There's no time like the present for learning Perl. Unfortunately, there's also no shortcut for doing so, just like you can't learn world history by watching an Oliver Stone movie. But don't be afraid.

Here are some suggestions:

• By all means, use the CGI.pm module.
• Buy or check out from the library Learning Perl from O'Rielly & Assoc, and read it. It's not too lengthy or wordy. And a fantastic resource.
• Read the POD for CGI.pm.
• Get started on your project, and when you get stuck on a particular issue, ask here.

People here are happy to help, but they probably aren't going to write your script for you without your getting started on it first. But as you walk through your project, asking questions here, I'm sure you'll get a lot of great help.

Good luck. It sounds like a good idea for families that try to coordinate their giftgiving.