Now that it’s time for the holidays, we’re all stressed to the max whether we admit it or not. Money is tight, bills are due to keep the lights on, rent has to be paid so you’ve got a place to live, you’ve got to keep food on the table, and on top of all of that, you’ve got to finish your Christmas shopping. This seems normal though, right? You work your 9 to 5 shifts, you’ve got your set payday, and you’ve got an idea of how much money you’re going to make on the next paycheck. Nothing to stress too much about, huh? Well, what about the people who do not have that set paycheck, if we even get a paycheck at all? We make $2.13 an hour, but still end up with voided checks so we’re depending on your tips. What about the servers?

Imagine this: It’s payday and you wake up to a couple hundred dollars in your account thanks to direct deposit. You realize that you still have a few more gifts that you need to go out and buy for your family, so you get in your car and you go shopping. After hours of store after store, you decide to stop at a restaurant to eat. You’re so tired from walking up and down the mall, all you’re worried about is getting a drink or seven and something to fill you up. You probably don’t even remember your server’s name after she walks off to bring your Coke to you and you probably don’t even realize that this is what she actually does to make a living. You eat your meal, get a few refills of Coke, and pay your bill and you’re on your way. Did you tip your server? Or do you think that “it’s not your place to pay us because that’s what managers are for”?

People don’t realize how much that affects servers. While you’re out buying gifts for everyone, we’re refilling coffee and making small talk just hoping you leave us a couple extra bucks. We’re not begging for money, we’re not trying to take the money you work for, we’re just trying to do the same thing you do every day at work which is making money to provide for our family. Our paychecks are completely different than yours. What would you do if you get your paycheck and see that you’ve worked 60+ hours these past two weeks, and your check is $20? That’s a big check for us. I know, it sounds crazy, but it’s true. We honestly do depend on your tips to get us through the week. It’s hard as it is, but when it gets closer and closer to the holidays, the struggle is real.

You see, this is how we make our money to buy our own family gifts, What you tip us helps us buy our daughters the Elsa doll they’ve been begging for and our sons a new set of Hot Wheels. What you tip us is what we put in our gas tank so we can make it home to our families, if we even get to go home because some of us end up back on the schedule and only get to call our family to say “Merry Christmas, I’ll see you when I can.” What you tip us is how we live.

This is our reality. This is our job like you have yours. So the next time you go out to eat, when you look at your server, realize that they are much more than the person who brings you your food and keeps your glass full. We are sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, we are people who have families and lives just like you. ‘Tis the season of giving.