Etiquette experts reveal the worst mistakes you can make when hosting holiday parties Here's how to avoid any potential holiday party hosting faux pas this season From forcing guests to take off their shoes to questioning their eating habits READ MORE: Etiquette expert details insulting gifts you should NEVER buy men By MARGARET ABRAMS FOR DAILYMAIL.COM Published: 22:14 GMT, 23 December 2024 | Updated: 22:15 GMT, 23 December 2024 e-mail View comments Entertaining over the holidays can be the perfect time to get friends and family together, but it can also feel like a minefield. The perfect host or hostess doesn't want to accidentally offend their guests, and it's possible to get into arguments or spark grudges while hosting a holiday event. To find out how to avoid any potential holiday party hosting faux pas, FEMAIL reached out to etiquette experts. From forcing guests to take off their shoes to running out of toilet paper, these are the worst mistakes hosts can make this holiday season. Etiquette coach Bethany Skorik told DailyMail.com, 'Hosts are responsible for making their guests feel welcome and comfortable when opening their homes.' 'If you cannot treat others with kindness or decency, you should forego trying to entertain,' Bethany suggested. Bethany, who founded The Charming Diplomat, an agency dedicated to elevating manners, style, and gracious living, told FEMAIL it's best to never assume your guests want to drink alcohol or eat all the food you have prepared. According to Bethany, who's based in Wisconsin , gracious hosts won't ever 'force alcohol on your guests, and always have a non-alcoholic alternative.' To find out how to avoid any potential holiday party hosting faux pas this season, FEMAIL reached out to etiquette experts From forcing guests to take off their shoes to plying them with alcohol, these are the worst mistakes hosts can make It's also never appropriate to publicly embarrass your guests if you notice they're not partaking in the food or drink or make them uncomfortable when it comes to their eating habits. READ MORE EXCLUSIVE Etiquette expert reveals the most offensive gifts you should NEVER buy for a woman 'If you notice your guest isn't eating or drinking what you have displayed, you can privately ask them if they need something,' Bethany said. 'Never draw attention to people's eating or drinking habits in front of others,' Bethany continued. UK certified etiquette coach Jamila Musayeva told FEMAIL that 'neglecting to ask about dietary preferences is another common mistake that can leave guests feeling overlooked or uncomfortable.' 'As a host, it is your duty to ask for dietary restrictions but as a guest, you are also responsible for informing the host, in case he or she has forgotten to clarify,' Jamila explained. It's not just about what you say, hosts must also make sure to be prepared for any scenario. The ultimate host will make sure to keep the bathroom fully stocked, because running out toilet paper would be a worst case scenario. 'Always let your guests know where the bathroom is and ensure it is fully stocked with toilet paper and necessities,' Bethany said, explaining that it's best to keep all bathrooms in the house accessible in case of emergencies. 'Running out of essentials, from food and drinks to toilet paper, is easily avoidable,' Jamila agreed. Etiquette coach Bethany Skorik told DailyMail.com, 'Hosts are responsible for making their guests feel welcome and comfortable when opening their homes' Certified etiquette expert Jamila Musayeva revealed to FEMAIL that 'neglecting to ask about dietary preferences is another common mistake' Jamila suggested overstocking the essentials, since it's 'better to have more of everything and you can always save it for a later day or occasion.' There are also certain topics you should avoid, according to Bethany, like 'past loves or relationships, especially if your guest has a new beau.' 'Parents and family members are often guilty of telling funny stories about past partners, and this is wildly inappropriate,' Bethany advised. Another no no is forcing guests to remove their shoes , because they might have mismatched socks or an old pedicure. If you live in a major urban area, it's best to provide clean socks or slippers as an alternative. 'Some people may have mismatched socks, no socks, or personal reasons for wanting to keep their shoes,' Bethany suggested, adding that it's best to 'have a backup to protect your house and your guest's ego.' The penultimate host will also remain calm throughout the evening, so guests feel equally at home. 'If you're stressed and frantic, guests will pick up on it,' Jamila warned. 'Do not leave anything to the last minute. This will make you feel stressed and you, as host, will not be able to enjoy the party.' Instead, it's best to prepare in advance for a stress-free and festive evening. Wisconsin Share or comment on this article: Etiquette experts reveal the worst mistakes you can make when hosting holiday parties e-mail Add commentNissan and Honda to attempt a merger that would create the world's No. 3 automaker TOKYO (AP) — Japanese automakers Nissan and Honda have announced plans to work toward a merger that would catapult them to a top position in an industry in the midst of tectonic shifts as it transitions away from its reliance on fossil fuels. The two companies said they signed an agreement on integrating their businesses on Monday. Smaller Nissan alliance member Mitsubishi Motors agreed to join the talks. News of a possible merger surfaced earlier this month. Japanese automakers face a strong challenge from their Chinese rivals and Tesla as they make inroads into markets at home and abroad. What a merger between Nissan and Honda means for the automakers and the industry BANGKOK (AP) — Japanese automakers Honda and Nissan will attempt to merge and create the world’s third-largest automaker by sales as the industry undergoes dramatic changes in its transition away from fossil fuels. The two companies said they had signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday and that smaller Nissan alliance member Mitsubishi Motors also had agreed to join the talks on integrating their businesses. Honda will initially lead the new management, retaining the principles and brands of each company. Following is a quick look at what a combined Honda and Nissan would mean for the companies, and for the auto industry. Nordstrom to be acquired by Nordstrom family and a Mexican retail group in $6.25 billion deal Century-old department store Nordstrom has agreed to be acquired and taken private by Nordstrom family members and a Mexican retail group in a $6.25 billion deal. 