Since our extended family celebrations are before and after Christmas, it’s just my little family (H, 3 D’s, 1 S, me) one Christmas Eve and Day. We decided a few years ago to make a seafood feast for Christmas Eve and go to lunch at a good Chinese place Christmas Day. The traditions have stuck, and I especially look forward to the seafood feast! Very little stress there…
My sister makes her packages gorgeous, and I love that, but I’ve never really done it. Less stress… My husband wraps the kids’ gifts late Christmas Eve. I offered to do it earlier this year, but he insisted to continue his tradition, which is fine by me! Hm. Maybe I’m just lazy.
Our extended family that gets together has done Christmas Day appetizers for years - I’m telling you , it’s one of the best meals of the year! We’re not talking deli spinach dip here, we’re talking things like gourmet chicken wings, chicken or pork lettuce wraps, bacon wrapped dates, etc. It’s AMAZING! Still nailing down my dishes for this year.
Isn’t hanging the wreath on the door about as easy as decorating gets???
Even though I have cut things like cards out, I’m feeling a little stressed going into tomorrow and two days of work still with presents to wrap, food to buy etc. - there’s never enough time!!!
In some years, we have our big meal or Christmas Eve, and then more or less just eat junk on Christmas Day. I thought about maybe making a big pot of clam chowder and serving that with sourdough bread for Chrismas this year. We are a little disappointed. We used to have a “big” (to us), nice dinner with relatives, but they’ve moved 2 hours away, so we are doing lunch on the 23rd. I kind of miss my aunt getting out all of her Christmas China, and having the formal meal. I would always bring a lot, and help clean up. It’s the only extended family my kids are very close to, so we don’t want to give up seeing them altogether.
We go to someone else’s house for Christmas dinner. But on Christmas Eve, we just do appetizers…and it’s a great hit. Each person makes one. We get some sparkling cider, and champagne, and listen to holiday music…and watch a goofy Christmas movie. This year, it will be Elf.
Today we took 5 boxes of ornaments, and another 6 boxes of decorations down from the attic. My goal is to cull,these things…and only put half of them back up in the attic.
We just watched Four Christmases, with Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn last night. It was enjoyably terrible and won’t make the rotation for next year.
We have Die Hard on deck for family movie night tonight. We enjoy torturing the girls with mandatory Christmas movies over the winter break. Saturday night was Muppets Christmas Carol (which is actually fairly good and one we watch almost every year).
Die Hard will be a first-the girls have never seen it (I know, right!).
"I’ve been cutting down on my card list for years. This year, I just bought a small package of cards to use with gifts for our mail carrier, trash guys, etc., and did not mail any cards. "
I have never given gifts to a mail carrier, trash guy, etc. and don’t see any reason why I would, to be honest. They do their job - they deliver mail, pick up the trash - presumably they get paid for it; I just don’t see any reason to tip them or give them a holiday gift, at all. They don’t do anything special outside the scope of their job (not that I expect them to). We don’t “interact” in any way, shape or form; I wouldn’t recognize them if I tripped over them, and they wouldn’t recognize me, either. It’s nice when people do so, but really, I see zero reason myself to do so.
The mail carrier makes a good salary as far as I know. He may not need a “gift” but everyone enjoys kudos for a good job done. The newspaper person? I’m guessing she does NOT make much money. While it may not be a skilled job, it requires punctuality, getting up in the wee hours to provide a service to exactly what you say - someone she will likely not meet, not have a relationship with, not know on the street. Yet she does her job - and often well (taking the time to get the paper close to the front door, wrapping it in bags when necessary for rain/snow, being really reliable to having it there a certain time - what a gesture to recognize that work with a small gift?
We tip waitresses, waiters, hair stylists, give teachers holidays gifts, etc. - why not also gift other people of “service” - for a job well done? Not expected, but I would have to say depending on the individual, deserved.
