# Christmas gift ideas for the mailman?



## hillbillygal (Jan 16, 2008)

I'm at a loss this year for what to give our mailman. He is a very good mailman and goes out of his way to do his job well. I remember reading here before that they aren't supposed to receive cash so I was hoping for some good ideas.  

I've read the threads from years past but thought I'd see if any fantastic, new ideas come up.


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## soulsurvivor (Jul 4, 2004)

We've had the same mailman for 30+ years. Heck, we graduated high school with him so we know him and his family well. He's same as us and can use cash received as gift cards inside a nice Christmas card addressed to him but no stamp. His sub driver will be working next week, so we went on and gave his gift to him yesterday.


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## ldc (Oct 11, 2006)

We used to give canned peaches to our mailman in NJ; years ago in NYC it was only money that would do! And if you didn't pay, you didn't receive mail for months after the holiday! My family learned that one the hard way!


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## Tirzah (May 19, 2006)

We usually give handmade gifts.

One year we did canned goods, another Homemade Marshmallows, Home-roasted Coffee Beans another time. This year it is bars of homemade soaps.


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## mnn2501 (Apr 2, 2008)

ldc said:


> years ago in NYC it was only money that would do! And if you didn't pay, you didn't receive mail for months after the holiday! My family learned that one the hard way!


That's extortion


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## Sweetsong (Dec 4, 2010)

We're stingy (plus we have a rural route--so not really safe:umno. Figure the mail person makes as much as, or more than us. No giftee there.


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## Jokarva (Jan 17, 2010)

Is it ok to leave a gift in the mailbox?

Old house the box was right by the driveway...we saw the mail man all the time. This house the box is clustered with a bunch of others about half a mile away, so we've met the mail lady, but almost never see her.


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## Nomad (Dec 19, 2002)

We give cash. We also give cash to the newspaper person. The one we have now seems to be able to put the paper on the porch unlike one we had in the past who would drive by and pitch it. It was like a treasure hunt every morning trying to find it.

Nomad


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## Raeven (Oct 11, 2011)

I always give a card expressing my appreciation with a gift certificate to a candy company enclosed. I figure if she doesn't want the candy, she can use the gift certificate as a gift to someone else. 

My postie goes above and beyond for me, calls when I have packages to ask me to leave my gate open instead of making me have to go pick them up... she deserves some special recognition.


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## Molly Mckee (Jul 8, 2006)

I thought federal employee's were not supposed to accept gifts. I know some rural mail persons are not employees, but I think most mailmen are. So I don't gift, just a card and a thank you. However this year our regular mail lady has stopped bringing packages to the house, and it's a 20 mile trip for us to pick them up. The sub never did, leaves mail at the wrong houses all the time--he's subbed for over 10 years--and we never get any mail on his Saturdays. All he'd get would be a lump of coal.


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## mamita (May 19, 2008)

we give cash in a card. I don't care if it's not proper...and I'm sure he doesn't care either! he's a good guy, and I don't play by the 'rules'.


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## ai731 (Sep 11, 2007)

We don't gift our mail delivery couple because they are our friends socially, and it would feel akward the me. But if I wanted to give our mailperson(s) a gift, I'd make up a tin of home-made cookies and other treats. In fact I might do this anyway, come to think of it, because I think K & T would appreciate it! Plus I know thay are contractors not employees, and they don't get treated very well by Canada Post.


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## Farwood (Mar 14, 2010)

Biased but I like the idea of a gift certicate for a massage for postal workers. Either they are walking long routes with a heavy bag or sitting for hours at a time. Both lead to tense muscles and a massage is perfect to help work that out.
If you are thinking food perhaps chocolate covered pretzle sticks?


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## calliemoonbeam (Aug 7, 2007)

Oops, I never heard of them not being able to accept cash! I've had cellulitis and a leg ulcer for most of this year, and my mail lady has been really good about bringing stuff up and leaving it on my porch, even though my mail box is over half a mile away, down by the highway. Not sure why she started, guess someone in the office must have told her I was walking with a cane most of the time now, it just started suddenly and has continued all year (and I shop online a LOT, lol!). 