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Stock market today: Wall Street rises at the start of a holiday-shortened week Stocks closed higher on Wall Street at the start of a holiday-shortened week. The S&P 500 rose 0.7% Monday. Several big technology companies helped support the gains, including chip companies Nvidia and Broadcom. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.2%, and the Nasdaq composite rose 1%. Honda's U.S.-listed shares rose sharply after the company said it was in talks about a combination with Nissan in a deal that could also include Mitsubishi Motors. Eli Lilly rose after announcing that regulators approved Zepbound as the first prescription medicine for adults with sleep apnea. Treasury yields rose in the bond market. The internet is rife with fake reviews. Will AI make it worse? Researchers and watchdog groups say the emergence of generative artificial intelligence tools that allow people to efficiently produce detailed and novel online reviews has put merchants, service providers and consumers in uncharted territory. Phony reviews have long plagued many popular consumer websites, such as Amazon and Yelp. But AI-infused text generation tools enable fraudsters to produce reviews faster and in greater volume, according to tech industry experts. The deceptive practice is illegal in the U.S. and becomes a bigger problem for consumers during the holiday shopping season, when many people rely on reviews to buy gifts. A tech company and watchdog group that uses software to detect fake reviews says AI-generated reviews have multiplied. Romanian lawmakers narrowly approve new pro-European coalition during period of political turmoil BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romanian lawmakers have voted narrowly in favor of a new pro-European coalition government led by incumbent Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu. The move on Monday could usher in an end to a protracted political crisis in the European Union country following the annulment of a presidential election. Parliament approved the new administration in a 240-143 vote in the 466-seat legislature. The new coalition is made up of the leftist Social Democratic Party, the center-right National Liberal Party, the small ethnic Hungarian UDMR party and national minorities. President Klaus Iohannis swore in the new government on Monday night. Government regulators close investigation into Ford Focus recalls Government safety regulators are closing an investigation into two previous recalls of the Ford Focus after determining that Ford Motor Co. has satisfied its concerns. Ford recalled around 1.5 million Ford Focus sedans from the 2012-2018 model years in 2018 because they could lose power. The issue was a malfunctioning canister purge valve and software that didn’t adequately detect when it was stuck open. Ford fixed the software in two separate recalls, but after cars continued to stall, the government opened an inquiry last year. Earlier this fall, Ford offered to replace the canister purge valve on all of the vehicles, satisfying regulators' concerns. AI will eavesdrop on world's wildest places to track and help protect endangered wildlife PUERTO JIMÉNEZ, Costa Rica (AP) — A biologist hid 350 audio monitors across Costa Rica’s tropical rainforests to spy on endangered spider monkeys in order to help protect them. But she had to go back to collect the data and feed those sounds into artificial intelligence systems that can recognize monkey calls. 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Reports: Bill Belichick interviews for North Carolina jobKelly Loeffler, a former US Senator from Georgia and prominent business executive, has garnered significant attention for her wealth, political career, and involvement in a high-profile insider trading scandal. Here's an in-depth look at her age, net worth, family, and controversies. Born in Bloomington, Illinois, on November 27, 1970, Kelly Loeffler is 54 years old. She graduated with a degree in marketing from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1992 and later earned an MBA from DePaul University. Her early career saw her work with several financial firms, eventually leading to her rise in the corporate world. Loeffler's net worth is estimated to be approximately $1 billion , making her one of the wealthiest individuals in American politics. Her substantial fortune stems from her association with Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), a financial services company founded by her husband, Jeffrey Sprecher. She joined ICE in 2002, rising to become head of marketing and communications. Loeffler received a reported $9 million payout upon leaving the company to join the US Senate, according to reports from Celebrity Net Worth . Loeffler and Sprecher reside in a 15,000-square-foot Atlanta mansion worth $10.5 million, the most expensive residential purchase in the city's history at the time. The couple also owns properties in Florida, Chicago, and Georgia. READ MORE: Quick Facts About Matt Gaetz: Is He A Lawyer, Net Worth, Wife, And Scandal With A Minor Kelly Loeffler married Jeffrey Sprecher in 2004. Sprecher, a businessman and billionaire, is the CEO of ICE, which owns the New York Stock Exchange. The couple has been a powerful force in the financial and political spheres, with Sprecher's role often complementing Loeffler's political ambitions. According to Times Now News , the duo met while Loeffler was working at ICE, and their partnership has been central to their financial and professional success. Loeffler was appointed to the US Senate in December 2019 by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, following Senator Johnny Isakson's resignation due to health