AUSTIN, Texas — The holiday season is underway and you may expect more holiday party invitations to start rolling in.
After quiet COVID-19 holidays, many people might have forgotten how to be a proper holiday guest. Rob Giardinelli, COO/associate publisher and senior social editor of Society Texas, stopped by KVUE Weekend Daybreak to provide some tips on how to be a great party guest.
The first: to RSVP or no?
"It's important to RSVP whether you are going or not. Some people just think, 'Well, if I'm not going to go, I don't need to RSVP.' A lot of times though, when people do that, they may wind up deciding to go at the last minute and then there may not be enough food for everybody or enough drinks for everybody," Giardinelli said.
Giardinelli said the one time he hears anyone say anything negative at a party is when there's not enough food or there's not enough drink. So RSVPing is crucial to prevent that problem.
Second: what should you bring to the holiday party?
"If the host has a tree, you could do something simple like a Christmas ornament. You can find some for under $10 at discount stores. You can either get a bigger one or you can get a smaller one. What I like to do is go right after Christmas and just go to the after-Christmas sales and you can get a box of six. That way you've got them for any party you're going to go to during the holiday season," Giardinelli said.
Just in case the host may not have a Christmas tree, there are other gift options to bring.
"What you can do is get something simple, like a photo frame. That way they can put their favorite photo, whether it's from the party or their favorite photo of you, with them," Giardinelli said.
Third, if a host says don't bring a gift, try to still not come empty-handed.
"If someone says, 'Don't bring a gift,' what I like to do is get a bottle of wine. You can find bottles of wine for under $10 at any H-E-B, Central Market, Whole Foods or Trader Joe's. There's a lot of really easy affordable things," Giardinelli said.
A nice touch to add to any gift you bring is to include a little handwritten note thanking them for the invitation.
Holiday parties are also a valuable time to meet new people.
"I can't tell you how many times over the years that I've gone to stuff and met new people that the party hosts will come back to me eventually and say, 'I'm so glad that you got to meet so-and-so at a party,' and you talk to them and they mention to me as the host that they had a really good time," Giardinelli said.
Overall, following these tips will help ensure you have good party etiquette and be invited back for the many holidays to come.