I bought a card last night at Walgreen's especially addressed to the "Mail Carrier" and it was a money card, so it must be all right somewhere, lol. I just put it out today, hope she can keep it! I've only ever had one other mail person that I thought did a good enough job to gift them at Christmas (usually have the lump of coal carriers, ha!). That time, I filled two tins, one full of homemade fancy cookies and one full of homemade candies (they weren't big tins, had to fit them in the mailbox, even though I have a bigger mailbox, so I did two). You'd have thought they were gold, he raved over them so much. He said he hardly ever got homemade stuff. Sure made me feel good.


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## hintonlady (Apr 22, 2007)

I may give the gift of gravel in the rut the mail-lady leaves in front of my mailbox. That way we don't have to pull her out this winter. : )


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## Ravenlost (Jul 20, 2004)

When I was a rural mail carrier we were told in training that it is illegal for mail carriers to accept gifts of cash. It does happen though.

Having done the job I like to give gifts that the mail carrier can use...gloves, chapstick, lotion, candy, etc. I usually make my mail lady a little gift basket or box with several such items in it.

And yes, it's okay to leave their gift in the mail box.


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

Our PO is so small that when I walk in the door for stamps they hand me tomorrow's mail -without my giving my name or address. I bake a large pan of cinnamon rolls and take them to the PO so everyone there can enjoy them. But, it's a small PO.


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## unregistered29228 (Jan 9, 2008)

I've got a gift bag on my counter right now, to put out in the mailbox on Monday. We always give a loaf of banana bread, a pint of apple butter and some cookies to our mail carrier. I always put a little note in there thanking her for all the mail she delivers over the year. I don't even like this woman very much because she's crabby, but I think it's the right thing to do, thanking all the people who serve us during the year. I also give a gift bag to our UPS man.

At our last house, I was friends with the mail carrier and spent a little time every day talking to her. I used to add a Dunkin' Donuts gift card in her bag of goodies, but only because I liked her.


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## Tirzah (May 19, 2006)

Mom of Four,

We do the same for our UPS guy too! Throughout the cold weather my husband will make them both cappuccinos to go


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## barnyardgal (Sep 21, 2009)

Since i live almost a quarter of a mile off highway,my mail man is good at bringing things to house that won't fit in the mail box....so i usually get him a box of candy or like this year got him a nice container of assorted nuts & his wife a candle...he appreciates most anything he gets it seems...


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## Joshie (Dec 8, 2008)

ldc said:


> We used to give canned peaches to our mailman in NJ; years ago in NYC it was only money that would do! And if you didn't pay, you didn't receive mail for months after the holiday! My family learned that one the hard way!


We've never given any mailman any gift. Heck, I don't know anyone who has. Is it legal for a mailman to accept a gift, especially a cash one, anyway?

ldc, what your NY mailman did is illegal. That should have been reported.


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## danielsumner (Jul 18, 2009)

Here in Miami we have a different mail person almost every day, so no gift. When we retire next year we will have a mail box and will most likely give a gift card to Wally World or the like. DW's family had the same mail carrier for like 40 years, the mail carrier left a bottle of cane syrup in the mail box each Christmas till he retired. I always thought that was one of the neatess things ever.

Daniel


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## Sonshine (Jul 27, 2007)

I just make up a box of assorted homemade cookies and candies.


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## Tricky Grama (Oct 7, 2006)

mnn2501 said:


> That's extortion


Yeah, well, its NYC!

Usually its a tin of my hot cocoa mix. Usually stick a hot cup of it in the mailbox when we see him/her coming. Iced tea in the summer now & then too. One mailman from yrs ago stops by now & then to say hi-says we were the only ones who did this & he'll always remember.


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## stirfamily (Jun 18, 2002)

I always give our mailman a $25 gift card to somewhere. Our mailman is great!


