The big day is almost here. And maybe you're one of those people who gets everything taken

care of, all of the shopping and wrapping and baking well in advance, so that the last few days

before Christmas are all about spending time with friends and family,

or cozying up with a favorite movie. Or maybe you're the type for whom all of that last-minute

hustle and bustle is part of the excitement and anticipation of what's to come. No matter if you're

at one of those extremes or somewhere in the middle, the season and the countdown and the day itself

is a time for reminiscing and creating the new memories that you'll reminisce about in years to come.

The traditions that define your family, the warm memories from Christmas's past,

the stories of relatives who have come and gone, but who live on through those who keep those memories alive.

I love telling you the stories behind your favorite Christmas traditions, but even more than that,

I love sharing the stories behind you, you and your Christmas past.

One of the most consistent pieces of feedback I get about this show is that

people love hearing the little anecdotes and traditions that listeners share in these episodes.

Some are funny, some are touching, some pull at the heartstrings, but they are all uniquely

your own, and special, and important, and worthy of sharing with others for whom Christmas

is a special time of year. So I'm very happy that for the third year in a row, I received more

memories from you than I had episodes to put them in, and that means that I once again

have the very special privilege of presenting an episode dedicated exclusively to you.

When I was growing up in Massachusetts, one of the things my family would do is pile into the station wagon,

and this was the 80s, so it had those imitation wood panels on the doors,

and we drive around looking at Christmas lights.

It's such a simple thing, but it created a memory that I carried with me to this day,

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