Did you know that the average person buys nearly 50 gifts each year--and that finding the perfect present is a quandary most gift-buyers face with each gift-giving occasion they celebrate? Well, here's the solution they've been seeking: "Gifts Anytime: How to Find the Perfect Present for Any Occasion." This new book offers down-to-earth gift-giving ideas and etiquette for all occasions--from weddings to anniversaries, business situations to birthdays and more. It also teaches readers how to gather gift intelligence about family and friends, and how to write thank-you notes from the heart.

Liven up the party with this heady collection of drinking games! Choose from brain-boggling classics such as Fuzzy Duck and Twenty-One or dizzying games of pure chance like TV Drinking and Vodka Roulette - whichever you play, you're guaranteed to be gleeful and giggly by the end!

Whether you are a member of a multiracial/interfaith family, the father of a same-sex bride, or the mother of an adopted daughter from China, the author offers suggestions for mixed families overcoming emotional obstacles at holidays, and rituals for birth, coming of age, marriage, death, and other significant life events. She also gives tips on appropriate behaviour when attending a variety of unfamiliar ethnic and religious life-cycle events. She advises on 'Ethnice-ities' - what to wear, how to act, what gifts to give and explains the significance of the ceremonies. This is a perfect resource to guide you through the details of diverse cultural celebrations.

Maido (my-dough, not to be confused with that childhood favorite, Play-Doh) describes the most common Japanese gestures and defines their meanings and the cultural contexts that surround them. Japanese gestures are a world of their own, much the way the language and country are. In the Kansai region of Japan, people often use the term Maido as a greeting in business and sales, and as a send-off to a business's best customers as if to say, "come again" or "thank you." In this case, Maido is welcoming you to a world in which you don't offend every Japanese person you meet. By learning a few simple gestures you can avoid making intercultural slip-ups and win the respect of locals. And who knows-maybe the next time you walk into the local izakaya (watering hole), you may be lucky enough to hear someone saying, "Maido! Maido!" to you.

What should you do if you notice a stranger's dress is tucked up at the back? What are you meant to say if you are offered food you don't like at a dinner party? And what ought you to wear if you're invited to a ball? If these questions baffle you, fear not! For help is at hand in the form of The Ladies' Book of Etiquette. Florence Hartley's insightful etiquette guide was first published in 1860, and yet her witty and useful advice on behaving like a lady often still rings true down the ages. You don't need to live in the nineteenth century to agree with Hartley that it is rude to finish someone else's jokes. Whatever the situation, whether the reader would like to know how to be as ladylike as possible when seasick or the best colour schemes for bridesmaids' dresses, this thorough and wide-ranging book will provide sensible and succinct guidance, as well as shed light into life in the nineteenth century. Did you know that apparently you could spot a lady who had laced her corset too tightly from the lack of circulation making her nose go red?! Published alongside The Gentlemen's Book of Etiquette, this is the perfect gift for that special someone in your life, or as a treat to yourself as you aspire to set step on the path towards becoming a lady! Let every action, while it is finished in strict accordance with etiquette, be, at the same time, easy, as if dictated solely by the heart. To be truly polite, remember you must be polite at all times, and under all circumstances.

Everyone knows someone who's sick or suffering. Yet when a friend or relative is under duress many of us feel uncertain about how to cope.
Throughout her recent bout with breast cancer, Letty Cottin Pogrebin became fascinated by her friends' and family's diverse reactions to her and her illness: how awkwardly some of them behaved; how some misspoke or misinterpreted her needs; and how wonderful it was when people read her right. She began talking to her fellow patients and dozens of other veterans of serious illness, seeking to discover what sick people wished their friends knew about how best to comfort, help, and even simply talk to them.
Now Pogrebin has distilled their collective stories and opinions into this wide-ranging compendium of pragmatic guidance and usable wisdom. Her advice is always infused with sensitivity, warmth, and humor. It is embedded in candid stories from her own and others' journeys, and their sometimes imperfect interactions with well-meaning friends. "How to Be a Friend to a Friend Who's Sick" is an invaluable guidebook for anyone hoping to rise to the challenges of this most important and demanding passage of friendship.

