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The Moth

The Moth Radio Hour: Over the River and Through the Woods

The Moth

The Moth

Arts, Performing Arts

4.625.4K Ratings

🗓️ 19 December 2023

⏱️ 51 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This week, a special holiday episode from The Moth. Unlikely Christmas wishes, letters from The Grinch, and a husband by Chanukah. This episode is hosted by Angelica Lindsey-Ali. The Moth Radio Hour is produced by The Moth and Jay Allison of Atlantic Public Media.

Storytellers:

Ten year old Jessi Berdinka's peculiar Christmas wish is granted.

Amy Klein gets help from a matchmaking rabbi.

Mary Gaitskill pens letters as The Grinch for a neighborhood kid.

Juno Men and her cousin go to a casino over Thanksgiving.

Niceol Blue is a street kid with nowhere to go for Christmas.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

From PRX, this is the Moth Radio Hour. I'm your host, Angelica Lindsey Ali.

0:18.0

I'm a storyteller and frequent host for the Moths live events in Phoenix and all around the country.

0:25.0

In this hour, we'll be exploring stories about the holiday season.

0:29.3

Starting in November, Christmas seems to dominate the airwaves.

0:32.8

So no matter what religion you are or aren't,

0:35.4

you'll hear a lot of that holly jolly stuff.

0:38.4

I am especially suited to this topic,

0:40.5

because I have done and seen it all.

0:43.0

From catering Hanukkah parties while I was in college

0:45.0

to dressing up as one of Santa's disco elves

0:48.0

during one fateful 90s Christmas party,

0:50.0

I have never met a festive occasion I didn't like. Growing up, the holidays were always a special time for family.

0:58.0

I loved everything about waking up on Christmas Eve to empty plates of cookies and a heap of presents in the living room.

1:05.8

When I became a Muslim in my early 20s, I thought I'd lose the magic of the holidays.

1:11.0

It turns out that the spirit of festivity lives on, even if it looks slightly different.

1:16.0

Now, holiday fun looks like family gatherings every night during Ramadan,

1:21.0

fancy outfits for eed, gifts shared with loved ones, and strings of

1:25.8

lights as I share new traditions with my blended intercultural family.

1:30.6

And even though I no longer celebrate,

1:33.2

Donnie Hathaway's this Christmas still brings me to tears.

1:37.6

Oh yeah, there are definitely still cookies.

1:41.6

Holidays just aren't holidays without cookies.

...

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