Sneezing etiquette

It's that time of year again. That glorious time of year when touching anything could lead in a horrible cold for the rest of the week. In an office setting, the sound of sneezing and coughing is all to common. When someone sneezes, it's proper etiquette to say "Bless you." However, what is the protocol when someone sneezes twice in a row? Luckily I have a lot of time on my hands, so allow me to elaborate.

• Someone around you sneezes. Your response: "Bless You."


• Someone sneezes for a second time around you. Your response: Nothing.

Just because someone is horribly sick does not mean they deserve a "Bless you" response to every germ infested blow of air. Unfortunately, some people say "Bless you" to every single sneeze. This is not only annoying, it's unnecessary.

This is what Wikipedia has to say about the history of why we say "Bless You":

• Preventing the soul from departing one's body and getting snatched by evil spirits lurking nearby.
• Preventing possible impending death due to a lethal disease such as the plague pandemics of the fourteenth century.
• Guarding against evil spirits entering the body through the open mouth of a sneezing individual.
• Attempting to bring the sneezing individual back from the brink of death in the brief moment during the sneeze when the heart was -incorrectly- believed to skip a beat, leaving the sneezer momentarily in limbo between states of living and death.
• The belief that the individual is sneezing out evil spirits which had taken residence within the body, and is thus in need of the blessing to prevent the exorcised spirits from re-entering the body.
• The belief that the individual is sneezing out his or her sins, and thus is deserving of the blessing bestowed upon him or her by those around.
• A polite way of congratulating the sneezer for his or her impending good luck as signalled by the sneeze.