One of the things I am deeply grateful for this holiday season is that my father was a frugal guy and made a big deal out of it. A child of the Depression, William O’Reilly Sr. hoarded his dollars and lectured his children on saving money.

Sure, it was boring. My sister and I had visions of Snickers bars and Good Humor ice cream dancing in our heads. But as soon as I started making some money cutting lawns and shoveling snow, I saved a nice piece of it - primarily because my father was 6 feet 3 inches tall.