i’m a short girl. i’m 5"2 in my dreams….more like 5"1 and a half. ish. i wear heels most of the time. i’m a short girl, after all, and we are bred to wear heels. the more unconfortable, the better. i have learned to use my shoes to complete my outfits. AND my pants only fit properly when i’m wearing shoes…otherwise, i’m tripping over the extra 3 inches of fabric.
so, when i entered my now-inlaws home for the first time, and didn’t take my shoes off, i broke a canadian cardinal rule, only i had no idea. i didn’t know that all canadians must and do take their shoes off upon entering a home. as an american, already confused by the money and the gas prices (what’s a liter) and the temperature, i was blown away when i learned this. blown away.
yes, i understand when it’s snowy and slushy boot weather. then you wear your boots and bring your shoes. but even this, it seems, is not acceptable. slippers, perhaps. but shoes? that have walked outside at some point in time? nu uh. not gonna happen. and if the host allows said shoes, the other guests look at you in disgust…maybe they didn’t know that you switched your shoes.
what’s the protocol in your home? do you force people to take their shoes off? do you allow them to do what they want? do you leave out slippers for your guests to wear (an idea that i heard on sunday…but really made me want to vomit…i’m sorry, i have a thing about feet, and would NEVER put on another person’s slippers. ew)? do you let them bring shoes and put those on, once they’ve removed their "outside" shoes?
song of the day: Near You Always by Jewel. my favorite Jewel song. love it.
video of the day: South Park and Harry Potter. This is GREAT!
come over and see me at cheaper than therapy. on tuesday i’ll be answering some embarrassing -and most likely dirty – questions. you don’t want to miss it!
I just love your blogs – they really crack me up, as I can relate to most. My parents NEVER allow shoes in their home! I have a lot of relatives in Florida, therefore spent many vacations there, and LOVED the fact that you could wear shoes in everyone’s home. My shoes are almost always the best part of an outfit so when I bought my own home we chose hardwood for the main floor just so people can wear their shoes if they wish. Of course, no boots, or shoes worn in winter weather, but any other season – sure, why not.
I don’t know why, but this really cracks me up. What do I allow in my house? I honestly don’t think anyone has ever come into my house and kept their outside shoes on. If they did, I don’t think I’d say anything (another Canadian thing). Sometimes I say “don’t worry about your shoes” if I know they won’t be going in the living room (the only room that has carpet – off-white carpet) because lord knows my floors aren’t any cleaner than the path from the driveway to the front door!
No shoes. Ever. The filth they would bring into my home… ewwwww.
My BFF lives in Florida. And during one of my visits to see her she took me to a friend of hers home – I automatically took my shoes off at the door and she rolled her eyes and said to her friend, “She’s Canadian.”
You’re short? Really? For some reason from your pictures I always imagined you were tall. Hmmm…must be the shoes!
I could care less whether people wear shoes in my house as long as they’re not muddy. When I lived in Spain, the rules were opposite of Canada. Always wear shoes in the house — always. Apparently bare feet are considered gross. Being a big fan of bare feet, I broke the rules in my bedroom, but kept my flip flops on in the rest of my host family’s house.
Shoes are not allowed. I would never wear them in someone’s house. There is snow in this province like 6 months a year. I know growing up in the 80s and 90s, everybody had carpet, so maybe that’s a reason ?
Shoes are fine as long as they are clean. We have the “shared slipper” thing up at my in-laws farm. Never grossed me out but I see your concern. Another neuroses Ali? 😉
My parents allow shoes in their home. They think shoes are cleaner than most people’s socks. But, they also have dogs — if you let dogs run around in your house after they’ve been outside in mud and probably poop…then why not shoes? I, on the other hand, have cats. indoor cats. I don’t like shoes in the house because my cats shed, and the house feels “dirty” enough because of that. But, I’m an unusual shorty — I hate heels. I suffer too much in them….So, I like taking my shoes off and getting comfortable — unless, of course, my socks don’t match or something….