What Chanukah means to me (besides candles, miracles, etc.): Spending money on outings, spending money on gifts, spending money on days at the mall. What Chanukah means to the kids: Writing cards to their grandparents. Notice a theme here? We love holidays, but they can be expensive – and who’s got money to spare this year? The kids are wonderful, and we want them to have a good time. But with the way reality is biting these days, it pays to be prudent. So, we’re looking to cut costs …

In this age of e-mail, SMSing, and who knows what other communication wonder they’ll come up with next, there are still people who use the “regular” – also known as “snail” – mail. Are these people Luddites, or what? And we’re not talking about an insignificant tribe. Judging by the traffic on my local e-mail community list, “can anyone take a letter to the States for me” ranks just behind “Looking for a lift to X” on the hit parade of favors people are always seeking. Maybe it’s …