Are These Coming Back into Fashion? If So, You'll Want to Know This

Greetings & Welcome to Wednesday!

Hope that you've recovered from any overdoses of marshmallow peeps and chocolate bunnies! For me it was Whopper (malted milk ball) candy!

I filled a third of my boys' plastic Easter eggs with them. After eating about four Whoppers, my 12-year-old said, "Mom, I'm sorry, but I don't like these." My little guy, always quick to echo big brother, whether it's his true feelings or not, said, "Yea Mom! I don't like them either! They're kind of yucky."

My heart was crushed in disbelief! My own children don't understand the true candy genius of a Whopper! I shook my head in disbelief and began to worry whether or not they'll turn out OK in life. Have I failed them in some way already? You know, it's always the mom's fault :)

You see, Whoppers are a happy childhood memory for me. I have a brother who's 13 years my senior. He was more of a second father, and I worshipped him growing up. We're still close, and Whoppers are his favorite candy. I remember being very young and he would buy them in large boxes shaped like milk cartons and share them with me. We would sit side by side on the sofa, on a hot Florida summer afternoon, in the one cool place in our small home, under the room air conditioner in the living room.

The cool breeze, the full attention of my big brother, and a box of Whoppers! Pure, simple bliss!

I told my boys the story of my happy memories with their Uncle Keith, hoping they would give the candy another try and carry on the family Whoppers tradition. Marc, my older son, gladly popped one more into his mouth. Corbett, his little brother shadowed him. "Sorry, Mom. They're OK, but I still don't really like them," Marc answered. "Me either," the little one said, shaking his head back and forth, his little nose all twisted up in a knot with the face that shouts "yuck!" in every direction.

There was nothing to do but for poor Mom to sacrifice myself to the completion of the bag! They will always remain a sweet childhood memory for me. However, after finishing off the 24-oz bag, for at least the next six months they will no longer be a sweet temptation when I pass them on the candy aisle at Target!

On to etiquette! You know I always make it there eventually!

Wednesday Readers' Q & A! This blog is about equipping ourselves to interact with ease, savvy, and sincerity in our everyday encounters. You won't find bowing, curtsying, or tea-with-the-Queen etiquette here.

Today's reader question is fun, but I almost didn't include it.

Why? Well... because it's about an etiquette that essentially doesn't apply anymore: wearing dress gloves.

I remember as a little girl my mom would go to Montgomery Ward every Easter and buy my dress, white patent leather shoes, and a pair of gloves. She had a couple of pairs herself. They were laid out perfectly in a long, flat dark red box with inlaid fancy gold writing. I was too young to read what the box said, but I remember carefully taking the gloves out of the tissue paper lined box and putting them on one finger at a time. My five-year-old fingers stopped about where my mom's knuckles would be, so the end of each finger of the glove flopped back and forth. I would giggle, all the while feeling very grown up!

Because glove etiquette isn't something you're going to need every day, I was going to put the question aside. Then I thought, well... if you get invited to just one formal meal, tea, or costume event and purchase a pair of gloves on-line for the occasion, you're going to enjoy knowing what jewelry to wear with them and what to do when shaking hands and eating.

Springtime is when a lot of these types of events occur so now's the perfect time for us to learn these seldom-needed but fun tips.

Glove etiquette evolved through the centuries and decades, like all of etiquette, to fit the sensibilities of the current generation. The tips below come from the last decade of glove wearers. These are from about the time that Mrs. Brady, Alice, and the three Brady girls stopped wearing theirs to Sunday services.

Read and enjoy, and if you get invited to any formal teas or events, e-mail and share all the details! I haven't outgrown thinking that dressing up is fun! I hope you haven't either. :)

Dear Maralee,

Absolutely love your blog! I have a question about wearing gloves. When wearing them to a reception, etc. when you're going through the receiving line, do you remove your gloves before going through the line, or do you keep them on while shaking hands? What about when eating?

Here Are Your Top Seven Tips for Becoming Glove Savvy:

1. Gloves can remain on in both receiving (you're the host) and reception (you're the guest) lines.



2. You may wear your gloves when shaking hands, except when meeting the President, the First Lady, or a high-ranking church or government official.



3. Remove your gloves before eating anything, either at or away from the table.



4. At the table, lay your gloves on your lap, with your napkin laid over them.



5. Your watch and rings are worn under your gloves. Bracelets can be worn over gloves although many fashion experts say gloves look best by themselves.



6. Gloves are not worn while dancing. (It's more intimate if you're touching your partner hand to hand, instead of glove to hand.)



7. Today, gloves are rare fashion accessories for only special events and not part of our everyday wardrobes. You wouldn't wear them to work in a typical office. If you do, make sure to remove them before shaking hands with anyone.

Now, I'm going to put on a pair of gloves in honor of this post!

Sadly, they're not my mother's long white gloves with the pearl buttons from thirty years ago. They're yellow rubber. It's Wednesday, housecleaning day, and I'm off to clean the bathrooms! It's OK; I'll just imagine I pulled them out of the long red box with the gilt red printing instead of the cleaning supply bucket!

Blessings,