Title: Your Best Gift Ever

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Brian Lehrer: Brian Lehrer on WNYC, and yes, it's been an all-call-in Brian Lehrer show today, partly because it's just fun, and we do this once in a while, just because, and partly to give most of our team the day before Christmas off so they didn't have to book guests. Like when everybody they might call is probably taking a vacation day themselves, and would decline. We'll wrap this up as we head toward Christmas with the simplest of questions. What's the best gift you ever received? 212-433-WNYC. It can be a Christmas gift or it doesn't have to be. It can be a birthday present, or any kind of gift. Call or text with the best gift you ever received, and what made it that. 212-433-9692, and I'll say this, as simple as it is, was inspired by a New York Times article, a very sweet one on the topic with the headline 600 Readers Told Us About the Best Gifts They Ever Got. These are the top 13.

To help with the prompt for this, I'll just read out some of the very nice stories from that article. You ready? Listener Tade Allen in Virginia Beach writes, "One Christmas in 1996, when my husband was deployed, Virginia Beach is a big military town. I was feeling overwhelmed. I was a young working mother with three kids, two of them still in diapers. I lamented to a friend that I couldn't imagine how I would get a Christmas tree, get it home, and set it all up with the kids underfoot, and no husband to help me. One evening a few weeks later, there was a knock at the door. There stood that friend with a fully decorated Christmas tree. 'Where do you want it?' He asked. I could barely speak through my tears. I was so touched that he took my passing comment, and acted on it. Over 30 years later, though, that friend and I have long since fallen out of touch. I always remember his gesture at Christmas time."

Another one. "My husband, and I have been married for 57 years, and while we enjoy giving gifts to our family and friends, we would rather save up to do something together than buy gifts for each other. I was surprised, therefore, a few years ago when my husband gave me a birthday gift. It was a stapler, a regular, normal stapler. He noticed that I would run up to my home office when I needed to staple something, and felt I shouldn't have to do that. Today, we're in a different house, but my home office is still upstairs, and that new stapler is always handy on the first floor. I was touched that even after so many years together, my husband was still devoted to making my life better," writes Rosemary Kindon from Charlottesville, Virginia.

Another one from The Times article. "As a grad school graduation present to me, my father quit smoking cold turkey. He had smoked for over 40 years. It took him tremendous time and effort to quit. The beginning was especially difficult. It's now 20 years later, and he tells me he still craves cigarettes, but he remains true to his gift. He gave all of us a bright, healthy future together." Well, that is some gift, as written in by Chrissy Hufford from Santa Cruz.

Let's see, should I do one more? Why not? How about this one from Boston? Karen Davies, in Boston. "When I was in my 20s, I asked my father to record himself reading my favorite children's books as a Christmas present. I wanted to make sure that my kids would be able to enjoy his storytelling abilities as much as I had, even if he wasn't around anymore by the time they were born. My father is an expert storyteller. He does all the voices and sound effects. My father is still alive, and now my son is almost old enough to appreciate being read to in person, but I still have the recording, and it brings me joy to know that my father's voice will be preserved for generations to come." Those from The Times, very sweet stories. Right now it's your turn. What's the best gift you've ever received, and what made it that? 212-433-WNYC 212-433-9692. We'll take your calls, and texts right after this.

Announcer: On the next Fresh Air, we kick off our end of the year series featuring a few of our favorite interviews of the year with Mitch Albom. His book Tuesdays with Morrie became a best selling memoir, and was adapted into an Emmy winning film. His latest novel, Twice, is about a man who discovers he can relive any moment but must accept the consequences of reliving it. Join us weekdays at 2:00 on WNYC.

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Brian Lehrer: Coming up at noon on All Of It here, highlights from the year in music, including the twangy licks, and fancy finger-picking of banjo players, Alison Brown and Steve Martin. I love how they just refer to Steve Martin as a banjo player here. Plus, the Doobie Brothers reunite for their induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, coming up at noon on WNYC.

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Announcer: This is WNYC, 93.9 FM, and AM 820. NPR News, and the New York Conversation.

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Brian Lehrer: We head to the best present you ever got for Christmas or anything else. Listener texts, "The best Christmas present I ever received was my first half-size violin from my parents when I was about 6 years old. I'm 41 now, and work as a musician full time. The violin has taken me on tours all around the world," writes Patrick in Brooklyn. Gary and Sunnyside, you're on WNYC. Hi, Gary.

Gary: Hi, Brian. I love your show. This is-- [clears throat] excuse me. This was a birthday gift that I got from a former girlfriend. We were still friends, and this was about a year after we had stopped going out. She got me Fred Astaire's autograph in the form of an original letter on RKO Studios stationery. It was a typed letter, but signed by Fred Astaire. The reason it was so touching in many ways was first of all, she knew that I loved Fred Astaire. That was from us going to movies together. Apparently she had searched for getting me some form of his autograph for a long, long time. Like I say, finally found it and gave it to me basically about a year after we were no longer dating but still friends. I will say, anyone who knows me, I'm kind of a chatterbox. I was literally speechless. I guess it was because I felt it was a combination of that someone knew me well enough to know how much I would totally treasure this gift, and took the trouble to track it down. I guess, coming from as I say-

Brian Lehrer: An ex.