It has nothing to do with whether it’s a skilled or unskilled job - I don’t tip (or gift) a doctor or lawyer or financial advisers either. I pay a fee for their services, they provide me the services in a satisfactory manner, we’re done here as far as I’m concerned.
My elderly dad tips year round–he gives the sanitation workers a cold soda when he sees them. They’re very nice and bring his garbage cans up to the house for him.
In our case, I know our mail carrier by name and appreciate how conscientious she is about package deliveries. When she’s off work, her substitutes have often left packages in a puddle or by the one door that’s not protected from rain. When I was recuperating from shoulder surgery and she saw my sling, she insisted on carrying my packages inside to a table in the foyer. I wish our PO could clone her. The USPS has strict rules about gifts, so I stay just within the limit and I write her supervisor a letter once a year.
We qualify for back door trash pick up (requires a doctor’s letter) and that takes more time and effort than using the typical truck with a lift arm. We’re not charged anything extra by the company. I give the trash guy some special cookies or candies w/ a card 2X/yr. along with a cash tip.
I just dropped off a bunch of decorations and light strings at a thrift shop that accepts Christmas stuff only between mid-November and mid-January. I’ve often decorated three trees, but cut back to two this year. I didn’t decorate the finished basement at all. It took a while for me to sort out what to keep and what to give away, but it feels good to have emptied several large bins.
This year we’re also skipping the good china and sterling and using casual holiday dishes, everyday stainless flatware and only things that can go in the dishwasher. I found a good deal on some cork backed holiday placemats made in New Zealand, so I won’t be ironing any heavy tablecloths either.
My trashman is my favorite utility. I’m sure he makes~$8-9/hr, shows up every week on time, and takes whatever/however much we put out–sometimes a lot because we have a farm and rentals. Love my trashman.
I used to make fudge for mailman, etc, but stopped that when we got a new carrier and service went way down. My hairdresser owns her own shop so I don’t Christmas tip her. Trying to de-stress/downsize Christmas and glad I’m done with teacher gifts.
Our garbage drivers roll down the street in their green monster truck which has robotic claws to pick up the cans and shake out the contents. They make $70+k/ yr and don’t do as much manual work as they used to. The mail carrier is a salaried guy… No cleaning services here of any kind, ditto yard work. So no tipping other than my hairstylist.
I tip the parking guys in my building at work, the woman who cleans my house, my hairdresser, and a few people in my office’s cleaning crew.
Our sanitation workers are terrible. Just today, as I was pulling out of my garage they gunned the truck to block my driveway so I couldn’t get out. And then blocked the street so I couldn’t pass. They would be the last people I’d ever tip.
I’m pretty sure it is illegal for USPS employees to accept cash or cash equivalents, like gift cards. If it is NOT illegal, it should be, IMO. I don’t think government workers should be allowed to accept gifts from the patrons they serve. I would even extend this rule to public school teachers if it were up to me.
I am a pretty generous tipper, but never tip or gift government employees because that seems inappropriate to me. I understand many disagree. Since I live in a rural area where the mail carrier is a neighbor, I offer cold or hot drinks depending on the season and sometimes they take me up on it, especially in the summer. Where I live, in the middle of nowhere, it would be rude not to offer refreshments to anyone on your property. Even though I don’t drink soda, I always have a variety on hand for delivery people or workmen. Mountain Dew is the soda of choice out here.
I have been wondering if I could maybe not do CC for the holidays. We will see.
I tip our newspaper carrier. He comes around 4:30 am and always makes it, even when the roads are full of snow. I know he lives in a trailer court and figure he could use a little extra at this time of year. We use to give our postal carrier a small gift card to make up for all the dog biscuits she used to leave our dog but she has since retired. Our dog still looks for biscuits when packages arrive.
We give our news carrier a tip annually when we renew our subscription. We don’t tip many others. We did give our allergist a nice Seiko watch because she is amazing and has given outstanding care to D and me. It was from Costco for about $125.
