DEAR MISS MANNERS: Help! My husband and I stayed at my parents’ house and slept in their guest bedroom. Friends of theirs had gifted them with a terrible, but very expensive, mattress. It slopes ...

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Last year a neighbor had a Christmas party. She invited a lot of people and it was quite crowded. She made a number of tasty dishes and provided some drinks. This year, she has sent ...

DEAR MISS MANNERS: What is the proper way for my 16-year-old daughters, who are twins, to respond when a friend asks them, “What do you want for your birthday?” They are having a small party, and one ...

DEAR MISS MANNERS: When did people become so insecure that they take offense at pretty much everything? I’ve noticed a huge shift. Compliments given by strangers are now considered an insult or an ...

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I was in line at a busy cosmetics store. The line wasn’t moving very fast when the woman behind me asked me to save her place: She said an employee had forgotten to give her ...

DEAR MISS MANNERS: At a company holiday party, one of my colleagues decided not to partake of the wine that was offered. During a round of toasts, she was admonished -- in a good-natured way -- by ...

DEAR MISS MANNERS: One of my friends endlessly plays with the food she does not want to eat, without ever signaling by the position of her cutlery that she has finished. So all of her fellow diners ...