With a written note, certainly a parent must stamp and address it, and perhaps hover over the child to inspire them to write.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Just after Thanksgiving each year, my young nieces send out a letter to the extended family that contains their “Letter to Santa,” outlining the things they would like as gifts.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Why is it that people see it as mandatory to send a thank-you for a gift? It seems like people give gifts ...

DEAR MISS MANNERS: We are a blended family. I invited our adult children to Thanksgiving. They responded by asking if “other people,” i.e. nonfamily members, might be there. I said possibly. They ...

Rather than harbor anger, Miss Manners suggests that you might take this as gentle teasing. The next time you invite your ...

Miss Manners suggests that if the situation comes up again, you alert the food truck workers and enlist their help. Or ask ...

Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com; to her email, [email protected]; ...

GENTLE READER: While she appreciates the adoration and deplores the incoherent instruction you received, Miss Manners feels ...

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Help! My husband and I stayed at my parents’ house and slept in their guest bedroom. Friends of theirs had ...

DEAR MISS MANNERS: When I meet new people and tell them where I earned my bachelor’s degree and what my plans for the future ...

We seriously won’t be able to sleep on that mattress, but saying that we’ll stay in a hotel would probably start World War ...