A token present is fine, but the real show of appreciation from a guest is responding to the invitation immediately.

Person B invariably gets embarrassed and asks if they should have brought something. I usually say, "Oh, no! This is not a potluck." ...

Does the letter writer asking for specific hosting gifts create more of a burden for guests?

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I was taught that at formal dinner parties, bread plates were not used, and that they were not considered part of a formal place setting for multi-course meals. Now, I am given to ...

That Easter dinner request was made 10 years ago and was cheerfully accommodated. To have this held as a trespass on my part is very upsetting.

Although she generally agrees that guests are not supposed to ask to bring additional guests, Miss Manners notes that an ...

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Dinner parties and entertaining are not the only currencies of friendship. I frequently gave rides to a friend of mine, who later bought a nice home and began hosting dinner parties ...

DEAR MISS MANNERS: At several gatherings with friends and family, the food is blessed by holding hands during a prayer — after I have already washed mine in preparation for eating. Miss Manners: My ...

DEAR MISS MANNERS: For several years, it has been my pleasure to host three longtime friends — a married couple and her brother, a particular friend of mine — to a collective birthday dinner at our ...

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I am a divorced woman with no nearby family, so I am often invited to the homes of various close friends on holidays. Last year, I was invited to a Thanksgiving with about 30 people ...