What is an alternative to "Bless you" after sneezing? [duplicate]

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What are alternative responses for when someone sneezes?

I know the history/reason why people say bless you to you after you sneeze. My question is, is there an alternative to bless you which can be used when someone sneezes?


I've read that in polite company, you shouldn't say anything, so as to not draw any additional attention to the sneezer's faux pas. As for alternatives to "bless you", I hear "Gesundheit" on TV a lot, but when I say it to people who just sneezed, they mostly don't seem to get it.


The best alternative, I feel, is simply to say nothing. Saying "Bless you" (or Gesundheit, or anything else) after someone sneezes does, to some extent, oblige the sneezer to respond with thanks of some kind. This may be inconvenient, especially if the person is about to sneeze again, and such an exchange becomes downright silly in a chain of multiple sneezes — especially if, as often happens, the person is in another room, out of sight of the sneezer.

Me: [Sneeze]
You: Bless you!
Me: Tha— [Sneeze]
You: Bless you!
Me: Thank [Sneeze] you.
You: Bless you!
Me: Tha— [Sneeze]
You: Bless you!
Me: [Trying to find a tissue.] Thank you.

I, for one, prefer to be allowed to sneeze my sneezes without being caught up in a social ritual that has no practical value.