you have accepted an invitation and then receive another invitation for the same day and time?
(a) Decide which one you want to go to and regret the other, even if that means you have to call and regret the invitation you have already accepted.
(b) When you have accepted an invitation, it is never permissible to regret it to accept another. Only an emergency or illness is an acceptable reason to regret an invitation once accepted.
(c) If the second invitation is from your spouse’s commander, you have to accept it, even if it means regretting one you have already accepted.
5. You are at a reception or formal affair. There are chairs along the sides of the room. Is it acceptable to sit down?
(a) Of course. No one expects you to stand all evening.
(b) Find a friend, and sit together. That way, you have someone to talk with, and you don’t look like a wallflower.
(c) Everyone is expected to circulate and talk with others. The chairs are there for those who have difficulty standing for an extended length of time, such as pregnant ladies.
Answers: (1) c, (2) a, (3) b, (4) b, (5) c
How did you do? A correct score of 5–6 means that you are socially savvy; 3–4 means you need to brush up; and 0–2 means you have a lot to learn.