'Tis the Season to be Tipping

"Silver bells ... Silver bells ... It's Christmas time in the city ..."

Ah, yes, it's that most wonderful time of the year, a time for friends, family, and good cheer. A time for caring and sharing and all that good rot. A time when we relax with those we love (or at least pretend to) and sing timeless carols, those songs we loved as children, songs like ... Silver Bells.

But when it comes to Christmas in this town, New Yorkers aren't thinking about silver bells or dreaming of a white Christmas -- the color on most New Yorkers' is green.  

Yes, it's not only the high cost of real estate or daily living that strains the wallets of New Yorkers. When the holidays roll around, we're expected to tip. Tip everyone. Our supers, our landlords, our personal trainers, our mailmen, everyone. 

Everyone in NYC expects to be tipped something. Who to tip and how much is an ongoing source of debate in this town. Basically you have to tip the people who work in your building (you better tip them) as well as anyone else who works for you. But how much ... a weeks wages is typical but these days people expect more.

Last week on WNYC there was a whole segment devoted to tipping in NYC. And this article from The New York Times shows just how crazy this whole tipping business has become.