![]() If you receive a lot of responses with “unable to accept,” you’ll know who not to invite to subsequent Revelry of This Sort. Please bring: Candles to give and receive, and a permissive spirit. We’ll draw lots to elect a King*** of Saturnalia, who must be obeyed - no matter what!ĭress: Your own interpretation of cenatoria, ancient Roman dinner clothes - colorful and easy to drop. We all reverse roles during Saturnalia, so expect both to serve and be served at dinner. ![]() ![]() An invitation might look something like this:įeast of Saturnalia on at from to. Scan your proposed guest list and cross out anyone you think might be even the least bit offended. ![]() Write up your invitation with the usual who, what, when, where, driving directions, and parking, and then reread it. Two of the examples given on Wikipedia include “Sing naked!” and “Throw him in cold water!” Unfortunately this calls to mind Vincent Price in The Masque of the Red Death, and absolutely none of it could be described as Perfectly Proper - which was probably the point. A good old-fashioned Roman Saturnalia took place over several days in mid-December* and involved feasting (both public and private), role reversal (both cross-dressing and, more important, of slaves and masters), the giving of gifts of nominal value** or gag gifts, and electing a King of the Saturnalia, whose “capricious” commands would have to be obeyed. In this Christian environment, how does one go about writing a perfectly proper invite for Saturnalia?īecause almost everyone is unaware of what exactly goes into this ancient Roman celebration of the god Saturn, you will want to be specific about what you’re planning, and how you expect your guests to participate. Oops.)Įtiquetteer wishes Joy and Patience to those of you who, like Etiquetteer, are still laboring to send out cards. Dimmick Who Thinks He Knows So Much, who might actually be using red envelopes this year. (Etiquetteer is going to have to check on That Mr. Must we also lose our honorifics? These ornaments of language certainly have a place in our communications please, let’s not neglect them.įinally - and this is more for the stationers than anyone else - yes, red and green are Christmas colors, but dark envelopes are so difficult to read, especially for our long-suffering letter carriers. It’s already tragic enough that the salutation “Dear ” seems to be on its last legs. Speaking of prefixes, so few people seem to remember them now, either for themselves or their addressees. But social correspondence only requires the person’s Preferred Prefix. ![]() suffix should only be used for Actual Lawyers when you are corresponding with them in their legal capacity. The team at the Emily Post Institute always put us on the Perfectly Proper Path, this time with the reminder that the Esq. One card, humorously addressed to “Etiquetteer, Esq.” got Etiquetteer to thinking about the Perfectly Proper usage of that Elegant Suffix. More than one card arrived from an address different from the one in Etiquetteer’s spreadsheet. Who are they?! The other reason it’s important is when your address has changed and everyone doesn’t know it. Etiquetteer received at least two Lovely Cards signed with a Charming But Indecipherable Scrawl, and no return address for a clue. This is especially important if your signature inside is illegible. Naturally a few things came up that may assist you in future years.įirst off, my goodness people, put your return address on the envelope. Etiquetteer finally knuckled down last week to the delightful but involved holiday ritual of writing Christmas cards. ![]()
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