Have party, but don’t make it about you

Mon., Dec. 22, 2014

Judith Martin Universal Uclick

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I am a 39-year-old wife, turning 40 in 2015. I am very happily married, moderately successful and childless.

Since my wedding 16 years ago, I have not had an occasion to “be celebrated,” and I think it’s about high time! No baby showers, no children who will graduate or get married. No grandchildren.

Frankly, a girl needs a reason to get dolled up, buy a gown and get some attention.

Can my husband and I throw a classy, formal party for friends and family that celebrates, well, me? Gifts would be gratefully declined and donations made to a worthy cause instead, for those who feel moved to do so.

Now seems like a great time to celebrate life!

Or am I just a total crazy person who is so self-centered she can’t see past her very own nose to realize that this is a really bad idea?

GENTLE READER: Yes, but there is an awful lot of that going around. Miss Manners has the impression that if you asked people whom they most admired and would like to honor, they would freely admit it was themselves.

The selfie party, for whatever excuse, has become commonplace. Grown-ups throw themselves annual birthday parties, brides and expectant parents demand showers, and those who, like you, missed a possible milestone that could have been such an occasion are asking for compensation.

At least you are not proposing this as an excuse to extract material tributes. And the desire to dress up and have a festive time, in this era of relentless casualness, is understandable. So if you are willing to make some minor adjustments, Miss Manners would be happy to help.

Give your formal party, buy yourself that dress, celebrate life, just don’t advertise that it is all about you. Don’t call it a birthday party – just a party, whose object is to give your guests a good time. Occasion parties have so crowded out purely-for-fun parties that your friends are bound to be delighted and grateful.

And that way, you will be celebrated for what you have done for others, instead of what you have demanded for yourself.