You can find our guide to holiday tipping here. But that's a great question, which I have to admit, we didn't think to address. I think a lot of people approach holiday tipping with anxiety because they feel that tips are expected of them by this or that person.

But the idea of tipping someone who is not on the regular list of people you are told to tip is intriguing. It raises the prospect you could really show gratitude to someone who might not expect it and will therefore appreciate it all the more.

I am not sure there is a certain type of professional I can point to. My kids' teachers come to mind as extra deserving, but there are rules in place to govern these gifts.

I would say a lot of us have a person in our lives that isn't on the regular holiday list, but whom we deal with all the time--someone who regularly brings you food from your favorite restaurant, the cashier at your supermarket. I think this person might appreciate a tip (or if more appropriate a gift), and the fact that you went out of your way to remember them.