Dear Gala Guru

As the first delicate blossoms push through the soil and birdsong returns to fill the morning air, Easter arrives at the perfect moment, when we most need its promise of renewal. This isn’t just another holiday marked on calendars; it’s a profound reminder of life’s resilience and the hope that emerges after difficult seasons. For […]

April 14th marks National Pecan Day, when America’s only native nut finally gets its moment in the spotlight. While almonds and walnuts arrived as botanical immigrants to our soil, pecans have been waving their tiny American flags since before there was an America. Here’s a mind-cracking revelation: Pecans aren’t nuts—they’re drupes, making them fruits! That’s […]

Mark your calendars for April 7th, when National Beer Day transforms ordinary mortals into foam-crowned connoisseurs. While historians may tell you it commemorates the end of Prohibition, we all know it’s just an excuse to philosophize over a pint about why the foam always slides down the inside of the glass but never up. Around […]

Taco ’bout something important.  February 24th is National Tortilla Chip Day, and if that’s not worth celebrating, I don’t know what is. These crispy triangles of joy have been the unsung heroes of our snack drawers and party spreads for generations, faithfully showing up at every game day, movie night, and impromptu snack attack. What […]

Dear Gala Guru, My job does not make me happy. It is a dead end.  I hate turning off the alarm and going back to the office.  It is toxic where I work.  Office gossip runs rampant, and no one is happy.  The boss is not a leader. I do not feel as though I […]

There’s a particular kind of courage in loving someone. Not in the grand gestures or the Valentine’s cards or the carefully selected flowers and chocolates – though these have their place. The real bravery lies in the everyday choice to keep loving, even when love isn’t feeling particularly magical. Love lives in the small moments […]

Dear Gala Guru, I have a problem. I have done nothing but eat since Thanksgiving, celebrating all the parties and holidays. I recently stepped on the scales and am horrified to find I have gained 15 pounds. I realize I did this to myself, but now I am panicked. I need to get back to […]

Dear Gala Guru, Every year, I volunteer to plan our Paradise community’s annual party, “Summer Serenade. ” It is a black-tie dinner and dance. We are all retired and over the age of 70.  I am responsible for selling the tickets, collecting and sending the meal choices to the catering team, and paying for the […]

Dear Gala Guru, I am a grandmother of six, and every year for Christmas, I send each grandchild a card for Christmas along with a check for $100. I have been doing this for 15 years now. In the beginning, I would get a sweet thank you note.  But the notes have dwindled as they […]

Dear Gala Guru, Now that the holidays are over, I am taking inventory of some of my presents. There are several that I will never use and just don’t like. What are your thoughts on returning the gifts to the store or re-gifting them next year? Sandie Relax—you’re not alone. We’ve all unwrapped a gift […]

As we pack up the Christmas decorations, I think it’s only natural to feel a twinge of melancholia as the season’s excitement is over for another year. The parties have subsided, the relatives and guests have returned home, and it’s time to consider the year ahead. Starting with all those dreaded New Year’s resolutions, especially […]

A Shoebox Christmas My 88-year-old Mama’s eyes take on that far-away look when she tells this story from her childhood Christmases in Georgia. Her words transport me to a time when love and simple joys meant everything, especially for a sharecropper’s daughter whose family knew the meaning of “making do.” Every October, after the cotton […]

‘Tis the Week Before Christmas Ah, Christmas – that magical time of year where our credit cards get more exercise than we do, and the neighbor’s inflatable Santa stares menacingly into our bedroom window at 3 AM.  It’s when we all pretend fruit cake is an acceptable gift and convince ourselves that catalogs of matching […]

This month, we will be sharing your favorite Christmas stories.  Dear Gala Guru, Many Christmases past, our Grandparents came for Christmas dinner, and the entire family was up early getting the preparations underway. Our Grandfather wanted to help with the turkey, so we let him. We had the turkey stuffed and let him put it […]

Dear Gala Guru, My cousin’s wedding is turning into quite the scene, with kids under 12 reluctantly allowed but under strict conditions—one child per adult, max supervision, and absolutely no outside food, because her catering “aesthetic” must remain undisturbed.Here’s the kid’s menu: frozen mini pizzas, sugary drink pouches, crunchy cheese-flavored puffs, and generic soda, for […]

Thanksgiving traces its roots to that historic feast over 400 years ago, when the Pilgrims and Native Americans came together to share a meal that symbolized peace and goodwill. Today, as our world feels more divided than ever, this spirit of unity and gratitude remains just as vital. As we gather around tables groaning under […]

Dear Gala Guru, Help! Thanksgiving is fast approaching, and we have six couples coming for dinner. My husband is not a good cook and has insisted on cooking the dinner this year. His cooking is the worst, and I worry about how this dinner will turn out. Every time he cooks, it is a test […]

Dear Gala Guru, Some years ago, it was my turn to host Thanksgiving for family and friends, so I purchased an extra-large turkey to feed the crowd. I didn’t have much experience roasting large hunks of meat, so I chose a turkey with an easy-to-use pop-out belly button that would signal doneness. Well, the crowd […]

Hi Gala Guru,I’m wondering how you would plan cocktails or a meal where dietary restrictions must be considered. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten, and lactose issues are more prevalent than they were in the past, so how would you handle menu choices while keeping everyone happy? Robert Good question, Robert, especially with the party season coming up.  […]

Dear Gala Guru, For Halloween last year,  my wife and I threw a party with over 70 guests.  It was so much fun to see all the costumes.  There was catering, music, and prizes for the best costume.  The costumes were so great! Everyone participated.  We hired a photographer who captured every detail of the […]

