DEAR MISS MANNERS: I have a good relationship with my neighbors across the street — we’re not friends, but we have a nice, friendly manner with each other.
Occasionally they ask me to bring their mail into the house when they are gone for longer periods of time — and here comes the dilemma.
As a “thank you,” they always give us a bottle of wine. The bottles have no sleeves or any other identifying marks on them. We don’t drink wine. Never has anyone seen us drink it, because we don’t!
Yet, I have a cabinet full of unmarked bottles that I don’t know what to do with. After years of receiving bottle after bottle, I don’t know how I could let my neighbors know that we really don’t want them. I can’t even regift them to someone else, because they have no sleeves on them. What can I do?
GENTLE READER: Unmarked bottles of wine, like unmarked white vans, are not to be trusted. Miss Manners suggests you continue to accept them graciously and then discreetly pour the contents down the drain — and make sure you dispose of the empty bottles in the next town over.
While you are discarding things, however, please do away with your outrage over mere acquaintances not knowing the particulars of your drinking habits. It makes your case ever so slightly less sympathetic. Your neighbors were trying to please you, although they failed. That they do not study your drinking habits from afar is a good thing.
Stories by
Judith Martin
-
Miss Manners: Is there a polite way to tell dinner guest to close toilet lid after using the bathroom?
-
Miss Manners: When arriving to dinner 15 minutes late, can you expect others to not start without you?
-
Miss Manners: Father-in-law’s jab at being invited for ‘just soup’ cuts this 5-star executive chef
Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website,
www.missmanners.com
; to her email,
dearmissmanners@gmail.com
; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.
About The Author
More Stories
Miss Manners: Non-drinker wonders what to do with mountain of ‘thank you’ bottles of wine
Miss Manners: Non-drinker wonders what to do with mountain of ‘thank you’ bottles of wine
Miss Manners: Non-drinker wonders what to do with mountain of ‘thank you’ bottles of wine