It may seem like the most polite option, but the label says that the other person’s wishes are taken into account first.
In the middle of Christmas lunches, lunches and dinners (and after the New Year’s Eve party is over) at the homes of family or friends, there are rules of etiquette that you must remember. When the meal has finished, it is time to clear the table and clean the kitchen. That’s when the question arises: on the one hand, do you think you should help, it would be the polite thing to do, right? But on the other hand, you are talking to the other guests and enjoying a drink. After all, which option is correct?
We also take the opportunity to remind you what to clean if you are the host and have last minute guests.
The rules of etiquette may suggest that you get up from the table to begin washing the dishes as a sign of gratitude, but if your goal is to respect the host, the way forward may be different. According to expert Nick Leighton, co-host of ‘Were You Raised By Wolves?’ Heard by Apartment Therapy, it is important to understand exactly what protocol etiquette is before spontaneously starting to help.
In general, according to Leighton, it’s polite to offer help unless you’re having a very formal dinner or lunch. The important thing is to respect the wishes of the host if he says no. “Unless there’s a very extenuating circumstance where the host’s ‘no’ isn’t really a ‘no,’ I think one should take that into account and just enjoy being a guest,” he says.
There are a number of good reasons why the event organizer may decline your offer of help. For example, they can have their own time management and how they want the night to unfold. They know the house better than you do, and they know where and how to store things. For special occasions like Christmas or New Years Eve, for example, when using their most special plates and cutlery, they may prefer to take care of their utensils themselves. Also, there are people who really like to tidy up the house and do things their own way as it relaxes them.
Helping may seem the most polite and respectful thing to do, according to the expert, but true dress code takes the other person’s wishes into account first.
