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Last month, TEA addressed Greeting Card Etiquette. If you are now addressing your holiday cards or the invitations to the company party and you are confused about the correct way to do it, the following are a few tips to make the task easier:

• Always write titles on the envelope. The card or invitation goes to "Mr. John Smith," not "John Smith." It is addressed to "Mr. and Mrs. John Smith," instead of "John and Mary Smith."

• When a couple is not married and share a mutual address, their names are written on separate lines alphabetically and not connected by the word "and."

• If the couple is in the military, and the woman outranks her husband, her name is written first. It's "Major Mary Smith and Lieutenant John Smith."

• When a husband is a judge, use, "The Honorable Jonathon Richardson Williams and Mrs. Susan  Williams." If the judge is female, use her name first.

• If the woman is a clergyperson and the man is not, then write: "The Reverend Jane Doe and Mr. John Doe."

• Note: The man's name is always written first unless the wife outranks him or if the couple is unmarried and her last name precedes his alphabetically.

Remember to include your return address on the envelope. This will allow the card to be returned to you and you can update your mailing list for the next year.

Quotes for the Month

In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer. ~ Albert Camus

There are two ways of spreading light: To be the candle or the mirror that reflects it. ~ Edith Wharton

1^st Impressions, Inc. offers a variety of customized workshops and private consultations for business owners, employees, and individuals on professional presence, business protocol, effective communication, interviewing skills and dining etiquette. A unique program designed especially for teens, Skills 4 Success, is also highly recommended.  

1^st Impressions, Inc. provides the polished finishing touches that help you project a lasting impression of power, poise, confidence and professionalism.