Tipping For The Holidays: Who To Gift And How Much?

The holidays are the time of year to share your love and appreciation to the most important people in your life. For many, that includes those people who provide support and services throughout the year. From your favorite babysitter, housekeeper or the hair stylist who always gets your cut just the way you like it, a tip - enclosed in an envelope with a handwritten note - is sure to be appreciated.

But how do you know how much to tip?

Holiday tips will vary according to your means, the city in which you live and the type of relationship that you have with the person being tipped. That being said, here are some general guidelines for a few of the outstanding individuals who might be on your list:

* Newspaper person: $15-$25 for daily, $5-$15 for weekend
* Doorman: $25-$100
* Building Custodian: $20-$30
* Building Superintendent: $30-$100 depending on building
* Housekeeper: A week's pay or more
* Babysitter: Two nights pay, or a small gift
* Hair stylist: The cost of a session, plus a small gift
* Personal Trainer: $50
* Parking Attendants: A half-month's garage rate divided among attendants; or $10-$20 per person

If giving cash doesn't feel quite right, is too formal, or policy prohibits it, why not give a small gift? Of course, the challenge of finding a gift for someone you might just know professionally or see only occasionally is you might not know what one item they would appreciate most.

Gift certificates are a versatile and personal way to show your thanks. And while the USPS does have a policy against monetary gifts to postal carriers, nobody said that you can't put a gift certificate in the mailbox. But how do you decide from which store to buy their certificate?

Imagine giving a gift certificate where your recipient can choose the store! GiftCertificates.com offers a SuperCertificate® that lets the person receiving your gift pick from over 200 top stores, restaurants, spas, jewelers and more. It's the gift that's always appreciated because it also gives the gift of choice.

Other people who might enjoy a SuperCertificate® include:

* Teachers
* School Crossing Guard
* Mail carrier (USPS Policy: "Cash equivalent can't exceed $20")
* Co-workers
* Your Administrative Assistant

By giving the gift of choice, you can make the holidays shine bright for someone special with your goodwill. Those who work so hard all year to make you smile are sure to appreciate and remember your generosity.

Make reading fun - use personalized stories

Reading regularly from an early age has enormous benefits for a child throughout childhood and in later life: * Increased comfort with reading A comfortable reader is a confident reader. This means that the speed with which something can be read increases (useful for absorbing information, in exams, and also later on in the place of work), and the reader is also more likely to be confident and effective when reading aloud. (Presentations, the school play!) * Increased word power Coming in to contact with words more frequently means they are more likely to stick in the reader's mind, improving spelling. Reading often also enhances the chance of encountering new words, and therefore increases the range of the reader's vocabulary * Increased knowledge Whether reading for pleasure or for school, college or work, books help to broaden our horizons, increasing the general knowledge of the reader. So, how can we ensure that our children read, and read regularly? There is a simple thing to bear in mind to ensure a child wants to read - the child has to enjoy reading! And how is this achieved, I hear you say? For a child to enjoy reading, the subject matter must be one that they have some familiarity with and more importantly, that they are interested in. Now here's the real trick : There is nothing that interests any child more than themselves! Personalized stories will inspire the child to read and re-read a story, because this will be able to relate directly with the main character. (It is after all, themselves, usually taking part in some adventure akin to the kind of imaginary play the child would normally partake in.) Even if you are reading a story to an infant or toddler, the repetition of their name will generate interest and excitement in the story which will ensure that they enjoy reading the story themselves when they are older. There are many personalized stories available to buy over the Internet, ranging in price and quality. Because of the personalized nature of them, they make an ideal gift for special occasions such as birthday's and Christmas presents. Things that you should consider when looking to buy a personalized story book: - what level of personalization do you require? (Simply the child's name, or other details too i.e. friends, age etc.) - does the book promote a positive message? - how durable is the book? - what will it cost? (Don't forgot to factor in shipping costs!) - how long does it take to manufacture? (This can often be the more important factor, particularly if purchasing as a gift.)

Christmas - The Broken Tradition That Left Families Smiling

The jolly festive season is upon us once again, Christmas a time for happiness/ turkey/mulled wine and crackers. These are just some of the traditions that are upheld at this time of year by people who on Christmas day celebrate the birth of our Lord.
Following this big day we then have the task of putting into force our new year's resolutions just so we can break them, just another tradition where vows and promises are made.
Traditions are there for the benefit of remembrance, you have the person that abides by the
rules and then you have others that intend to do things a little different.
Whoever or whatever sort of person you are tradition is tradition.

By replacing turkey with a plate of pig's trotters on the Christmas menu is another Christmas tradition broken. Remember to be extra careful who you invite on the day for dinner if porky's feet are dish of the day.

A Christmas idea

A fantastic way to keep family togetherness for ever for generations to come when bearing gifts to loved ones is to give each member an identical piece of jewellery symbolizing unity. It is a fabulous way of bonding and proving to the world that blood is thicker than water

Let us go back in time where Scottish tartan denoted the clan you belonged too. Cherokee indians/apaches etc expressed their tribal identities by headwear or other colourful symbols. So why not bring your tribe/clan together with there own identities in the form of a piece of gold or silver.

Make your new year's resolution today and go in search of the symbol that will be recognized and passed down to future generations, by doing this another tradition is broken, but if it brings happiness, what the heck.

Unison prevails in the form of your own jewellery trade mark where your chosen symbol ring/chain sends a message to the world that this family would proudly like to say, united we stand.

Jewellery gifts can be made extra special by designing your own. Jewellers can take your ideas and work miracles with them as in putting you and your family on the map with your own trademark. Be sure to check out this amazing site www.blingblingjewelrystore.com.

Ho ho ho
Merry Christmas