But two or three times a year, I break out the table finery and have a more formal dinner with several courses and a carefully set table. Miss Manners hopes, however, that you will not otherwise dumb down your charming, seated dinner parties because of a few outlaws. Dear Miss Manners: Our friends graciously offered us use of their rustic lakeside cabin, as they no longer can travel there themselves. New Miss Manners columns are posted Monday through Saturday on washingtonpost.com/advice. You can send questions to Miss Manners at her website, missmanners.com.

Source: Washington Post January 30, 2026 09:32 UTC