Christmas gratuities

My mother and two sons will be taking our third Christmas cruise in 2009 and would like to share a method that works very well for giving the staff a holiday gift.

I get two generic “Happy Holidays” cards, one for our cabin steward and the other for our table staff. I put $20-$25 in the one for our steward, write his or her name on the envelope and leave it in the cabin on Christmas Eve when we go for dinner.

I take the other one to the dining room and leave it on the table, with “From cabin number __“ on it. In the dining room card I put several bills of smaller denominations (totaling $20-$30), since it goes to more people.

The staff is so appreciative of this small holiday gesture. One time we added some good-quality chocolate bars to a female steward’s Christmas card and she remembered and thanked us THREE years later!

NANCI SCHEITHAUER

Santa Fe, NM