Cross-Cultural Dining Etiquette: "Good Luck" Foods Around the World

Do you have traditional foods in your family that are considered "good luck" to eat on New Year's Day? For example:

• Do you eat 365 black-eyed peas before noon on New Year's Day?
• Do you eat 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight?
• Do you ensure pork is part of the meal?
• Do you ensure cooked greens are part of the meal?

Test your cross-cultural savvy by reviewing the "good luck" foods from around the world and the meaning behind these for New Year's Day. Thank you to Whole Foods Market for sharing this information!

Children's Thank You Note Etiquette: The Art of Gratitude

With the holidays winding down, it is a good time to help your children and teens write thank you notes for their gifts. While the general guidelines of etiquette state that if you have thanked someone in person for a gift, it isn't necessary to send a handwritten thank you note, taking time to express gratitude through handwritten notes is a good skill builder for young people, as well as a welcome surprise for those receiving these notes of gratitude.

Consider age appropriate thank yous:

Children under age nine often love to make their own thank you cards. Provide resources for them to be creative such as fun colored papers, pens, pencils, stickers, and glitter. Adults can help very young children with writing "thank you." No matter the age of the child, they should each sign their own card, even if they haven't mastered the art of signing their name.

Older children and teens may choose to either create their own cards or purchase thank you cards. Adults can provide an opportunity for young people to shop and select their own cards which helps young people to build their confidence and feel "grown up." These young people are often of the age that they are able to create their own sentiments, however, they may still need some encouragement to write.

Some additional tips for thank you notes:

- provide a dictionary for children and teens to use in their writing
- no email thank you notes unless it is simply to let the gift giver know that the gift was received if it was sent by mail; follow up with a handwritten thank you
- send thank yous within a week of receiving the gift, though it is never too late to say "thank you"
- set time aside (schedule if necessary) to write out the thank yous, and make it a fun family event

In our hurried world, by making the time to handwrite thank you notes, your children and teens will build skills in the art of expressing gratitude and graciousness.