Plan Your Holiday Tipping Strategy

Tipping is a way to thank people who have provided a service all year. But how much? And who?

- Emma Patch

TIPPING IS NOT A UNIQUELY

American practice, but we tip more often and in larger amounts than just about any other country. The practice is so established that many workers’ wages are based on the anticipation of tips.

Holiday tipping is a bit different. It’s a way to thank the people who work in your home during the year, says Lizzie Post, great-great-granddaughter of Emily Post and author of Emily Post’s Etiquette, the Centennial Edition. The list includes house cleaners, babysitters, carpenters and landscapers, she says, but there are many others as well. For example, your regular grocery delivery person (if you have one), your hairstylist or barber, and your trash collector, gardener, and newspaper delivery person are all people to tip during the holidays.