The ever-patriotic Mrs. E and I recently, attended a party for a friend who became an American citizen. It was quite a festive affair with caterers, bartenders and waiters. But the piéce de resistance was the professional photographer hired to document the evening. Sure, we were all on our best behaviour (mostly), smiling for the camera, eyes bright. The shots aren’t that candid. But what they are, is good. Good like only a professional can take good.

Yesterday’s mail brought a slim package of her work. Our host sent a note and six matted photos in which we were featured.

Wow! We rarely have party pictures (especically good ones) and looking through our stack really brought out how much fun we have with our friends. It is an elegant souvenir of a very important night.

While hiring a professional is the easiest solution, you may not be in the position to pay a pro’s rates. Instead, designate a friend as the official chronicler of the event or find a fellow student who is taking photography courses. Today’s digital cameras let you take hundreds of pictures, greatly increasing your chances of getting a good shot. Print them out, handwrite your note of thanks for contributing to the success of the evening and mail as soon as you can.

A thoughtful keepsake is an elegant way to say thanks for the memories.

These days, the travel-prone Mrs. E and I travel by armchair for the most part. So we live vicariously. Regular readers will know that I love to get postcards from our friends who alight in distant cafés in far-off lands. Yesterday’s mail brought something more. A lovely (in all senses of the word) couple who were married just a couple of weeks ago chose as their honeymoon destination one of the most romantic — Paris.

Being passingly familiar with The City of Light, La Belle M. E and I sent along a list of a few things to do. My suggestion (mine are always more “touristy” and over-familiar — or as I like to think “comforting”) was to liberate the bar at the Ritz as Hemingway did during the waning days of “The War.” Although he never drank in this room (It was a reading room, I believe — he was across the hall at the larger Bar Vendôme) there is today a smaller, friendly bar dubbed The Bar Hemingway.

Friends will continue to amaze you.

Imagine my surprise when the package pictured above arrived through my letterbox. The honeymooners had the privilege of being entertained by Mr. Colin Field (that’s his autograph on the magazine), dubbed by Forbes Magazine “The Best Bartender in the World.” And to top it all off, they thought of us, here in Richmond, VA, pining for the glory days of drinks at the bar in some far-flung capital. No “been there-done that t-shirt,” or even a most welcome and witty postcard is this truly elegant and thoughtful gift.

I wish I’d thought of it. Inexpensive (although I hope that the six napkins once each held a cocktail), yes. Easy, undoubtedly. Although it must have taken some effort after cocktails to remember to bring along the souvenirs. This is a charming keepsake (with hand-written note!) from a most charming couple. Easy and elegant.

I think I’ll frame the composition and hang it in the bar room, next to the poster (that friends brought back) of the Long Bar at Raffles Hotel.

The always ebullient Mrs. E and I have just received an astounding invitation. Astounding because of the nature of the invite rather than the nature of our host.

Our host is unfailingly polite and gentlemanly. He also looks a lot like a young Jimmy Stewart. The combination is a bit disconcerting, if only because spending time with him leaves you with the impression that you’ve stepped back in time. Sort of like walking onto a classic movie set between takes, where the star is a promising unknown, completely at ease and lots of fun. He’s also been through the wringer lately — working through a nasty divorce and keeping his chin up.

Which is what makes the invitation to attend an evening of local theatre as his guests so wonderful and so very unexpected. It’s a great object lesson. How does a re-minted bachelor “repay,” “reconnect” or otherwise step back into the social swirl?

There’s always an invite to drinks, but that rarely happens these days. Drinks almost always involve dinner, which isn’t the easiest thing for some (I hope this site gives you some great ideas though!) Heading for a bar is an easy solution, but we’re old and stodgy and fully laden with a brood of small children; going out involves massive amounts of co-ördination, hurried preparations and a generous outlay of cash to sitters. Those evenings that are truely worth it are prized. (We have a small number of wonderful friends who are very good at making time spent together well worth the effort. They are the frequent inspiration behind this blog.) As much as we are fans of a great bar, the scene doesn’t always invite comfortable interaction with the host. In England, attending the theater is easy and just about as expensive as an evening at the movies. Not so here… Local theater gives you that chance to do something very different and a bit more sophisticated.

An evening at The Barksdale Theater — especially during a season featuring Guys and Dolls and Moonlight and Magnolias….! Well, we were floored by the generosity. Drinks are served at intermission, giving us the chance to buy a round as a thank you; conversation is guaranteed light and fun (they’re doing a great job! We’ve seen her in several productions, and he was “Bat Boy!”); and we always dress, making the evening elegant by default.

It’s an especially thoughtful gift and a great way to use season tickets if you’re a subscriber. Buy one extra and you’re set. I think that I will give at least one evening’s entertainment as a gift this year. Support the arts, adopt a bachelor or an exhausted married couple. Unique, easy and elegant. Well done Mr. H!