Part of the fun of Purim is sending mishlo’ach manos, and part of the fun of mishlo’ach manos is in being creative.

Presentation

Wrapping a package well makes all the difference in the world. You could give only two items, but if they are presented attractively, they are bound to impress. Last year, a friend of mine gave a small bottle of liqueur and chocolate gold coins. (For a two-bracha package, use nuts instead.) She put each in a separate box, then stacked the boxes with a piece of double-sided tape, wrapped them in cellophane, and tied them with a brown plaid ribbon. Beautiful!

With the abundance of luxury vacation packages now available to us, this might be a good time to review some of the more pertinent laws and customs pertaining to Pesach spent at hotels and resorts:

1) Although one may travel to ski resorts in Switzerland, Canada, and Colorado, it is preferable to celebrate the holiday in a warm climate, similar to that of Eretz Yisrael. It is proper, therefore, to participate in rabbinically supervised programs, such as “Torah, Torah in Bora Bora.”

2) In Hawaii, while it is customary to have a luau on the beach on the second night of Chol Hamoed, any other night is likewise permissible. Some make a sandwich out of roasted matza and pineapple.

Purim is around the corner, and I thought this simple but elegant dinner would be nice. Of course, once Purim is here, Pesach is not far behind. I would like to hear from you, the readers, with ideas for this column, or any recipes you’d like to see for Pesach and beyond. So, give me a little feedback, and I will do my best to accommodate your suggestions.

From the time our children were small up until Bar/Bas Mitzvah age or so, we made it a point to develop Yiddishe themes for the family’s Purim costumes, where each of us had an essential (‘costume’) role.  We felt that while there’s nothing wrong with a child dressing up as say, Batman or as some other secular figure (e.g., a baseball player), Purim created an opportunity to have fun specifically in a Jewish way.  Weeks and weeks in advance of Purim each year, we set to work on something Torah-dig that called for the participation of everyone in our family of four (i.e., we the parents, and our boy and girl twins).  On the local scene we were applauded for our mostly successful efforts each time.  One year we were a succah -- a walking one!  When we would arrive at a house to deliver shalach monos, we’d poise ourselves in front of the house and do our ‘assembly’ thing.  On that occasion, each of us had a custom-fitted cardboard succah ‘wall’ strapped to his/her back.  As we drew close into ‘succah formation’ (forming a square), we placed a look-alike schach piece of cardboard on top, and there we were! 

People often ask me if I think that too much money is spent on shalach manos (as if I am the expert). My answer is no, I think it is money well spent. While a standard shalach manos does not have to be expensive – indeed, many people simply give mitzva cards – sometimes one owes a debt of gratitude to someone special, and Purim is a great time to express it.

You see, I normally write about saving money. I am writing this article to clarify a point to those folks who take my advice one step too far. Do you have to express gratitude with an expensive gift? Sometimes the answer is yes. This is, in my opinion, one of the situations in life that is analogous to tipping in a restaurant, a custom that is virtually obligatory.

With Purim right around the corner, here are some artistic and innovative suggestions for anyone who is still searching for that elusive, special mishloach manos idea. These suggestions can be adapted to your taste and budget, so we hope everyone will find something that works for her (or him!). Keep them in mind, too, for those occasions anytime of the year when you need a showstopper appreciation gift.