Greetings etiquette post vaccination

[disykat]

I really think if your not okay with shaking hands, or hugging or any physical contact, you should just stay home, and skip it if you feel like this...

My thought is are you really going to have fun, or relax if someone wants to hug you or touch you...if your worrying about someone touching you or wondering what if I make them sick or maybe they will make me sick, or recoiling back if someone try's to touch you, which can cause hard feelings.... I think that if your that unsure its just better to stay at home...

In our group, we are hugging, and handshaking... and hanging out... all vaccinated and moving forward...

Wow. Many people here have expressed that they've never liked shaking hands for many reasons. I've honestly never met anyone who couldn't stand to be around me or thinks I shouldn't be in public because I'm not big on shaking hands. I'm quite honestly shocked by this post.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

what are you no longer comfortable with after vaccination in your greetings?

Prefer no handshakes, hugs, or other actual touching. Now, I've always been a "no hugs, please" person. But I did do handshakes. If someone puts their hand out, I'll just say "Sorry, I'm not shaking hands any longer". Just a smile and a head nod (sometimes) to acknowledge meeting someone works for me.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

I really think if your not okay with shaking hands, or hugging or any physical contact, you should just stay home, and skip it if you feel like this...

My thought is are you really going to have fun, or relax if someone wants to hug you or touch you...if your worrying about someone touching you or wondering what if I make them sick or maybe they will make me sick, or recoiling back if someone try's to touch you, which can cause hard feelings.... I think that if your that unsure its just better to stay at home...

In our group, we are hugging, and handshaking... and hanging out... all vaccinated and moving forward...

Someone should allow their body to be touched even though it makes them uncomfortable so other people don’t end up with hard feelings? Right....

The real question is, who’s still going to be eating a piece of cake after someone has blown all over it?

 

[JimMIA]

We're huggers. We continued to hug whenever we saw each other over the course of the last year. I'm very happy to not be a germaphobe. That said, I would never try to hug someone that wasn't a hugger.

You have potential. You might actually fit in here in Miami -- the Hug Capital of the Universe.

True story about how big a deal hugs are in Miami.

Before Covid, we went to a party at the house of some close friends. DW, DD, and I have been friends with this wonderful family for more than 15 years. The mom in that family was up to her elbows tossing salad in a corner of their kitchen with 5-6 people between she and I. So I waved and said hello.

I went out to the patio to say hi to other guests. Less than a minute later, she came roaring out the door to the patio.

"Babe!" (everybody's "babe" in Miami).

"You mad at me?" She was serious, and when I said no, we did our traditional big hug.

We're all vaccinated, so we'll get back to basic Miami courtesy pretty soon.

 

[wenrob]

I really think if your not okay with shaking hands, or hugging or any physical contact, you should just stay home, and skip it if you feel like this...

My thought is are you really going to have fun, or relax if someone wants to hug you or touch you...if your worrying about someone touching you or wondering what if I make them sick or maybe they will make me sick, or recoiling back if someone try's to touch you, which can cause hard feelings.... I think that if your that unsure its just better to stay at home...

In our group, we are hugging, and handshaking... and hanging out... all vaccinated and moving forward...

Handshakes were gross before Covid.

 

[LovesTimone]

Wow. Many people here have expressed that they've never liked shaking hands for many reasons. I've honestly never met anyone who couldn't stand to be around me or thinks I shouldn't be in public because I'm not big on shaking hands. I'm quite honestly shocked by this post.

I was responding to the OP about having a gathering or attending a gathering with family and friends and how uncomfortable it all was... The OP seems not quite ready or not sure on how to handle this, which at this point with all the media, and boat loads misinformation out there is completely natural, everyone it at a loss on what to do...

This is a time in our world where there is no play book, to go by and we are all just winging it... DH is a professional, and hand shaking is totally part of his and this type of work culture. A handshake is a symbol of good faith between parties, and has existed in some form for thousands of years... For years and still today, a handshake is sealing the deal, and a matter of a person word, and integrity ... Our country was built on the handshake...

I'm not saying you should not go out in public or that someone can't stand to be around you.... my point is that you should know how you are going to handle these situations, for yourself....
So say you are out an about, and run into some, and they offer you their hand, how do you handle it? Do you shake hands, then stand there and get out the hand sanitizer and use it while talking to them, some people could see this as rude or offensive... or do you offer them the fist bump, or elbow rub? or do you say something? and all of them are reasonable response's... and different situations require different actions....
This was my point...

