Good afternoon, Chicago. ✶
It is officially holiday tipping season — that time of the year when you slide a little something extra to the service workers in your life to thank them for all that they do.
But how much is good enough — and would a gift ever suffice?
Below, we’ve got advice from an etiquette expert and some workers in various industries about the best ways to show your appreciation during the holidays. 👇
Plus, we’ve got the community news you need to know this afternoon.
⏱️: A 7-minute read
— Matt Moore, newsletter reporter (@MattKenMoore)
TODAY’S TOP STORY
How to tip Chicago service workers the right way this holiday season
Reporting by Phyllis Cha
The tipping point: For those able to give this holiday season, tipping can go a long way. Service workers and etiquette experts told the Sun-Times that money is always helpful for bills and essentials. A good general rule to go by is tipping the price of a service, or a service and a half, during the holiday season, according to Akilah Siti Easter, a Chicago-based etiquette coach.
What to give dog walkers and sitters: Cash or a thoughtful gift equivalent of $50-$200, depending on frequency. Kara Gibson, 34, who runs Paws for Walks Chicago with partner Lesley Carrillo, said she’s received cash tips, as well as tips via Venmo or Zelle.
What about hair stylists and barbers?: Cash or a personal, thoughtful gift equivalent to a session or visit. Jax Contreras, senior stylist at Milio’s Hair Studio in Lake View, said he’s received holiday tips from clients in the form of cash that made a difference. But gifts can be just as impactful. One such gift was a pair of Jordan sneakers he received from a client. “For hair stylists specifically, we’re on our feet all day,” Contreras said.
Tips for baristas: Cash at the point of sale is best here. Delaney Lanham, 22, a barista at Elevate Coffee, said she’s noticed that customers will give a bit more in tips during the holiday season. Lanham was straightforward: Money is appreciated and helps the most. “We’re working here, we’re broke,” she said.
Small gifts for mail carriers: U.S. Postal Service carriers are allowed to accept a gift worth $20 or less, but cash and cash equivalents, including gift cards, cannot be accepted, according to the USPS website. Carriers cannot accept more than $50 worth of gifts from any customer in one calendar year. FedEx employees cannot accept more than $75 worth of gifts from any customer in a year and cannot receive cash or cash equivalents, according to company policy.
Victor Mihalia, who has been working for FedEx in Chicago two years, said he’s received small gifts, like cookies and candy, around the holidays. Some customers have written him thank-you notes, he said. “It’s nice to know people see you doing your job,” Mihalia said. “It’s nice to know you’re appreciated.”
We’ve got more tips on tipping here.
WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?
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Grocery store operator Yellow Banana sued: Ohio-based Yellow Banana, which plans to open Save A Lot locations in Chicago, has run into legal headwinds in its home state and recently sold its grocery stores in Florida. The company was sued by a produce distributor for more than $350,000 in unpaid bills.
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Motorist in fatal collision draws fine: A driver who struck and killed a man in front of his Oak Lawn home in June will have to pay a fine for speeding and serve community service, despite demands from the man’s family for harsher punishment.
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Suburb sick of airport parkers: O’Hare Airport travelers who leave their cars on residential streets in Des Plaines when they’re out of town will face fines of up to $250.
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City invests in cultural programming: Community organizations and artists on Chicago’s West and South sides will be getting a boost for cultural arts programming, thanks to $1 million in city grants.
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Illinois kids to get books from Dolly Parton: Thanks to the expansion of Parton’s Imagination Library program, more children under 5 years old in Illinois will be able to receive free books. Here’s how to sign up.
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Lazy river: The Chicago Electric Boat Co. will offer hot tub-like rental boats for six people each starting Friday at the Marina City docks on the Chicago River.
- 3 stars for ‘Boop!’: While the plot and supporting characters need more attention, “Boop! The Betty Boop Musical” has spectacular songs and a winning star in Jasmine Amy Rogers, writes Catey Sullivan in a review for the Sun-Times.
OUR CITY IN COLOR 🎨
Reporting by Sun-Times staff
The mural in Logan Square stands three stories high and features images of two girls, seemingly twins, side by side in a kind of wilderness.
Their pigtails are linked together, and their hands emerge from seemingly nowhere to cover their eyes. Detached eyeballs hover about, while a moth, its wings outstretched, appears in the middle of it all.
The girls in the painting have “their eyes covered by another being; if you notice, their arms are down beside them,” artist Chloe Becky told the Sun-Times. “The idea is being disconnected from nature and being disillusioned by the society we live in, being shut off to certain knowledge, different ways of being.”
With so much going on in the painting, it would be easy to miss what’s perched in the lower right: a praying mantis — a winged insect that blends in well in gardens and elsewhere because it looks like nothing so much as a small branch or stick.
“I’ve had praying mantises come and visit me when I’m painting multiple times before,” said Becky, who painted the mural on Avondale Avenue between Talman and Rockwell avenues over three days in October 2022. And she got a visit from one while painting this mural, she said.
“I have a huge connection, a spiritual connection, to these insects,” Becky said.
BRIGHT ONE ✨
Keanu Reeves’ Dogstar is doing even better the second time around
Reporting by Selena Fragassi
There’s something very Hollywood about the story arc of Dogstar — and not just because Keanu Reeves happens to be the bassist of the band.
To start, there was a meet-cute between Reeves and drummer Robert Mailhouse at a SoCal supermarket back in the early ’90s that started it all. As the story goes, Mailhouse was wearing a Detroit Red Wings jersey, which attracted the actor/hockey fan to spark a conversation and eventually led to jam sessions in Reeves’ garage.
Soon enough, the band — completed by singer/guitarist Bret Domrose — had some plot twist rock star moments, like signing to a major label (Zoo Entertainment), releasing two albums, opening for David Bowie and touring with Bon Jovi. And though Dogstar disbanded in 2002, the band reemerged after 20 years in May with a reboot that in many ways bests the first edition.
“It’s been a really nice reception. We’ve having fun playing and touring … in a way it feels like the first time,” Reeves to the Sun-Times.
The bandmates return to Chicago tonight for a sold-out gig at Thalia Hall. It’ll be their third visit to the city, following a 1996 gig at Metro and a 2000 show at House of Blues.
And, in a way, Chicago will always be a “home away from home city for us,” said Mailhouse who recalls writing much of the band’s 1996 debut “Our Little Visionary” at a local warehouse while Reeves was in town filming the movie “Chain Reaction” that same year.
“We had a blast [in Chicago]. I’ll never forget it,” said Mailhouse.
YOUR DAILY QUESTION ☕️
Would you roll down the Chicago River in a hot tub boat? Tell us why or why not.
Email us (please include your first and last name and where you live). To see the answers to this question, check our Morning Edition newsletter. Not subscribed to Morning Edition? Sign up here so you won’t miss a thing!
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Editor: Satchel Price
Newsletter reporter: Matt Moore
Copy editor: Angie Myers
