DEAR MISS MANNERS: My husband is in the academic field. We have a friend/colleague (Mr. Smith), an acknowledged leader in his field who stays with us when in town on the lecture circuit.... more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I realize that I am a dinosaur, but I am very confused by these new references to dress. We were invited to a dinner dance beginning at 6:30 p.m. The invitation said "cocktail attir... more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I keep having this problem, but my wife says I am overreacting, and I want your opinion to settle this.... more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I have always been a firm believer in donating to worthy causes when income permits; however, does this include using one's tax deductible donation as a Christmas gift to the entire... more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: As a child, I was raised knowing that Santa Claus was not real, and the "True Meaning of Christmas" was always emphasized. I received plenty of Christmas gifts from my parents and g... more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Where is the proper place to hang your college diploma at home?... more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I am in a quandary what to do about giving a Christmas present to my cleaning lady. I had to cut her hours back from every other week to once a month. At Christmas, I always gave he... more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I'm a 16-year-old girl, and while I love my mother, she complains about things WAY too much. And things I can't help her with: how busy she is, how much her back hurts, how bad othe... more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Is it proper for a lady to button or unbutton her jacket in a business interview?... more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: As a long-time Gentle Reader, I am usually loathe to complain about the vagaries and insults of modern life (knowing full well that it does no good, generally), but I herewith tende... more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I am a 20-year-old college student with an Internet-savvy mother who loves joining forums and message boards. The other morning, I e-mailed her a picture of my boyfriend's new hairc... more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Besides using common sense, how often should adult children (in this case a son) call their mother? The son is 43 and lives in another state and the mother is 67 and lives alone.... more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: At this time of year, I try to be respectful of the diversity of the people I may meet by wishing them "happy holidays." I like to think this neither assumes what they may celebrate... more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My sister is 12 years older, and we get along well for the most part but have almost opposite personalities. While staying with her for Thanksgiving, she kept overhearing my husband... more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My future daughter-in-law says that a polite date cuts the lady's meat. I never heard of that. Is it true?... more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Is it rude to bring your own stuffing because you don't like what the host is serving? (The "host" is my daughter, and my boyfriend is the stuffing hater.)... more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Would it be proper to send out announcements announcing the coronation of my daughter being crowned Campus Queen for 2010-2011?... more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My sister and I are now old. (Never mind the "elderly" -- we're a couple of old bats.) We have many friends of our generation to whom we write once or twice a year -- holidays, invi... more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I live in a small town, and each Thanksgiving, I invite all of the singles and people who are "at loose ends" to dinner.... more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I have been in a relationship with an absolutely fantastic guy for about six months. I regularly spend the weekend with him in his above-garage apartment.... more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: We members of the military would be honored if you could address military funeral etiquette for Veterans Day.... more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My husband and I are football fans, but we do not watch the Thanksgiving football games, choosing instead to talk with all of the family members gathered for the holiday.... more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My wife has been getting more active with our ?rst-grade son's PTO. At a committee meeting at a member's house, the woman hosting the event, in making idle chit-chat, asked my wife ... more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I work for a financial services company. We are not on Wall Street and don't adhere to the strict dress codes you would expect there; in fact, we have a somewhat casual dress code.... more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I write to you to ask about the balance between community responsibility for children without visible parents and politeness.... more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My immediate family and our extended family members went out to eat after my daughter won second place (princess) in a county fair competition. My sister was going on and on about h... more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My girlfriend moved in with me and, overall, things have been great. She is a student and was looking for a job in the beginning of summer but she couldn't find anything and took th... more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: What spoon do you eat with, a teaspoon or "soup" spoon? I have relatives who are doubtful, and I get teased all the time about this.... more