Who knew the big guy in red did e-mail?

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, except the computer mouse...

Didn't get around to writing Santa? It's not too late. In a technological twist on a holiday tradition, the Jolly Old Elf is now apparently wired.

"Santa has e-mail?" said Hervy Trimyer, a Postal Service spokesman for Hampton Roads. "I had no idea."

Fact is, Santa e-mail sites abound. Responses are often personalized and free and can arrive in the wink of an eye - even on the Big Guy's busiest night.

There are drawbacks to an Internet pipeline to the North Pole. For one, the hand-scrawled "Dear Santa" keepsake - untouched by spell-check - could become a relic of Christmas Past.

The Postal Service, which traditionally handles about 1 million Santa letters annually, says this year's volume is "wa-a-y down." No one knows all the reasons, but spokesman Joseph Harrison suspects "alternative means of communication."

Even with Santa, the usual online precautions apply. Parents should screen sites, send a test message and remind children not to provide their last name, home address or phone number.

At least one Santa site asks Mom and Dad to send "the reindeer a buck or two." Another reportedly asked kids to "check how much money was in mommy's purse."

Now there's a sugar-plum vision...

- Joanne Kimberlin