Christina Norman
Appearances
The Moth
The Moth Podcast: Gifts and Gratitude
What if my BFF's enthusiasm for tinned 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.
The Moth
The Moth Podcast: Gifts and Gratitude
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 Moth.
The Moth
The Moth Podcast: Gifts and Gratitude
That was Stephanie Garibaldi. Stephanie describes herself as the hardest working story coach in the DC metro area, maybe even the world. As the director of Story Extreme, she runs monthly storytelling shows in Alexandria while teaching classes all over. Speaking of the perfect gift, my favorite gift of all time was my cork-fetching half-Siamese cat Cleo.
The Moth
The Moth Podcast: Gifts and Gratitude
A present from my then-boyfriend and now-husband Charles, she popped out of a wet cardboard box one December night and sealed the deal. Rest in peace, Cleo. On the theme of gratitude, I'd be remiss not to mention that the gift of story always fits. I work for the moth. What else can I say? We're in the midst of our year-end donation drive.
The Moth
The Moth Podcast: Gifts and Gratitude
So if any of the Moth stories have touched you and you want to share them with other people, you can support our mission by going to themoth.org or text GIVE24 with no space in between to 78679. Your support helps us bring storytelling workshops to students and community groups around the country. Once again, that's themoth.org or text GIVE24 with no space in between to 78679.
The Moth
The Moth Podcast: Gifts and Gratitude
Next up, here's Justin Werfel, who told this at a Story Slam in Boston. All right.
The Moth
The Moth Podcast: Gifts and Gratitude
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.
The Moth
The Moth Podcast: Gifts and Gratitude
That was Justin Werfel. Justin is a research scientist at Harvard, where he studies collective intelligence in systems from robots to termites. His work has had the rare honor of being denounced by a former assistant secretary of the U.S. Treasury as, quote, an enemy of the human race. That's it for this episode.
The Moth
The Moth Podcast: Gifts and Gratitude
From all of us here at The Moth, please know that listening to us is the greatest gift we could ask for.