Gary: -a former girlfriend, but who we still had a lot of affection for each other. Susan M., if you're listening, I still have the letter, of course, and there's no competition in terms of the best present I ever got.

Brian Lehrer: That is such a sweet story, Gary. Thank you very much. I guess there's something in the air about autographs as best gifts because Jamie in Queens has one, too. Jamie, you're on WNYC. Hi.

Jamie: Hi, Brian. I'm delighted to speak to you. My daughter, Nev, she got me a present of a novel by Pete Hamill. She knew I was a big fan, and I was very sad when he passed away. She got me a signed copy of a novel called The Gift by Pete Hamill. Inside there was an inscription, and it was to someone called Long John. It said, "Thanks with great memories, and affection of the days when the nights lasted forever, and there was always time, always room for a kid from Brooklyn. Best Pete Hamill." I'm thinking, who could that be? How am I going to figure out who this is?

Brian Lehrer: I know who it is.

Jamie: I did a little-- You do know. Okay, but you should, because he did the same thing as you.

Brian Lehrer: That's right. When you said Long John-

Jamie: Yes, Long John.

Brian Lehrer: -and overnight. Long John Nebel, right?

Jamie: Yes, Long John Nebel. I contacted his daughter, Pete Hamill's daughter, and she was kind enough to email me back, his daughter Deirdre, who's a journalist, and I found whatever emails I could. She told me she would ask her uncle, who's also a journalist, I can't recall his first name. He said it was Long John Nebel. Then I also went back, and looked in some of my memoirs that I've read of Pete Hamill, and I found Long John Nebel a gift. I had always hoped I would meet Pete Hamill someday, and I never got to, but this is a lovely present.

Brian Lehrer: Very nice. Yes. He was an overnight talk show host many decades ago. Long John Nebel. Sally on the Upper west side has something that's not an autograph. Hi, Sally. You're on WNYC.

Sally: Well, I have a very funny best Christmas present. When I moved into my apartment some 50 years ago, it was all salmon colored tile, which I hated, but the toilet seat that was in the apartment was broken. I went out, and bought a red toilet seat. [clears throat] Everybody who came would be astonished. "Where did you get that red toilet seat?" Well, it broke about 15 years after I first got it, and I looked high and low for over a year. You couldn't find. You could get burgundy, you could get pink, but you could not get fire engine red. I had commented to a friend who was very handy. I said, "I just cannot find a red toilet seat." He didn't believe me, and he started looking, and realized that I was right. For that Christmas, they came from the west coast to the east, and I went down, and we spent Christmas together. I opened this package, and he had gotten a plain wooden toilet seat, fortunately they're standard size, and painted it red. I still have it to this day.

Brian Lehrer: Painted it himself for you. That is a great story. Just like autographs, there's something about the color red that's in the air in this call in, because I think David in Marlboro has a story like that. Hi, David? David, you there? Do I have the right line? David?

Brian Lehrer: Oh, yes.

David: Hello?

Brian Lehrer: Hi. Who are you?

David: Hello. I got the best red Tesla that I bought for my wife, because she had a previously red car, and she is afraid to drive it, so I got my own, a very nice present.

Brian Lehrer: [laughs] A present on-

David: [unintelligible 00:12:39]

Brian Lehrer: -the rebound, because your wife is afraid to drive it, you say. Okay, very good. How about Fern in East Fishkill? You're on WNYC. Hi, Fern.

Fern: Hi, Brian. Long-term listener, first time caller. I'm a volunteer tutor in a program that works with asylum seekers, and immigrants who are learning English. We talk with them, and we work with them to learn English in a very wonderful environment. We don't expect gifts from our students, because we know many of them are in difficult circumstances, but one of our students last week made individualized cards for every single teacher with our pictures, and inside an inscription that spoke to our personal qualities, and our qualities as a teacher. It is one of the most wonderful things I have ever received. I can barely tell you, I'm choking up.

Brian Lehrer: I can hear, and beautiful. Thank you very much. We're going to squeeze in Leon in Suffolk County because he's got maybe the best one of all. Leon, we have 10 seconds for you. Go for it.

Leon: Hi, Brian. The best gift I ever got was the birth of my daughter about 44 years ago. I also want to let you know I am a graduate, and a Bayside High School graduate, and hopefully, you have a happy new year.

Brian Lehrer: So we went to the same schools. Thank you very much. That's our all Call-In Show for Christmas Eve morning. Thanks to all of you for making the show what it is every day, and to those of you who celebrate Christmas, Merry Christmas. Stay tuned for All Of It.

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