The day is here, again.  Merry Christmas everyone!

On this auspicious occasion come some important tips.  At issue here is your responsibility to ensure style, class and overall panache throughout this day of seemingly endless merriment.  If you’re dressing up and heading to dinner at a luxury resort, you have it made.  If, however, you’re relegated to a relative’s home, personal flair is not to be dismissed. 

First off, you must of course dress well.  Secondly, and more crucially, it’s vital that your host is serving on the finest china and crystal that happens to be in the house.  This is no day for paper and plastic.

Even I opted out of a tie, for the first time in five years.

I suffered such an atrocity yesterday, at a relative’s home gathering.  I was told the glass could get broken, and that the plastic plates were easier for the clean-up process.  This reasoning simply does not fly.  If you agree to host, you simply must face the aftermath.  No compromise here.  Then, what day of the year trumps Christmas as the time to break out the finest?  If anything happens to get broken, that’s life!

Don’t let my suffering happen to you!  Make sure you’re drinking from at least glass and eating off of china, with full silverware!  If you’re visiting relatives today in a trailer park, you may need to furnish such service.  In any event, no doubt you’ll look fabulous doing so!  While a tie is of course preferred, a cashmere turtleneck is indeed an acceptable alternative.

The resort is still the way to go, if you’re on the fence.  The wine will make it all run smoothly, no matter where you are.  And that’s my opinion.  Cheers!