Pretty much everyone in my family and friends group as gotten the vaccine we are back to handshakes and hugging... not wearing mask in get together... sitting close together... (and before someone loose their mind, We are still wearing mask if required to enter a store or business)...
I have noticed when hugging our family and friends people hug a bit longer... I know that when I hug my parents, I hold on longer, and savor the moment... same with my DD and my grandson for sure...

Still not sure why you were shocked... I am very direct, and say what I am thinking most of the time, which is a blessing and a bane at the same time... I just said what I thought, I wasn't trying to be offensive or if you took it like I was being rude or something was not my intention. I tend to say things that other people are thinking at times...

Peace, Love and Pixie Dust to you...

 

[disykat]

Thanks for your kind response. Yes, i was shocked at your original "if you don't want to shake hands, you should stay home" response. Planning how we're going to handle greetings is exactly what this thead is about.

 

[LovesTimone]

Thanks for your kind response. Yes, i was shocked at your original "if you don't want to shake hands, you should stay home" response. Planning how we're going to handle greetings is exactly what this thead is about.

I should have went into a bit more depth in my post...

 

[jrmasm]

I really think if your not okay with shaking hands, or hugging or any physical contact, you should just stay home, and skip it if you feel like this...

My thought is are you really going to have fun, or relax if someone wants to hug you or touch you...if your worrying about someone touching you or wondering what if I make them sick or maybe they will make me sick, or recoiling back if someone try's to touch you, which can cause hard feelings.... I think that if your that unsure its just better to stay at home...

In our group, we are hugging, and handshaking... and hanging out... all vaccinated and moving forward...

People are different than you. That’s doesn’t mean they should stay home.

 

[jrmasm]

I was responding to the OP about having a gathering or attending a gathering with family and friends and how uncomfortable it all was... The OP seems not quite ready or not sure on how to handle this, which at this point with all the media, and boat loads misinformation out there is completely natural, everyone it at a loss on what to do...

This is a time in our world where there is no play book, to go by and we are all just winging it... DH is a professional, and hand shaking is totally part of his and this type of work culture. A handshake is a symbol of good faith between parties, and has existed in some form for thousands of years... For years and still today, a handshake is sealing the deal, and a matter of a person word, and integrity ... Our country was built on the handshake...

I'm not saying you should not go out in public or that someone can't stand to be around you.... my point is that you should know how you are going to handle these situations, for yourself....
So say you are out an about, and run into some, and they offer you their hand, how do you handle it? Do you shake hands, then stand there and get out the hand sanitizer and use it while talking to them, some people could see this as rude or offensive... or do you offer them the fist bump, or elbow rub? or do you say something? and all of them are reasonable response's... and different situations require different actions....
This was my point...

Pretty much everyone in my family and friends group as gotten the vaccine we are back to handshakes and hugging... not wearing mask in get together... sitting close together... (and before someone loose their mind, We are still wearing mask if required to enter a store or business)...
I have noticed when hugging our family and friends people hug a bit longer... I know that when I hug my parents, I hold on longer, and savor the moment... same with my DD and my grandson for sure...

Still not sure why you were shocked... I am very direct, and say what I am thinking most of the time, which is a blessing and a bane at the same time... I just said what I thought, I wasn't trying to be offensive or if you took it like I was being rude or something was not my intention. I tend to say things that other people are thinking at times...

Peace, Love and Pixie Dust to you...

It’s simple really. No one should assume that another person wants to be touched no matter how much you want to touch them.

 

[TLSnell1981]

We hug and kiss family members....even shake hands with strangers. Read the room. It's usually fairly simple to determine who is uncomfortable with physical contact...pre or post pandemic.

 

[Keli]

I just try to do whatever the other person is comfortable with because I'm comfortable with hugging and handshakes but I realize other's might not feel the same. I always tried to do that though, just pay attention to their body language and go from there. I'm not instinctively a big hugger but I live in the south so I'd adapted to giving hugs pretty freely pre-covid. Now I've noticed fewer people coming forward to hug me but if they do I respond.

