Heaven bless the Millennial Generation. Every time I think some treasured activity of the past has completely disappeared, this younger generation manages to rediscover and resurrect it, changing the endeavor ever so slightly to meet their unique wants and needs. 

 

Consider just a few examples. When the notion of foursomes gathering to play card games threatened to be shelved right next to the chocolate covered bridge mix, the Millennials rediscovered poker and began to play it in droves. When long-silenced cocktail shakers began to gather dust, today’s young adults rediscovered the pleasures of Cosmopolitans and Martinis and shook away. And according to a recent New York Times article, when the notion of the people gathering for genuine conversation became improbable in our 24/7 wired world, the younger generation has rediscovered the “salon”—an “off the record, no tweeting, no blogging, no photos” get together, where invitees “talk fearlessly in the present.”   

 

Recently, I opened the 1922 edition of Etiquette, the original Emily Post guide to good manners, and uncovered some other practices that Millennials may wish to resurrect. Consider the following:

 

Visiting cards. Used during the Victorian era to be left as evidence that someone had dropped by for a visit, these engraved cards may now be used to convey all sorts of messages from condolences that a neighbor has lost a job to invitations to a play date. Ms. Post recommended that cards be engraved with a bearer’s name and address. Millennials will opt to add their e-mail addresses.

 

Letters of acceptance or regrets. Anyone who has extended an invitation and then wondered, “How many guests will actually show?” appreciates the invitee who R.S.V.P.s either their acceptance or regrets. Ms. Post instructed any letter of acceptance or regrets must be handwritten. Millennials will use personalized e-mails to share this important information.

 

Tipping one’s hat, bowing and nodding. In 1922, Ms. Post wrote pages of instructions for gentlemen explaining when they should remove their hats, tip their hats, and bow. She further described how ladies could incline their heads in a nod and spontaneously smile. All were slightly flirtatious acts that possessed one huge benefit: They never caused offense. In a world in which a text message “omg, u look gr8” could land a Twitterer in court, I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see young adults revive the hat tip and the nod as a polite way of recognizing another’s presence.