As the holiday season approaches, no doubt you will have family get-togethers, work events, and various party invitations coming your way. When hosts request RSVPs and you delay in responding, they may wonder whether you're waiting for a better offer to come along. Reply promptly. Hosts have to plan the menu, pay for the food for each attendee, and in some cases rent serving dishes and furniture for a specific number of guests. If the host has to contact you to ask whether you're attending, you have committed a major faux pas.

And once at the party or event, turn off all the gadgets and get in the spirit of the thing. What host wants to have guests who stand in the corner and hang on their cell phone all evening? Or who wants guests popping in for 15 minutes, only to announce that they were late and are leaving early because they have more important places to be and people to see? If you're going to show up, join in. Don't make your attendance seem like an obligatory duty.