AmandaL

Do you give your cleaning lady a gift at the holidays? I really love our cleaning lady and she does a great job, so I would like to get her a gift for christmas. The problem is I hardly know her, I am not home when she is there and so I never see her or talk to her.

I need gift ideas please!

Thanks
Amanda

Carol in Maryland

The standard Christmas gift for a cleaning lady is two weeks pay.

Lynni

I'm in the same boat as you. I am about 90% sure that I am going to give money. An extra weeks pay.

This is a really silly association, but have you ever read The Nanny Diary's? In the book, all of the "help" gets desinger bags with money for the holiday. They got varying degrees of designer. I recall that the nanny was slighted because of the lesser degree of the bag that she got and wished that she just would have been given the amount of the bag in the form of money if she wasn't getting a Chanel bag (or some other expensive bag). This has always stuck with me. Like I said, silly.

Not that I have help, but I do have a cleaning lady. I know she would appreicate the money more. If I find a cute (cheap) change purse or something, then I'll pick that up too.

HTH

Lynni

2 weeks pay? Thanks Carol. I didn't know that there was a standard. As always, you are so knowledgeable.

bls05

As someone who used to have a cleaning business, I can say, money is greatly appreciated. I didn't know there was a "standard". Darn! One year some of my clients gave me really awesome hockey tickets and that was a fun gift.

lapoissonne

See, I couldn't afford an extra week pay. Especially not two of her regular payments! She is expensive and to give her that much is way more than I even give my kids for Christmas. Last year I gave her some Tastefully Simple goodies and some nice hand lotions from Aveda. She loved it especially the nice lotion since her hands were so dry from cleaning.

poppygal

when I had a cleaning lady, I just gave her a nice card with money. It didn't equal 2 weeks pay, though.

baseballmama

Last year I gave half a paycheck and a scarf that I made. This year I will probably give her money and maybe some TS stuff.

JenR

I'm not sure about there being a standard amount. I think the standard really depends on where you are, what kind of service it is, how often they come, what you can afford, etc. I don't know anyone who gives 2 weeks additional pay as a holiday gift. I think a gift certificate (to someplace SHE might use, unlike my boss who gives her secretary a $100 cert to an expensive women's store (???)) or cash is always appreciated.