Ahhh, December. Otherwise known as "Tipping Season" in NYC, a time when you see people at the bank getting fresh notes, apartment owners going through lists of their building's staff, a few more doors being opened and smiles being offered.

When it comes to your parking garage, what's the right amount to tip? $25? $100? $500? Will your car get damaged if you don't tip enough, or are you wasting your money by tipping too much? And do you give it to the Manager or each garage attendant?

Since your car is probably your second most valuable asset after your home, you want to get it right. We called the major garage operators, surveyed random garages, and asked our fellow parkers how much they tip.

$200 - $600 per garage if you use your car daily, depending on where you live. For regular users who tip each time, you can deduct $50.

$100 - $300 if you use your car a few times a week or less.

Things to Consider include Garage Size, Your Activity, Garage Location, and that you really can't go wrong by tipping even a small amount.

How to Tip – you have a few choices. You can:

• give a lump sum for the Manager to divide evenly or as he wishes,
• give a tip to the Manager and then a lump sum for him to divide among his employees, or
• give individual envelopes to each employee, which lets you give more to those staff whom you interact with regularly.

As a rule of thumb, if you think you might not know all the staff, you can assume the garage will pool the tips.

To be honest, the guys in your garage work really hard to keep your car safe, damage-free, and ready when you need it. They make an average annual salary of $25,000 and rely on holiday tips. So whilst cookies and handmade gifts are always appreciated, cash is the way to go.

Read more to find out the biggest and smallest tips people give, how much to tip each employee, and other things to consider before making your gift.

HOLIDAY PARKING TIPS

Since we're talking about tips, here is some advice if you're planning to drive in NYC during the holidays. Gridlock Alert Days have already started and they're serious days to avoid driving in the city.

Park on the East or West edges of Manhattan to avoid major traffic and get a lower rate for parking.

New Year’s Eve 2011 in Times Square will probably be the worst day and night of driving for 2010. Our blog post tells you when each street in the Times Square area will close and where you can find some less expensive parking.

CALL US if your company is looking for parking in Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, Jersey City, Hoboken, Westchester, or Connecticut. We'll find you great deals!