"None of these people have ever socialized with me, so I find it odd and awkward that they would suddenly invite themselves." ...

She immediately said, “I hate it when people say that,” and continued to complain about people always saying that.

Miss Manners: I’m having a celebration of life for my son, not a funeral Letter writer wonders if people make a distinction between funerals and celebrations of life.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: We are holding a celebration of life for my 28-year-old son at an airplane hangar. I’m saying “Wear anything!” because we want it to be about celebrating his life more ...

But Miss Manners is not going to say you should not wear white -- a mourning color in other cultures -- if it makes you feel better.

Is there any proper etiquette on regifting? GENTLE READER: The etiquette on regifting is not to get caught. The likelihood in this case is too great, and not, in Miss Manners’ opinion, worth the ...

Advice Miss Manners: Does a ‘celebration of life’ require etiquette adjustments from those of a funeral? Published: Mar. 24, 2025, 6:00 a.m.

In today's Miss Manners column, advice columnist Judith Martin responds to the polite way to inform family when someone is unable to attend a funeral due to sickness or injury.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: What’s the polite, kind thing to do when one must miss a funeral for reasons such as illness or injury? My aunt’s mother just passed away, and the funeral is in a few days.

Miss Manners, written by Judith Martin and her two perfect children, Nicholas Ivor Martin and Jacobina Marin, has chronicled the continuous rise and fall of American manners since 1978.

A reader tells Miss Manners that a crowdfunding campaign for a 70-year-old relative’s funeral included other luxury expenses. Is it wrong to think this is wrong?

Do you make a distinction between funerals and celebrations of life, or do you believe mourning prevails regardless? I am not criticizing; beliefs are beliefs. I guess I’m questioning my actions ...