The Emily Post Institute

It's the season of giving, but you're just about ready to give up. Time and money demands from your family (you forgot to buy Aunt Edna's gift, schmuck), work (late nights finishing that year-end report, "Paper Clips: A Company-Wide Assessment"), significant woman ("Can't you carol with me at the nursing home, you selfish bastard?"), and the social scene (another eggnog hangover) can reduce even a triathlete to an over-weight, debt-ridden wreck. Here, then, is MF's present to you: a survival guide ? 12 ways to prevail over the harrowing holidays.

School superintendents across the region are penning letters this holiday season to parents, cautioning them against going overboard with gift-giving to teachers, principals, and other staff members. That means no pricey gift certificates to spas or fancy restaurants, no hard-to-get tickets to the theater or sporting events, no fine wine, or anything else valued at more than $50. While acknowledging that parents' gift-giving gestures may be well-intentioned, the superintendents say that the state's new ethics law forbids public servants, including teachers on public payrolls, from receiving gifts with value in excess of $50. Violations are subject to civil penalties, the superintendents warn. ``Recognizing the risk I take of being perceived as a `hum-bug,' I do need to inform you about laws and regulations affecting gift giving to school staff members,'' wrote George H. Entwistle 3d, Belmont's school superintendent, in a recent letter to parents. It used to be that many parents were sa

School superintendents across the region are penning letters this holiday season to parents, cautioning them against going overboard with gift-giving to teachers, principals, and other staff members. That means no pricey gift certificates to spas or fancy restaurants, no hard-to-get tickets to the theater or sporting events, no fine wine, or anything else valued at more than $50. While acknowledging that parents' gift-giving gestures may be well-intentioned, the superintendents say that the state's new ethics law forbids public servants, including teachers on public payrolls, from receiving gifts with value in excess of $50. Violations are subject to civil penalties, the superintendents warn. ``Recognizing the risk I take of being perceived as a `hum-bug,' I do need to inform you about laws and regulations affecting gift giving to school staff members,'' wrote George H. Entwistle 3d, Belmont's school superintendent, in a recent letter to parents. It used to be that many parents were sa

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