issues. During her tenure, Loeffler positioned herself as a staunch ally of Donald Trump. She faced a challenging election in 2020, losing to Democratic candidate Raphael Warnock in a runoff. Notably, Loeffler pledged loyalty to Trump's efforts to contest the 2020 presidential election results but withdrew her objections following the January 6 Capitol attack, calling the violence "abhorrent," according to CNN . Despite her short tenure in the Senate, she played a prominent role in conservative politics and was considered a loyal supporter of Trump's agenda. Read More: Is Matt Gaetz Still Under Investigation? What To Know About His Sex Trafficking Scandal Loeffler's political career was marred by allegations of insider trading. Reports from Vox revealed that Loeffler and her husband sold approximately $20 million worth of stocks in early 2020 after receiving Senate briefings on the economic impact of COVID-19. These sales reportedly occurred before the stock market experienced significant downturns due to the pandemic. Although Loeffler denied any wrongdoing, the controversy raised questions about her integrity and use of privileged information for personal financial gain. The scandal became a focal point of her reelection campaign, damaging her reputation among voters. In addition to her political and financial pursuits, Loeffler co-owned the WNBA team Atlanta Dream . Her ownership faced backlash in 2020 when she criticised the league's support for the Black Lives Matter movement. Many players called for her removal, leading to public scrutiny over her stance on social justice issues. In November 2024, reports from CNN indicated that President-elect Donald Trump is considering Loeffler for the position of Secretary of Agriculture. Her ties to Trump's campaign and her fundraising efforts have solidified her position as a key ally in his circle. However, as with all Cabinet appointments, nothing is final until formally announced. Kelly Loeffler's journey from a financial executive to a US Senator and a potential Cabinet member illustrates a career marked by ambition, controversy, and influence. While her wealth and business acumen have made her a significant figure in politics, allegations of insider trading and her stance on social justice issues have sparked widespread debate about her legacy.
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A long-standing rivalry will be transported from North Carolina to Annapolis as East Carolina meets NC State in the Military Bowl.NoneWhat will Elon Musk’s “DOGE” mean for America’s social safety net? That was the question on the minds of many as Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to present their vision for the “Department of Government Efficiency” to Congress. Billed as a bipartisan meeting to which all senators and representatives were invited, it was in reality mostly attended by Republicans. But the short answer to what DOGE means after Thursday: Nobody knows. Musk and Ramaswamy of the House GOP as well as Marjorie Taylor Greene, chair of the to-be-formed “DOGE” subcommittee in Congress, ahead of the presentation Thursday afternoon. The two were tight-lipped as they passed reporters, with Musk answering just one question — turning and giving an emphatic “yes!” to a shouted question from the pool regarding whether he wanted to see more Democrats join the effort. That was a general theme of the day. Republicans who talked to a large scrum of reporters gathered outside of the closed-door meetings gave little in the way of details as to how the federal budget would be reduced, instead pivoting towards expressing their excitement at the arrival of Musk, the newest member of Donald Trump’s inner circle. The most frequently cited example of “waste” was a survey out this week reporting that the vast majority of federal workers are now in hybrid or primarily work-from-home roles. Speaker Mike Johnson at a scheduled presser ahead of the presentation by Musk and Ramaswamy, but even he said that there would be little in terms of real substance released to the press today. “They're innovators and they're forward thinkers, and so that's what we need right now,” Johnson said of Musk and Ramaswamy. “We need to make government more efficient. And that is what this whole objective is. It's what the DOGE effort will be about. You're going to see a bicameral cooperation, and it will be, by the way, bipartisan.” He pointed to he said had already come forward to join the effort. But he dodged a question regarding whether it was truly feasible to make such deep cuts to the federal budget without touching Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid, the bulk of America’s medical and financial safety net for low-income and older citizens. Other Republican committee chairs who filed in and out of both meetings similarly dodged such questions, though a few were willing to address the question of the safety net and entitlement reform directly. “If we don't reform them, then potential retirees will not have them,” said Rep. Kevin Hern, a member of the House Ways and Means Committee’s sub-panel on Health. Alabama senator Katie Britt gave a quick rundown of her own frustrations with the federal government, which included failures to pay down the national debt and delays on the passage of major pieces of legislation including the Farm Bill. “I’m excited for him to be here,” Britt told reporters of Musk as she entered. Greene told reporters that she and Musk had spoken about how Congress could work to address national debt, which she called “unsustainable.” “To quote Elon, he said something extremely important. Every single payment that the federal government pays out, we need to be checking those payments to see if they're legitimate and that’s something that hasn't been done,” she said on Thursday after her meeting with the Tesla/Twitter CEO. “I am looking forward to exposing every single unelected bureaucrat, every single agency that is wasting the American people's money, and the big government departments that need to be exposed for how they're not serving the American people,” she added.
Trump has flip-flopped on abortion policy. His appointees may offer clues to what happens next
