 |
| kids this afternoon |
Christmas is in 8-9 days depending on how you look at it. I say 8 days because this time in 8 days it will be Christmas eve and just a few hours from dinner time...but one may say 9 days because really Christmas is on the 25th blah blah blah. I have been done shopping and wrapped for a while now and it makes it super easy to enjoy the actual holiday time since all the work is already done. I baked some chocolate chip banana bread to toss in with the preschool teachers gifts yesterday and apparently my mail man was jealous so I need to bake for him next week. He really is a great guy and talks to Devin and Riley on average 3 times a week when they walk out to get the mail. Out here in Vegas we have mailbox clusters similar to that of condo communities except we are all single family homes. I leave a gift every year for our mail person (has been different every year) in our mailbox on the last day of delivery before the holiday. It is always baked goods and usually a variety of cookies and bars and homemade chocolates.
Now that brings me to this...I was listening to the radio a few weeks ago about gift giving and what to do in almost every circumstance. You always tip your hair, nails etc extra and the delivery guy if you get food...we all know this. It said to tip your trash people and we give them a gift every year so I felt good about that...then it said the mail workers are to be tipped too in gift cards and the male radio guy stated that his wife makes cookies yearly for their mail person. I was shaking my head in agreement as they were discussing this. The female host said "why would they feel safe eating homemade treats?" I was dumbfounded....why wouldn't they? Then I guess she is right. We are strangers. They do not know me more than a mom who comes out with their kids to get the mail or to wave to the trash truck on pick up days. I forget that I no longer live in a small town in South Jersey where everyone knows everyone and our mailman growing up was the same guy for 20+ years. Do I look like a threatening person who will poison you? or someone that has a dirty home? It is so sad that some people really do not trust anyone-then again I do not blame them. Ever since owning a home in 2005 I have packaged up baked goods for our mail delivery person. And since 2008 I have given them to our trash guys too along with another gift of some sort. Have these people been throwing out my presents in fear of tainted food? I am hoping not, but I guess I cannot hold it against them if they have.
Last year I also gave Devin's teachers some saltine toffee bars with their gifts and I would assume they both ate them. I know one teacher commented on how her two boys would not share with her. Like I said, I made banana bread this year and I guess I will see if they comment on taste or whatnot. I mean they see me twice a day on pick up and drop off and he has one of the same teachers this year as he did last year so she should know it's OK?
What would you do? Would you give baked goods to your mailman? Trash guys? a teacher? The good thing is the mailman requested cookies yesterday after he saw me in my apron and smelled the baking bread when he brought packages up to the door. I know he doesn't think of me as a serial killer. I am however super excited to be getting back to a small town feel again this coming year. Somewhere neighbors know each other and are social. I lived on a street for almost 4 years and of about 22 houses (all on top of one another w yards .05-.11 acre) I know maybe 6 houses. People do not even wave back to you when you wave to them. The few neighbors I do know are all great and we hang out together....but it is definitely not like back east.
Also, the radio guys were talking about tipping the UPS/FEDEX guys who deliver you stuff...I could see this if you were an office or someone that received deliveries on a regular basis. I do not agree with the occurrence of extra deliveries for Christmas packages. Isn't it their job to deliver lots of gifts? The radio guys said its customary to tip them just for dropping off holiday packages to you since they are working so many hours. I disagree with that one. A lot of callers never heard about tipping the trash guys. An employee for Waste Management actually called in and said he would never tip the pick up guys but now that he is one-he really appreciates the gifts/tips they receive. This is something I am proud to do. My guys bust their asses on my street and are so nice to my kids. They bring my rolling thing up to my garage for me if we do not go out to say hi. They honk for us and even let Devin pull the lever that smashes the trash in the truck. Something in Las Vegas which SUCKS-Waste Management works 365. Yes, two years ago they had to work my route on Christmas day! They pick up in my neighborhood twice a week and one of those fell on Christmas day. So lousy. That year we had a husband and wife team and thankfully the wife was able to take off and the dad worked with a stand in. We also give bottles of water/Gatorade to them if we are home when they do pick up. Devin got all bummed out the other day since we were out of drinks so he ran out Fruitables juice boxes to them and told them he was sharing his juice since we were out of "Gatorador and water."
The air balloon picture was taken this past Sunday. Every weekend (and sometimes during the week) air balloons take off a few miles up from my house. This past Sunday there were three which was so pretty. Typically there is one or two-but three...LOVE! All you NJ peeps, yes those are mountains...I live in a development called Mountains Edge and we really are at the edge of the mountains. My house stands at 2700 feet. I will miss this on the weekends just as I will miss my mountains-but I will have my best friend; the ocean. Good trade :)
No comments:
Post a Comment