<p>Heck, she probably would like new stemware anyhow. I wish someone would break all of my good china so I could get another pattern. </p>
<p>My sister broke all of my mom’s fine crystal, one glass after another. Glassware tends to break and sometimes it breaks more easily because it has stress fractures. If you broke one of my wineglasses, I would be mortified if you felt you had to replace it. You, as my guest, would be 100 times more important than a piece of glass.</p>
<p>At least you didn’t spill red wine over someone’s new white carpet, like I did.</p>
<p>Klutzes of the world, unite!</p>
<p>You’ll be doing the whole bookclub a favor if you just accept the host’s gracious “No thanks.”. Here’s why: Let’s say you buy a $12 replacement for the Crate and Barrel glass you broke. The next dinner, the former host breaks the new host, Sally’s, Reidel, and she feels obligated to replace the $50 glass. Then you all go over to Pam’s and Sally breaks one of Pam’s Waterford goblets. Sally can’t very well give a gracious apology and not buy a replacement, can she? The next month, Karen’s hosting and she has set the table with Steuben. All the guests flee in horror (or request sippy cups). The bookclub has become too much of a financial risk. See what chaos you will have started? ;)</p>
<p>Love the previous response because I was just thinking I am now too scared to go to book club because I am such a klutz and can’t afford to go :)</p>
<p>Does a good guest take note of the make and model of glass in case they need to replace it. NO!!! If you can replace it, do so, but if not, apologize and move along…when someone breaks a glass at my house, I feel bad that they’ll feel bad about something that is really not worth worrying about!</p>
<p>By the way…I really hate our Orrefors crystal. I use it a lot now, and pray folks will break it piece by piece!</p>
<p>EK4…</p>
<p>You poor thing. The hostess probably hasn’t given it a second thought. It doesn’t sound like these were pricey stems. If it makes you feel better, send a note. But, likely, the hostess hasn’t thought about it.</p>
<p>I remember Miss Manners or someone suggesting that if one of your guests breaks something, then you should break something too, to make them feel more at ease.
Or was that Amy Sedaris?
[Amy</a> Sedaris | Martha Stewart - YouTube](<a href=“Amy Sedaris | Martha Stewart - YouTube”>Amy Sedaris | Martha Stewart - YouTube)</p>
<p>My goodness ! If you were at my house and a glass broke, I would clean it up and move on…I am sure your friendship is more valuable that any stemware , and I have some nice stemware. I also have some cheaper average wine glasses that come out from time to time</p>
<p>Thumper- eBay?</p>
<p>IMHO, a guest who broke something belonging to a host, even a close friend should at least offer to replace the item or otherwise make it up at/above the actual cost. </p>
<p>Then again, a large part of that is being raised to believe in the mantra “If you break it, you buy it” and I’d personally find it a bit off-putting if a guest or family member who broke one of my things while visiting assumes I’ll forgive it without asking first, especially if they happen to be older than me. </p>
<p>IME, folks who tend to make such assumptions tend to be very careless and inconsiderate around other people and their things.</p>
<p>I got my wine glasses at the dollar store. They break less then the pricey ones.</p>
<p>My only concern as a hostess would be getting all the glass shards cleaned up. Most people in VT remove their shoes when entering the house, especially someone else’s house. All of my wine glasses and dishes are inexpensive, but I would still offer to buy another glass if I broke one at someone’s house. I expect your friend will say no and then you can bring a nice box of chocolates or something to the next meeting for people to share.</p>
<p>Cobrat, I am not sure what age has to do with it?
Could you explain?</p>
<p>Luckily I just knocked it over on the kitchen table, it didnt go onto the floor and there wasn’t really anything on the table, I just misjudged the distance & knocked a wine bottle against the glass.</p>
<p>Since there was a stopper thing on the wine bottle I didn’t even spill any.</p>
<p>Cobrat - this is one time I’m going to say you’re experiencing a generation gap from participating on the parents forum with us ‘old’ folks. 
I’m going to take a leap and say that the people who have responded are not young adults who have worked hard for nicer things in their homes after living through the years of being a ‘starving student’ and might experience frustration when something gets broken. We’ve all been there, done that. When you are older it just doesn’t matter as much. I can’t really explain it, but somewhere between being a young professional, raising a family, and getting to the age where those kids are leaving the nest, every piece of furniture has been stained or scratched, things broken, walls dinged, glasses and dishes broken. You learn stuff is just stuff. People and those relationships are what endure. </p>
<p>I’m not knocking you for your opinion. I remember feeling like that. As I said, I think it’s very age appropriate for a young professional. The fact is, this forum isn’t geared towards young professionals so you have to keep that in mind when we may be coming from a different place.</p>
<p>Thanks for the perspective blueiguana, I wasn’t really getting where she was coming from.
I am sure they barely noticed, but I still felt bad.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>This is so true, and a said so well. But now I feel old. ;)</p>
<p>Yes, I have 36 stemless wine glasses and when there are more than 4 of us I use those as it is too easy for someone to knock stemware over and then feel bad about it.
I have a friend who loves to buy inexpensive full huge goblets and always assures me that it will not matter if they get broken.
My kids once told me that we were the house they knew that a broken plate or glass was not big deal. Everyone was expected to help the one who did the breaking or spilling with no reprimand. Little did they realize that I am the biggest breaker of dishes and that is why we have always had open stock dishes. They were often replaced one by one after I broke yet another.</p>
<p>Even when I was a new young
College grad, my friendships meant more to me than a broken glass or dish. I would NEVER expect a friend to replace a broken glass that I chose to let them use. Glass breaks. If you really don’t want it to EVER break, don’t use it.</p>
<p>My husband would love it if someone would break a few stems at my house. When I was a young Army wife, my favorite field trip was the the crystal factories when we lived in Germany. I bought to allow for breakage through the years and ended up with more than 20 white wine glasses. I do not think I have broken more than one or two in the last 25 years. I would not think twice about it if someone broke a glass at my house.</p>