When artist Jan Polk sent me a copy of this beautiful book with an equally gorgeous set of her notecards, I was intrigued, and to be quite honest–felt immediately guilty. I, who was always the child who sent a thoughtful, hand-written thank you note without being prompted by my parents has become an email-driven queen who rarely puts pen to paper to write a personal note. This hard-cover keepsake is entitled, A Year of Good Manners, “A perpetual, daily calendar to record birthdays, anniversaries, and help you remember good manners every day, all year long.”
Sifting through the pages, cleverly-lined with calendar dates on the right (to be used as a datebook for aforementioned special dates) and a tip for each day to remind us of just what good manners are, far beyond hand-written notes:
February 19: Good posture when standing shows respect and interest in other people. Keep your thumbs even with the side seams of your pants or skirt, and your shoulders will be straight. Keep your chin parallel with the floor to avoid looking droopy or haughty.
August 13: If you bring a bottle of wine as a hostess gift, understand that it might not be opened that evening. Probably a wine has already been chosen for that dinner. Yours will be appreciated at a different meal.
one of my favorites:
December 23: Replace “but” with “and” in your conversations. If you say “You are doing a great job, but. . .” they only remember the second half of your sentence. For a more positive effect try, “I love you, and I wish you had better table manners.”
This charming book, written by Margery Sinclair with artist Jan Polk, would be a great gift and reminder to our e-society to step back into manners who know no time boundaries. The book and notecards are available online at Jan Polk’s site.
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