Perfect the art of entertaining with 101 modern twists on classic recipes from entertaining expert Beth Le Manach

For more than a decade, Beth Le Manach’s YouTube channel, Entertaining with Beth, has been the go-to for anyone looking for creative and practical entertaining advice. Beth is an expert hostess who has figured out the solution to entertaining success, every time. Not only do her recipes look and taste great, but they also offer a practical twist or a killer tip that saves you time, money, or effort! Because let’s face it, whipping up your favorite weeknight meal is one thing, but add a few guests to the mix and it becomes a whole other ball game.

Beth’s first book, Entertaining 101 is the culmination of years of hosting experience, a comprehensive guide that will make entertaining a breeze for both the first-time host and the seasoned dinner party veteran. This book has the answers to all of your questions: What’s an easy dinner I can serve to impress my visiting in-laws? (Frenzy-Free Chicken Pot Pie); What’s a great egg dish I can make for Christmas morning? (Puffy Egg Bake); What’s the easiest drink to serve at my Mother’s Day brunch? (Bloody Mary Bar)―and so much more.

Beth is determined to make entertaining easier because she has seen how much joy it can add to our lives. So, she’s taken it upon herself to compile the top 101 recipes she believes everyone should know how to make! It’s her hope that this book will be the answer to all of your entertaining questions, a true manual for the beginner or an easier approach for the seasoned host. Welcome to Entertaining 101!

Winter Celebrations is a celebration of the festive season through craft, featuring a beautiful collections of over 30 decorations and gifts that draw upon Arounna Khounnoraj's natural aesthetic. From christmas decorations, advent calendars to handmade tablescapes for family gatherings – get ready to hunker down and make yourself a handmade Christmas. In this ultimate maker's guide to the festive season, Arounna will cover a variety of different crafts from embroidery, block printing, sewing and pottery, through the projects learn how to make your own wrapping paper, paper garlands and more. Designed with sustainability in mind, the projects will teach you how to think innovatively and reusing whatever materials you might have to hand, including found and natural objects. There will also be an emphasis on techniques that don’t require a lot of tools or equipment as well as projects that can be achieved in a short amount of time. All the projects include stunning lifestyle photography and clear step-by-step instructions, making this a book accessible for all. Winter Celebrations will inspire readers to create decorations that they can reuse each year as they learn to embrace a more handmade approach to the festive season.

Artfully straddling the line between outdated and timeless, this new edition of Jinx Morgan and Judy Perry's out-of- print SAUCEPANS AND THE SINGLE GIRL (originally published in 1965) is like a rediscovered Lily Pulitzer dress - that retro gem that you can't believe has been tucked away since the Nixon years! Chock full of bachelor-bait recipes, menus and entertaining tips, this swinging cookbook is packed with imaginative ideas and kitchen hints for every occasion. From plans for posh picnics to dazzling dinners to big bashes - here is the ideal kitchen guide 'guaranteed to do more for the bachelor girl's social life than long-lash mascara or a new discotheque dress'. Maintaining the book's irresistibly retro appeal, the new edition will feature the original text with a new introduction and footnotes with important (and often comical) historic updates. And, the snappy cover, gift-y format and original black-and-white illustrations make for a package as smart and stylish as its readers.

Essential for understanding Victorian way of life, this is a very interesting book on the code of manners of Victorian behavior. This book is about life in the Victorian World when the British Empire never slept or the sun never set on it. America in the Victorian World was still a colony and indeed wanting to become it's own in identity. The book plays an important role in explaining that the rules and manner system of America was very similar to the British at least in the old families of Boston and Philadelphia. This highly entertaining little book is great for those just starting to learn about the Victorian culture.

