When you do a holiday tip, consider:

The nature of your relationship with the tipee.

How often you use the person's service

Your budget

How pleased you are with the service

All of the above

A holiday tip is NOT customary for which of the following:

Your house cleaner

Your masseuse

The UPS guy who brought your mail-order holiday presents

When tipping, the green stuff -- that is, cash:

Is always appropriate

Can be (believe it or not) unwelcome

Put a $25 gift in an envelope for your letter carrier, and the Postal Service employee should:

Kiss you on both cheeks.

Lose the envelope.

Slap the cuffs on you.

Decline.

Do I stuff a holiday envelope with cash for my chiropractor, doctor and dentist?

Nope. White smocks disqualify them for holiday tips.

Certainly. Boat payments don't just make themselves, you know.

When tipping a babysitter, nanny or cleaning person, the general guideline is:

$25-$50, plus a card

A day's wages if you pay by the day, a week's wages if you pay by the week.

A cool-looking e-card you downloaded.

The newspaper delivery person should get:

$10 to $20 with a card, if the paper has been consistently delivered, almost always dry and almost never hurled so hard it lands on the roof or hits the door.

Zip. Those whom I don't know and don't see, I don't tip.