Tea at Trianon: Holiday Parties

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Holiday Parties

Most of the on-line tips deal with office parties, but many of the same standards can be applied to any festivity. I would only add that if you see someone sitting alone at a party, it is a kind gesture to go over and chat with them. Some excellent advice HERE:

• Limit drink intake: Drinking too much is a recipe for disaster; you won’t erase the bad impression from others’ minds afterwards.
• Talk with a variety of people: Sticking with the familiar (your own department, peers or spouse) limits you.
• Keep one hand free: If you’ve got a plate of food in one hand and a drink in the other, you won’t be able to shake hands or mingle with the crowd easily.
• Be cheerful: Keep a smile on your face, approach people you don’t know well, and be friendly and cordial.
• Keep complaints to yourself: You never know who’s behind you in the buffet line or at the next table who might overhear your negative comments.

And more HERE.

Anonymous said...: Thanks for the tips....I think I will just keep a drink in one hand and forego the plate. (just kidding); November 20, 2007 at 11:54:00 AM EST
elena maria vidal said...: Ah, yes, I've done that before....; November 20, 2007 at 11:55:00 AM EST