Aside from the crushing anxiety of coronavirus uncertainty, more and more of us are required to remain in our homes day and night. House confinement is always an opportunity to let standards slip, and also for colossal boredom. We need to create routines to keep us going, and we need to inject them with something special to look forward to.
So get ready for an Etiquetteer Injection. The time has come to issue the SATURDAY NIGHT DRESS DINNER CHALLENGE to keep up our spirits and our Perfect Propriety when we need it most.
What’s the Saturday Night Dress Dinner Challenge? For pandemic Saturday nights, hold yourself a formal dinner in your own home for everyone confined there, whether it’s a lot of people or just you. Especially if it’s just you. Make it special! Get out the good stuff, whatever you have that you save for the holidays, and set a beautiful table. If there are children, ask them to come up with something for a table centerpiece; it doesn’t have to be flowers all the time. Dining by candlelight is always special; bring out the tapers and tea lights.
Your kitchen may turn out haute cuisine or canned beans, but whatever you’re serving, serve it with some style. A bit of garnish goes a long way to improving one’s mood.
Don’t neglect yourself, either. Bathe (it’s shocking how often people forget to bathe during home confinement), and put on your good clothes. No need to go full-on black tie (unless you really feel like it), but wear something a cut above your usual housebound athleisure wear. Recall the words of Dowager Empress Marie Fedorovna (as shared with her imprisoned granddaughters in 1971’s Nicholas and Alexandra): “Remember to dress for dinner. It keeps up one’s dignity, and impresses the people.” Shucks, make it a costume party and bring out your Hallowe’en costumes! This should be fun!
On Saturday night, share your photos with Etiquetteer using the #DressDinnerChallenge hashtag on Facebook, Twitter, and now Instagram, too.
We may not be able to sit at the same table together, but we can get through this pandemic together. I hope you’ll join me next Saturday night for #DressDinnerChallenge.
