DEAR HARRIETTE: My husband and I have a timeshare. This holiday season we plan on going to Mexico, and we want to invite a couple that has become close to us in recent years. It won’t cost them anything to stay with us. They will just have to pay for their airfare and have money for food and sightseeing. We have no idea whether they have passports, let alone whether they would want to or be able to afford such a trip. We don’t want to put them in an awkward position, but we do want to invite them. How can we extend the invitation so they are comfortable with whatever decision they make? -- Making the Invitation, Detroit
DEAR MAKING THE INVITATION: Stop worrying about the outcome. Just make the invitation. Tell your friends how much you enjoy spending time with them. Explain that you know it may be a long shot, but you wanted to invite them to spend some time during the holidays with you at your timeshare. Outline the details and costs, and ask them to consider joining you. Point out that you know it may be inconvenient because of the busy holiday season, but you wanted to ask.
(Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)