Who do you give to this season? (not family/friends)

[Canooknic]

We also send a basket of goodies to our school - one basket for the office staff & one for the cafeteria ladies & janitor. Some past teachers have gently nudged for extras after we left their classes so I feel like it's a gift they enjoy & it's basically free - we can from our garden all summer regardless.

That's great! It's always nice to know that a gift is appreciated.

I'm lucky enough to sub as a teaching assistant in our school district so have been able to get to know most of the teachers in my boy's school - it makes it easier to give gifts. This year one teacher is Harry Potter crazy so I have painted a wine glass with 'wine-gardium leviosa' that I will give with a nice bottle of red and the other spent a few years living in England so I got my friend to bring over some chocolate and biscuits that I know he likes (& his wife who is English!) so will put together a little hamper for him

 

[klacey1]

I couldn't pick my mailman or UPS/FedEx deliverers out of a lineup. I live in an apartment complex with dumpsters and have never seen our garbage men. I did tip my hairdresser $20 at my most recent color touch up (it was $50 and I usually tip $15). I have two coworkers I exchange with. And then Operation Christmas Child boxes. That's it besides family and friends.

 

[disneychrista]

No one. I have never given to anyone other than close friends & family.

 

[kellyjeanie]

I try to give something to my kids' teachers, though some years I've dropped the ball. This year I got some nice Contigo travel mugs, I might do those with a coffee gift card. I'm not sure what to do with my oldest's teachers now that he's in middle school. I usually get my mail lady a coffee gift card; we've had the same mail lady for the whole time I've lived here, it's cold here, and I do a lot of online shopping, she very kindly puts packages inside the doorway. We have done the shoeboxes in the past but not this year - I'll try to do something for Toys for Tots.

 

[AquamarineSteph]

We give a gift card to our postal carrier. Not that she's done much for us lately, but she was a huge help when my father across the street was ill. We used to leave something for the garbage collectors, but now that it's all done by robotic hands scooping up the trash cans, I'd hate to put something out there only to have it tossed into the trash with the contents of the can.

I always tip my hair stylist very well, so I don't see the need for an extra gift. And there is nobody else. If somebody - anybody - gave me a gift, I'd love to return it. Everyone I know is too busy with their own lives and doesn't want to add another person to their inner circle of gift giving.

 

[mickeyfan9194]

I give gifts to my boss, co-workers, and dog-sitter. The mailman, massage tech, and hairstylist get cash.

 

[snarlingcoyote]

My main "other" category is that I donate some new nice Rick Riordan book sets to a local group that provides kids just going into foster care with some possessions. The items have to fit into a backpack and be able to be labelled with the child's name. Rick Riordan books are ones that both boys and girls like, even reluctant readers; they can be carted around easily and read anywhere.

I haven't in the past, but this year I am going to tip our garbage guys. We have had a rough year with flooding, and they've worked some really long, nasty hours, nights and weekends to make sure our garbage is picked up twice a week. I think I am just going to go to our local grocery store (kinda upscale) and buy a big tray of homemade cookies of every variety (but under $25) and leave it with a note that says that I appreciate their hard work and wanted to thank them for being such great guys.

I don't know if we have one UPS guy, but our stuff is ALWAYS left tidily on the front porch in a little antique ladder back chair, and to do that the UPS guy has to walk past Audrey and Audrey II (our nearly wild roses), who, if they haven't been beaten back in the past week, like to reach out and draw blood, so I may leave a little something in thanks.

We used to do presents at work, but many of us now donate to the local food banks instead.

 

[BLAZEY]

DD&'s Class rep parent took a collection to buy a giftcard to the biggest mall in town suggested amount was $5 x $24 kids for a $120 gift card, and each student was to make an ornament. She will be leaving the kids come January as she was a maternity leave placement and the regular teacher will be back after her year off. DD will miss her so much! Nothing for the mail carrier or garbage collector, In the past year I've had a variety of them. I've also never received an envelope from any service provider expecting a tip. Doing so would be consider rude.

We do buy gifts for a local charity which provides gifts and a hamper for those in need.

 

[SandyinMonterey]

At my husband's old job he exchanged with many people (co-workers): 2 couples, 3 single adults, and 5 kids total). I dreaded it every year. I am happy not to do that anymore, from that list I will just be buying gifts for 2 adults. We just moved, at our old house the garbage men used to leave a Christmas card wrapped in plastic by the garbage cans every year (expecting a cash gift in return). We do not have a regular mailman or UPS person. I just started with a new hairstylist but I don't think I will be giving a gift or extra cash going forward, but who knows that can change. I never feel sure about it. I will be purchasing a gift card for my daughter's teacher. She has a homeroom teacher which I know we buy for (got her Christmas list from room parent) but she also has an afternoon teacher which I don't know if I buy for? (new school/new state). I don't want to sound like a Scrooge, but I feel like it's more as an obligation to do so than the gesture/holiday spirit itself.

 

[AnnaS]

Hair stylist and mail person.