This modern German-Californian cookbook from longtime Los Angeles chef and restaurateur Hans Rockenwagner features sections on bread-making (yes, pretzel bread!), holiday treats, and bar snacks, along with the most popular recipes from his several Los Angeles restaurants, including 3 Square Cafe on famed Abbot Kinney Boulevard and Cafe Rockenwagner in Brentwood. Hans Rockenwagner's background spans thirty years of cooking in Germany, Switzerland, Chicago, and Los Angeles. In the 1980s, he won international fame for his fine-dining restaurant in Santa Monica, Rockenwagner; today, he owns several LA-area bakery/cafes and a large wholesale bakery. Hans is known for his individuality, innovative dishes, and his craftsmanship in designing and building his restaurants (he is also a master woodworker). This is his second cookbook. Jenn Garbee is a food reporter and editor who has written for the Los Angeles Times, LA Weekly, Cooking Light, Saveur, and more. An expert recipe tester and developer, Jenn has a culinary degree from Le Cordon Bleu and has worked in professional kitchens across Los Angeles. She is also the author of Secret Suppers and the co-author of the 2015 St. Martin's Press book, Tomatomania! Wolfgang Gussmack has been Hans's chef de cuisine since 2012. A native of Graz, Austria, Wolfgang started his culinary career cooking spatzle for his family's restaurant and gasthaus. This experience earned him a spot in Austria's only two-star Michelin restaurant and subsequently led him to renowned kitchens in Italy and France before he came to Los Angeles. Photographer Staci Valentine is based in Los Angeles; her other cookbooks include The Perfect Peach.

Step aside, rose. A more refreshing drink is here, in a bubbling array of colors and flavors. The iconic Italian export, the Aperol spritz, with its classic (and simple) makeup of fizzy prosecco, sparkling water, and a splash of the bittersweet, citrus-flavored liqueur, is just the beginning. In Just a Spritz, author Danielle Centoni shares an inspired world of spritz variations. Add in sweet liqueurs and bitter amari, fresh juices, flavored kombuchas, and drinking vinegars to update the sparkling spritz. A spritz is quick to assemble and does not require a stocked pantry--its beauty is in its simplicity. Here there are more than 50 recipes (and numerous variations) organized by flavor profile and theme, including the Raspberry Beret, the Margarita Spritz, and the Cucumberbatch, as well as nonalcoholic spritz drinks. For a spritz newbie, a classic Negroni Sbagliato may be just the thing, whereas the social media savant may find the fruity-floral, scarlet-purple, picture-perfect Lady Lavender calling their name. Whatever the craving--from a sweet peach and honeyed spritz to a slightly bitter and citrusy Cappelletti Shandy--there's a recipe to satisfy every thirst, along with colorful photos to inspire.

A helpful and easy-to-use guide that takes you from the White House to a backyard barbecue in Texas style.

Examining all the rites of passage in our lives from birth to funerals, Texas Manners takes Emily Post and adds a special Texas twist.

Invitations and thank-you notes, table manners, job interviews, cotillions, quinceaneras, college preparation, entertaining tips, planning a wedding; these are just a few of the subjects that are explained and described in this handy and instructive resource.

The detailed table of contents and index make this a user-friendly guide to all your entertainment and etiquette questions.

Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit! Delivering belly laughs, hee-haws, and downright slackjaw amazement, this hilarious guide to the homeland of George W. and Willie Nelson is the essential how-to for surviving in the Lone Star State. From strange Texas laws and the history of Dr. Pepper to "Texas Talk" (in which a "turd floater" is a heavy downpour) and final-meal requests by death row inmates, Kinky Friedman, "the oldest living Jew in Texas who doesn't own any real estate," provides an insider's guide that will be loved by native Texans and the rest of us poor devils alike.

Even if you don't know the difference between an Aggie and an armadillo -- or what's really in the back on Willie Nelson's tour bus -- you can pass for a Texan with the Kinkster's expert coaching. So grab your hairspray and the keys to the Cadillac and get reading!

Nancy Astor and her niece Nancy Lancaster were two of the great hostesses of the twentieth century, entertaining at a pitch perfect level of luxury, comfort and elegance. The food they served was always delicious, and the discovery of Nancy Astor's privately bound cookbook containing the recipes from the Langhorne family house, Mirador in West Virginia, is published for the first time. Over 70 recipes that were regularly 'mixed in with' classic French and English cuisine, are an ode to the flavours of the South; that conjured up mealtimes imbued with wit and laughter, tears and tantrums,arguments and reconciliations and were the thread that held the family together.