Traditionally Speaking
Fayette News
I subscribe to Southern Living Magazine and am a member of their board, THE FRONT PORCH. I have purchased this magazine my entire adult life. I never knew my mother not to have a subscription, either. I mostly duplicated mama’s shopping habits, too, except to purchase Hellman’s mayonnaise whereas she bought Kraft. Oh, and she washed her clothes in Tide but I use Arm and Hammer.
But I am getting off topic.
I do not think I was chosen because of my faithfulness to Southern Living but maybe it didn’t hurt as they periodically ask my opinion about: proposed topics, advertising, and my advice on which direction the magazine should take for the future. I do not get free copies of the magazine for this service. I am just a representative from a certain age group, I guess. (They do reward their board members for answering their survey questions with $25 or $100 quarterly drawings.) They haven’t picked my name although I have been on the board about five years.
This article appeared on-line and certainly brought back memories: “Southern Traditions We Want to Bring Back – And You Will Too!” There were twenty-three traditions. Let’s see if we have continued any of these customs.
1. Saying Please and Thank You. This may not be just Southern speak but television anchor and a former Georgia Junior Miss from Dalton, Deborah Norville, wrote a book entitled, Thank You Power: Making the Science of Gratitude Work for You. Please investigate and thank you for your time if you do.
2. Saying Sir or M’am. This is definitely a Southern expression. My younger son, age twenty-seven, habitually does this. But some may take offense because they might connect it with being old. They shouldn’t worry. Old is always fifteen years from now.
3. Proper Table Manners. I sent both my boys to Cotillion classes so that they didn’t think they were the only ones having to practice table etiquette at home. They still remember the phone goes left of the entrée fork.
4. Cursive Writing. Oops. Second son’s is such hen scratch. Does this mean that his destiny is to become a doctor?
5. Hand Written Thank You Notes. My boys have their own monogrammed note cards. I even considered what my children’s name would be by how the initials looked in a monogram.
6. Recipe Cards. I lovingly have kept my mother’s original recipe box with her handwritten recipes. Her chicken recipes are even better than the New York Times Bestseller, Fifty Shades of Chicken by FL Fowler, a parody which claims “Fifty chicken recipes, each more seductive than the last, in a book that makes every dinner a turn-on.”
7. Sunday Suppers. My family is a small one but those with a large family, do you sometimes think, “Are these people really my relatives?”
8. Holding the Door Open for Others. I’ve done this and said either “Thank you” to other females or “What a gentleman” for the males who do this kindness for me. But sometimes today you can’t tell the difference. Guess I’ll just have to say “thank you” to all. See #1.
9. Welcoming New Neighbors. Did you know that Amazon sells a Bathroom Guest Book? Under this title it says, “Please sign in while sitting down.” It’s only $12.80 with FREE one-day shipping and FREE returns. You save $5.18. Thought you would want to know. Wouldn’t think this would make a neighborly good first impression gift, though.
10. A Good Handshake. In 2020, 2021 – what is a handshake?
11. Phone Calls. What are those? Think they mean text messages?
12. Punctuality. For dinner parties stick with “Five minutes early is on-time. On-time is late. Being late is unacceptable.” I am bad about punctuality for cocktail parties, though, because I know what it feels like to have guests come too early. There are always hiccups before guests arrive. I will hide behind the old adage. “Better to arrive late than ugly.”
Next time, I’ll add the last behaviors that Southern Living thinks we should never forget.
I subscribe to Southern Living Magazine and am a member of their board, THE FRONT PORCH. I have purchased this magazine my entire adult life. I never knew my mother not to have a subscription, either. I mostly duplicated mama’s shopping habits, too, except to purchase Hellman’s mayonnaise whereas she bought Kraft. Oh, and she washed her clothes in Tide but I use Arm and Hammer.
But I am getting off topic.
I do not think I was chosen because of my faithfulness to Southern Living but maybe it didn’t hurt as they periodically ask my opinion about: proposed topics, advertising, and my advice on which direction the magazine should take for the future. I do not get free copies of the magazine for this service. I am just a representative from a certain age group, I guess. (They do reward their board members for answering their survey questions with $25 or $100 quarterly drawings.) They haven’t picked my name although I have been on the board about five years.
This article appeared on-line and certainly brought back memories: “Southern Traditions We Want to Bring Back – And You Will Too!” There were twenty-three traditions. Let’s see if we have continued any of these customs.
1. Saying Please and Thank You. This may not be just Southern speak but television anchor and a former Georgia Junior Miss from Dalton, Deborah Norville, wrote a book entitled, Thank You Power: Making the Science of Gratitude Work for You. Please investigate and thank you for your time if you do.
2. Saying Sir or M’am. This is definitely a Southern expression. My younger son, age twenty-seven, habitually does this. But some may take offense because they might connect it with being old. They shouldn’t worry. Old is always fifteen years from now.
3. Proper Table Manners. I sent both my boys to Cotillion classes so that they didn’t think they were the only ones having to practice table etiquette at home. They still remember the phone goes left of the entrée fork.
4. Cursive Writing. Oops. Second son’s is such hen scratch. Does this mean that his destiny is to become a doctor?
5. Hand Written Thank You Notes. My boys have their own monogrammed note cards. I even considered what my children’s name would be by how the initials looked in a monogram.
6. Recipe Cards. I lovingly have kept my mother’s original recipe box with her handwritten recipes. Her chicken recipes are even better than the New York Times Bestseller, Fifty Shades of Chicken by FL Fowler, a parody which claims “Fifty chicken recipes, each more seductive than the last, in a book that makes every dinner a turn-on.”
7. Sunday Suppers. My family is a small one but those with a large family, do you sometimes think, “Are these people really my relatives?”
8. Holding the Door Open for Others. I’ve done this and said either “Thank you” to other females or “What a gentleman” for the males who do this kindness for me. But sometimes today you can’t tell the difference. Guess I’ll just have to say “thank you” to all. See #1.
9. Welcoming New Neighbors. Did you know that Amazon sells a Bathroom Guest Book? Under this title it says, “Please sign in while sitting down.” It’s only $12.80 with FREE one-day shipping and FREE returns. You save $5.18. Thought you would want to know. Wouldn’t think this would make a neighborly good first impression gift, though.
10. A Good Handshake. In 2020, 2021 – what is a handshake?
11. Phone Calls. What are those? Think they mean text messages?
12. Punctuality. For dinner parties stick with “Five minutes early is on-time. On-time is late. Being late is unacceptable.” I am bad about punctuality for cocktail parties, though, because I know what it feels like to have guests come too early. There are always hiccups before guests arrive. I will hide behind the old adage. “Better to arrive late than ugly.”
Next time, I’ll add the last behaviors that Southern Living thinks we should never forget.
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