What do I do with the presents my guests offer me ?

When you invite people at your home, if it's for a lunch or a dinner, they might offer you a bottle of wine. It might be wrapped or not.

In France, we open our presents immediately in front of our guests. Then we thank them :

“Merci beaucoup, c'est très gentil”

“Merci beaucoup, ça me fait très plaisir”

If they bring a dessert, ask if you must put it in the fridge :

“Je dois le mettre au frais ?” / “il faut le mettre au frais ?”

If they bring a bottle of wine, if this wine goes well with your meal, then open it :

“On va la boire”

If it doesn't go well, keep it :

“Je vais la garder et on la boira ensemble”

If it's possible, next time you invite these people open their bottle and tell them :

“On va boire votre bouteille”,
"On boit votre bouteille".

If they bring flowers, put them in a vase on the table (if you need more space, then you can remove them when you start lunch or dinner but you must put them close so that everybody can see them).



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