 

[MrsCobraBubbles]

I work in the school system and we use the elbow tap instead of handshakes. Lol, I've gone into meetings and had administrators stand up and elbow tap me, it's still kind of weird even though we've been doing it all year.

For family we just wave. My family isn't real touchy-feely even outside of the pandemic so it's not weird.

 

[Uncle Coaster]

I’m a hand shaker and hugger and truly miss good handshakes. I have yet to offer one to somebody I don’t know since the pandemic out of respect, though. For people I do know I’m pretty much back to normal except that my church still has a no contact expectation.

I have to admit that I have an irrational strong disliking of the elbow bump and will not engage. They just look incredibly ridiculous to me. I politely decline.

 

[JimMIA]

I have to admit that I have an irrational strong disliking of the elbow bump and will not engage. They just look incredibly ridiculous to me. I politely decline.

That's not irrational. I would rather look aloof than look stupid. I usually substitute a fist bump or forearm bump.

I used to know a guy who would offer his pinkie finger as a handshake, but that was only one of his more minor weirdnesses.

 

[JLTraveling]

I traded handshakes for fist bumps a long time ago. With people I know, I've always been a hugger, and I truly miss it. But I don't feel comfortable yet, even though I've been fully vaxxed for a month. It's so weird to think that on Mardi Gras Day 2020, before we had any idea Covid had already reached NOLA, there were a few people standing around in Jackson Square holding Free Hugs signs, and hundreds of us just went up and hugged these strangers. Little did we know....

 

[leahgoogle]

I will hug friends/family or shake hands when meeting someone still. My daughter had a softball game tonight (she is 10) against another team from our town. The players all slapped hands and said, “good game” after the game. I gave the opposing pitcher (my daughter’s friend) a hug after the game to congratulate her great pitching. Nobody blinked an eye. It is pretty normal in my small town.

 

[tzolkin]

I would always shake hands in the past whenever someone initiated, but I have always thought it was gross.

Family or friends I would much rather hug. I just generally prefer it and it seems more sanitary to me than grabbing someone's hand. Since COVID, people typically ask, "Are you hugging?" I have a few people that hugged all throughout. Last week I travelled to my sister's baby shower. Most family/close friends did hug. I think everyone either asked if it was okay to hug or they said "I'm vaccinated, are you?" as they approached with outstretched arms.

You know I should ask my husband how it's been in the business world with vendors who come to the office.

In business, I think the norm has become to ask. People have had varying degrees of comfort throughout the last year so you really can't assume. I'm the manager of a company and have been to several meetings with new or existing clients throughout the last year. Most meetings the owner and I go together. He is SUPER friendly so his natural instinct is to dive in enthusiastically with a handshake, but he will stand a few feet back and ask "So, what are we doing? Handshake? Elbows? Keep our distance? Whatever you're comfortable with". Probably 80% have opted for the elbow bump. I typically do an "I'll just wave from over here" No one has seemed offended.

We have also interviewed people to hire. We will be socially distanced around a conference table and let them know that it's up to their personal preference whether they want to remove their mask, shake hands, etc.

I have years of experience using public bathrooms and can confidently say that less than half of men wash their hands after going to the bathroom (1 second of a water splash doesn't count) so handshakes were already a thing of the past in my opinion.

Probably less than 50% of women as well. Honestly that was the most striking thing when COVID first came out in the media. I went to a busy Ikea restroom and every single person thoroughly washed their hands with soap. It was the first time I think I have EVER seen that in my entire life. Normally some ladies just walk directly out, but the majority will do the turn the water on and pretend to wash their hands thing. It has always seemed like a waste of water and paper towels to me if you're not even going to actually clean your hands.

 

[neverlandsky]

Demolition Man movie handshake. Just circles of air. We don't handshake anymore. We also don't even fist bump anymore. It's a simple airwave. My grandfather use to do the simpe airwave half circle as a goodbye and I used it now to greet people.

 

[disykat]

That is exactly why I hate shaking hands. I see all the people who don't wash their hands. I've watched parents change diapers right in front of me with no effort to clean their hands afterwards. I don't like potlucks with people whose habits I don't know for the same reason.

Between the gross factor and the handsqueezing pain, the only times in my life I've willingly shaken hands is at a formal event like a job interview. I've never had anyone press it, a big smile dies wonders.