A much shorter list than years ago when the three kids were in school. Bus drivers, coaches, teachers, etc. etc.

 

[jenniy122]

Frankly, this probably is weird, but internet strangers. That's it. There's a couple groups I belong to that try to grant wishes for each other. I don't have a regular mailperson or UPS person. I haven't been to the salon this year. Frankly I think I've only had 2 manicures in my life. Just a very DIY type. If I was to get anyone something it'd be my pharmacy tech, but I don't know her schedule well enough to know if I'd see her again before Christmas, and it'd be a $5 Starbucks card. I'd love to get my therapist something but that's not ethically allowed.

 

[10MoreMinutes]

Other than immediate family and one or two close friends, my co-workers and I exchange gifts, but that's only possible because there there are only 3 of us in the office.

 

[seasheller]

Gift card to the man who cuts our grass all year in Florida. We are snowbirds that live in Wisconsin for 7 months of the year. Got here November 1st and in the first few weeks got the Merry Christmas wishes with a return self addressed envelope from the newspaper delivery men, another free paper delivery lady, and the garbage men. Not giving to any of them this year.

 

[AlohaNow]

We receive cards from the trash and recycling guys that have their home address stamped in them. I have thought it very forward of them since the first year we lived here and I do not comply. I have no idea if those people have been servicing my house for a whole year or just a month. No thank you. Same with the postal person - I never see them and I have no relationship with them. We do give our milk man a Target gift card every year. We LOVE having a milk man and the service is on time and always fabulous!

No gifts exchanged at work, other than a fun little gift exchange at our annual celebration where you just bring in one item. I guess this will be the last year for a teacher gift, as my youngest will be moving on from elementary. Main teacher usually gets a $25 Target gift card. My middle schooler has a unique relationship with his sensei at school (Japanese teacher) and when I saw a beautiful desk calendar of Japanese woodblock I thought of her and asked if he would like to give that to her. He agreed that she would love it.

We always give something from the Amazon wish list of the children's hospital where my son was treated years and years ago. Still extremely grateful for the staff there and we always think of how wonderfully the play room was stocked so we want to keep that going for kids who are in the hospital. This year we chose the DVD of 'Brave', which sounds especially appropriate!

 

[BellePrincessBelle]

We got the self addressed cards from the garbage man & recycle man. The recycle doesn't even get out of his truck, it's a robotic arm. I know for a fact that these guys start @ $25/hr, so no, they are not getting a tip. They don't even provide great service.

 

[AlohaNow]

the UPS guy has to walk past Audrey and Audrey II (our nearly wild roses), who, if they haven't been beaten back in the past week, like to reach out and draw blood

Off topic, but I just had to mention that this made me laugh out loud. I just popped this CD into my car this week after finding it in a stack. Thanks for the laugh!

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

Middle school teachers (six), mail person, person who cuts our hair, the guys who pick up the trash, Operation Christmas Child, the senior center (our Chick-fil-a has an angel tree for senior citizens and DD17 picks out someone each year), teenagers "adopted" by our youth group through Social Services. We do a white elephant exchange with several of our close friends (kids and adults), and we give a gift to a close friend and his wife (he trains DD17 but is they are also close family friends).We don't give to the high school teachers, only because DD17 says no one does, and we don't give to the newspaper person, who does an okay job but nothing special.

 

[Gracie09]

We do toys for tots and a local women's group giving tree. I will tip my hair lady extra at my next appt on the 30th. She does my hair and my daughters and her hair is a LOT of work. I will do something for the teachers but there are so many teachers therapists and aides I may just send a Harry David tower to the school for everyone

 

[TwoMisfits]

If you take out family and friends, then just the Angel Tree kids we picked for Christmas. I volunteer and run many activities for kids/teens all year and my husband is a volunteer teacher for tweens/teens in his spare time, and we have never gotten gifts from those who enjoy our free work (nor do we expect them). I actually prefer it this way b/c I don't need to add 15-20 gifts more per Christmas in order to gift out every teacher, tutor, co-worker, service provider we have...that gets expensive and worthless at the same time (b/c as I said before, who needs another mug, and if it's just gift cards, why not just tip them when you're getting services?)...

To update...this isn't giving, but meeting party requests...

I'll be baking cookies for both of my middle kids' Christmas parties (the teachers asked for snacks, and that I always say yes to) and my husband's work party, since they need holiday treats for a baking contest. So, I'll be making 9-10 dozen Hershey Toffee nut-free snowball cookies Sunday/Monday. And I thought I was gonna have a little less baking this year...

 

[TheRustyScupper]

1) We have a very limited "giving" plan.
2) Checks to Organizations:
. . . Church
. . . Salvation Army
. . . VFW
3) Cash to Individuals
. . . we put $150 into a Christmas Card for our Pastor to give to a needy family who needs a little extra help
. . . we put a gift card in the mailbox for our friendly Post Office carrier (yes, I know, the term is almost an oxymoron)
. . . we send our daughters CASH, so they can use it any way they wish