DEAR MISS MANNERS: My husband and I have a delightful, very busy social life. We give and attend numerous dinner parties, and frequently entertain our friends for weekends at our vacation home.
How do I respond to people we DON’T like who openly ask when they “can expect an invitation” to one of these events? Apparently our politeness has led these people to presume they are more appreciated than is true.
My usual response is “Well, we are pretty booked up for the foreseeable future.” After several such instances with no invitation forthcoming, you would think they would understand that it is not going to happen.
GENTLE READER: “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again,” appears to be their motto. Very well. The aphorism is as useful to you as it is to them.
Repeat your answer as many times as necessary. Etiquette neither requires you to issue the sought invitation nor to vary your response, though Miss Manners allows a masked, if rising, level of pique in your tone with each repetition.