“Question of the Week” is meant to elicit questions from readers that I can answer AND get feedback from other readers. Nothing is too trivial or too heavy, I just ask that you ask about questions related to hosting and being a houseguest. I’m not prepared to tackle the meaning of life or the reason for the Electoral College.
This week’s “Question of the Week” comes from Judy in North Carolina:
“Should you tell the hostess about a significant mess or handle it yourself?”
Example: It’s Fourth of July and most of the guests at my sister’s lovely home are on the lawn watching fireworks. When I come out of the bathroom and round the corner into the kitchen, my best friend is standing there covered from head to foot in cocoa powder. She looks at me through cascades of brown dust falling from her blond hair and covering her glasses and says, “Don’t worry, I got this.” Then we both started laughing and she had to cross her legs to avoid adding to the mess. Apparently she brought down a huge box of powdered cocoa while reaching for something else high up in a cabinet. We managed to clean it up as best we could and rejoin the party. But here’s the thing, my sister and brother-in-common-law have recently remodeled and are understandably proud of their new kitchen. Should we have grabbed them from the festivities to help us clean it up according to their specs? Should we have told them about the incident afterward, or psych them out with mysterious cocoa powder residue for the next 20 years?
We did tell my sister but only after the other guests had left.
Your thoughts? The comments section is right below this post.
Thank you for visiting,
Kiki
Submit a Comment