Lemondrop

When I was a kid, I would watch my parents dole out tips to everyone during the holidays -- cash for their favorite diner waitress, homemade bread for the mailman, more homemade bread for the Farmer's Market vendors (yes, I'm from a small town). And every year I would think "Whew, thank goodness I never have to worry about that!"

But yesterday, as I stopped in to restock with my favorite hummus-makers at the Los Feliz Farmer's Market on my way to getting my hair cut by my regular, insanely death-metal hairstylist, I realized that I'm more of a creature of habit than I thought. That's when it dawned on me that I should probably tip these people for the holidays.

Since I have no idea how to do such things, I decided to seek out some advice, and luckily, MyDaily was full of such advice, via etiquette guru Lizzie Post. Here are some specifics.

• Mailmen/mailwomen legally can't be given money because they are technically feds (exciting, huh?), but you can give them handmade gifts if you are in a position to see them regularly. If they're anonymous mail stuffers in your building, don't worry about it.

• Dry cleaners are not generally tipped for the holidays, unless yours is really awesome. Newspaper delivery folk are generally tipped $10–$30.

• Regular babysitters are tipped one evening's pay, plus a homemade gift from your child.

• Beauty professionals -- and this includes eyebrow waxers, bikini waxers, manicurists, my death-metal hair stylist, massage therapists, etc. -- the tip should be about the cost of a regular session, but spread out among staff.

Post warns not to just give the entire tip to the receptionist and expect it to be divided up; that would be a "Curb Your Enthusiasm" episode. If you're hard up for cash this season like a lot of us are, Post mentions that homemade gifts, like cookies, can be good tips too. The spirit of holiday tipping is to show people who are regularly in your life that you appreciate them, and that includes hummus-makers too!