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## Suzyq2u (May 17, 2010)

hintonlady said:


> I may give the gift of gravel in the rut the mail-lady leaves in front of my mailbox. That way we don't have to pull her out this winter. : )


LOL, Someone on the road was kind enough to fill in our holes this past week, I'm sure that was appreciated  I know we did! I guess there's been more than a few times the mail has not been delivered for periods of time (we've only been here a year), and they don't go but 1/2 way down the road, lol.

Oh, and no. I've never tipped the mail carrier. I know people do, and if I knew my carrier, *maybe* a card or some cookies but that's it....


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## Nette (Aug 17, 2003)

I'm a federal employee, although not with the postal service. I think the ethics rules say that we're allowed to accept one-time gifts valued at less than $20, and we're encouraged to share with the entire office. Our office doesn't get a lot of gifts at Christmas--maybe five?--and it's always food that we enjoy together during the holiday week. We certainly don't expect ANYthing. If something arrives--well, it's just a nice surprise and much appreciated. As a federal employee, I don't think anyone should feel obligated to give the mail person anything. (That said, our mailman at work is A-Number-1, and we HAVE given him food gifts in the past!)


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## snoozy (May 10, 2002)

If you want to give an actual gift to your mail carrier because you know them, that is one thing, but where did this idea come from that one "should" give a gift to someone who is simply doing their job? These are not waitpeople, they are paid a living wage and probably have bennies, too: http://www.glassdoor.com/Salary/US-Postal-Service-Salaries-E3032.htm


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## praieri winds (Apr 16, 2010)

I give our mail lady a gift from the kitchen fudge or banana bread or even a pie we also give her veggie from the garden in the summer I even gave her a handmade baby blanket when she had her little girl she is an awsome person and I like to suprise her when she opens the mail box


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## Jan in CO (May 10, 2002)

I've kind of revised my thinking on this after reading someone's post last year who had been a carrier in a country area. That person said they never kept anything that was food and homemade unless they knew the person well, not just from delivering mail. Now, I'm thinking more of packaged teas, some gloves or a gift card, etc. Our carrier is a bit lazy and grouchy, but I do like her.


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## hillbillygal (Jan 16, 2008)

Thanks for all the great ideas! It is true that he is doing his job but when someone does an exceptional job and goes out of his way to be helpful and accommodating, I feel it's nice to acknowledge our appreciation.


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## Ravenlost (Jul 20, 2004)

snoozy said:


> If you want to give an actual gift to your mail carrier because you know them, that is one thing, but where did this idea come from that one "should" give a gift to someone who is simply doing their job? These are not waitpeople, they are paid a living wage and probably have bennies, too: http://www.glassdoor.com/Salary/US-Postal-Service-Salaries-E3032.htm


Not necessarily...I was a rural mail carrier for almost five years and never did get benefits because they kept me classified as part time (even though I worked eight+ hours most days).


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## soulsurvivor (Jul 4, 2004)

Nette said:


> I'm a federal employee, although not with the postal service. I think the ethics rules say that we're allowed to accept one-time gifts valued at less than $20, and we're encouraged to share with the entire office. Our office doesn't get a lot of gifts at Christmas--maybe five?--and it's always food that we enjoy together during the holiday week. We certainly don't expect ANYthing. If something arrives--well, it's just a nice surprise and much appreciated. As a federal employee, I don't think anyone should feel obligated to give the mail person anything. (That said, our mailman at work is A-Number-1, and we HAVE given him food gifts in the past!)


I'm retired federal and our policies stated all non-perishable gifts were to be documented as inkind donation and used for the benefit of the Head Start program. But all of the inkind guidelines were in the process of being redefined and restricted when I retired in 08. I'm guessing those guidelines are in place now and probably make it difficult to accept any food types of donations. 

We don't have to gift our mailman but he's always gone out of his way to accomodate us. In contrast to him, we've had to give up on getting a Sunday paper delivered due to the fact that we've had some of the worst service ever in the many times we've tried that. We have/had a newspaper box and yet many times we've had to dig the paper out of the ditch or didn't have a paper delivered. One newspaper carrier would put the paper in a clear plastic bag and throw it halfway up the drive.


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