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or texting give 24 to 78679. Thanks for listening. Welcome to the Moth podcast. I'm

Christina Norman. I don't know about you, but I find this time of year just a little bit stressful.

It's not the constant Santa ads on TV. It's not the long, dark days. It's the pressure to give the perfect gift

to everyone you love. If you celebrate the holidays at all, it can be totally nerve-wracking.

What if my BFF's enthusiasm for tin French sardines doesn't match

mine? And what if I spend too much money, or worse yet, too little, on my office's

white elephant gift? What if my brother doesn't like the whiskey stones I got him? I mean,

that's just a joke. Please don't get your brother whiskey stones. Trust me.

On this episode, we have two stories about giving gifts and what you receive in return.

Oh, and don't worry, even though one story mentions Santa, it doesn't reveal any of the big guy's secrets.

First up, Stephanie Garibaldi, who told this at a moth story slam in Washington, D.C.

Here's Stephanie, live at the mall.

I have always hated visiting the mall Santa.

As a shy kid, I much preferred writing a letter.

It seemed much more civilized and

sitting on a strange man's lap and making demands. My parents would drag me anyway, and when

Santa would invariably ask what I wanted for Christmas, I would just mumble something like,

...