Dear Prudence,
I have a friend I'm particularly fond of. We're in different economic situations: She's a marginally employed single mother; I'm a single lady with no financial obligations making a decent paycheck. I'd like to help her out but am unsure of social protocols. Would it be appropriate to send a Christmas card with a check? Or a gift card of some sort? I don't want to insult her, I just want to help out.