Dear Gala Guru,I recently hosted a potluck at my home for a professional group, inviting members and their families. One attendee brought her husband and four children (ages 6-12), whom I had never met. While the children were generally well-behaved, I encountered a situation that left me unsure about my actions:Two younger boys brought food […]

Dear Gala Guru, Help!  My family reunion is coming up.  My first in about three years, and I am filled with anxiety.  I typically dread attending family reunions because, well…it’s family, and someone always goes off the deep end.  There are usually close to 30 people in attendance, which is a lot of people to […]

Dear Gala Guru, My 5th-grade grandson has not had much of a turn-out for his birthday parties since before the pandemic. His birthday is in June, right after school is out for summer. He doesn’t like the idea of having an early birthday celebration in May because he thinks it’s cheating. I’m also ticked off […]

Dear Gala Guru, I have good friends who lean both right and left (at this age, probably literally and politically!) and I cringe before social gatherings at the thought of having to witness a tense conversation about the upcoming election.  I recently hosted a group of friends over to play bridge (again, showing my age), and all was […]

Dear Gala Guru, I am a wedding planner in the greater Philadelphia area.  First off, thanks for your blog and the opportunity to share stories.  I wanted to let you know that I recently took on a bride who was a nightmare.  Nothing pleased this young woman.  Her outlook on everything was so negative.  She […]

Dear Gala Guru, I have an awkward situation for you.  Recently, my wife and I attended one of her many fundraiser dinners.  As a newly minted Dermatologist, I have been working hard to get my practice off the ground and was looking forward to the diversion of this black-tie event.  It was for a good […]

Dear Gala Guru, I love hosting dinner parties, using my good linens, crystal, silver, and china. However, sometimes my guests insist on “helping” clean up for me. First, I don’t like strangers in my kitchen since they don’t know where everything goes. Second, they don’t know how to load my dishwasher. Third, I have had […]

Happy Labor Day. Whether you plan to sleep in, shop the sales, or barbeque with friends and family, let us never forget the meaning of this day. Labor Day is when we honor the efforts of those who fought for workers’ rights in the late 1800s.  Their struggles led to benefits we now enjoy, such as […]

Dear Gala Guru, We have been planning our class 50th reunion, but there was some friction when some members of the class wanted to include class members from the years before and after ours. Others felt this reunion was special and should be limited to our classmates and their plus-ones, especially since the number of […]

Dear Gala Guru, Help! What should you do when your dinner guests are early birds and show up half an hour early to your party? Should I ask them to leave and return at the appointed time? A lot still needs to be done in the half-hour before a party. Not Ready! Dear N.R. Well, […]

Dear Gala Guru, I recently volunteered at a fancy fundraising event attended by many of the local elites. At the end of the evening, as the last guests were leaving the ballroom, much to my horror,  one well-known and highly inebriated attendee stopped to pee in a potted palm. I was so shocked I froze. […]

Ah, August! We’re leaping into what I call the “Frog Days of Summer,” when even the most energetic feel the slower pace. I have a giant desert toad in my yard, whom I have affectionately named Teddy. He hangs out in the bird bath every day reminding me that in this magical time when the […]

Dear Gala Guru, My friend hosted a cocktail/dinner party for her husband’s boss and invited us even though we had never met him.  This man was such a bore.  He talked about himself all night long and never asked anyone else a question.  No one else got a single word in.  My friend shot me […]

Dear GG, I recently had some friends over for cocktails and dinner.  It was a dark, rainy day and we were all glad to be inside with the drinks and appetizers.  I had just put the roast beef and the potatoes in the oven given we were to have an hour of appetizers, when lightning […]

Dear Gala Guru, Is using paper napkins at a dinner party okay rather than cloth napkins?  Is there a rule? Myra Dear Myra, I don’t know if there’s an official napkin rule, as long as one is handy. There are so many amazing colors and choices for paper napkins these days.  It’s like a party […]

Dear Gala Guru I recently hosted a dinner party and just as we sat down to dinner, one of my guests started sneezing so loud and so often it was distracting the other guests.  She said she was allergic to my centerpiece.  Is that possible? She finally, had to leave the table and take some […]

Dear Gala Guru, I threw a party for about 30 people. Everything was going smoothly and everyone was having a good time. I was outside visiting with my guests, then went inside to freshen drinks. I was surprised to find that one of my guests had lit every candle in the house. When asked, she […]

Get ready to party like it’s 1776 because Independence Day is almost here! It’s time to bring out the red, white, and blue décor and fire up the barbecue. Want to spice things up this year? How about throwing a neighborhood shindig with hot dogs, ice cream, and live patriotic music? You could even quiz […]

Dear Gala Guru, I was at a dinner party recently and a man spilled his red wine all over the host’s white tablecloth.  He was embarrassed, and the other 8 guests were also embarrassed for him. The hostess scrambled to get towels and everyone tried to stop the wine from spreading with their white napkins.  […]

Solstice Party It’s this weekend!  June 20th, 2024 – the summer solstice.   So, if you’ve been waiting for the perfect excuse to celebrate, this is it!  And let’s be real, it might be crazy hot depending on where you are, so why not throw a pool party? If you don’t have a pool, no worries; […]

Dear Gala Guru, I recently planned a luncheon for several of the ladies from my book club.  Since we have been meeting monthly for 6 months now, I thought this would be a great way to get to know them better.  I set this up on my patio and had linens, flowers, and a wonderful […]

Dear Gala Guru.I recently threw a dinner party for some friends. Dinner started at 5 pm and at midnight no one was making any moves to leave. I was exhausted. How do you diplomatically get people to go home? Am I being rude?Exhausted Dear Exhausted.This is a problem that anyone who has ever hosted a […]