I guess you could say that I’m a little touchy when it comes to holiday tipping.
On one hand, I love to do it because it’s kinda fun to go a little above and beyond what people normally expect as a way to help spread a little holiday cheer and appreciation throughout the service industry.
On the other, though, I absolutely hate it when people ask me about it instead of just letting it happen if I so choose.
Frankly, if we’re being completely honest, it can really be boiled down to one specific instance – I hate finding those little bags of rocks with a Christmas card from the garbage men in my driveway.
…and everybody else’s driveway, too – I noticed a ton of them the other night while I was out walking Cleo, which is a little ironic to think that the men responsible for removing trash from our communities are in fact responsible for so much litter during the holidays. I never used to like it when I got the newspaper delivered, either – I’d much rather provide a tip when I’m renewing my subscription, or at the very least maybe receive a standardized envelope from the newspaper itself, but having them printed up by the individual carriers or garbage men and left in my driveway just feels weird to me.
I don’t tip everybody I meet around this time of year, but for those who really do a great job all year round, I like to take the time to show my appreciation for their services – maybe an extra $5 for my haircut or double what we would normally tip at our favorite sushi place. Eventually I’d love to be in a position to really go all out and surprise people with a ridiculous holiday tip – you know, $100 on a $30 meal or something (remember this project from earlier in the year?). We’re not there quite yet, but we’re on our way and I’d like to think that our tips are growing also as we do.
I hope it doesn’t make me sound like too much of a scrooge, but if I want to tip my garbage men, it’s not like I couldn’t just leave them something out like I do with the mailman. The only reason I don’t is because the mailman doesn’t ask for it… 😕