A 'Two Way Street' Holiday Tradition: A Special Reading Of Truman Capote's 'A Christmas Memory'

Host Bill Nigut reads one of the most beloved of all holiday stories: Truman Capote’s “A Christmas Memory.” In this heart-warming memoir, Capote recounts the Christmases he spent with an elderly, distant cousin when he was a young boy living in Monroeville, Alabama. Bill introduces the story by describing the sad circumstances that led to Capote’s being taken in by distant relatives, and how his career as a writer unfolded from the time he was 11 years old. Plus, we learn about a surprising childhood friend of his. Hint, she would go on to be another celebrated writer.

Then: Atlanta playwright Janece Shaffer grew up in a Jewish household, where the biggest family celebrations were on Rosh Hashanah and Passover. Christmas Day was important only because it happens to be her father’s birthday. But as a little girl, Janece was mesmerized by the Christmas trees in the houses of friends and neighbors. She didn’t understand why she couldn’t have one, too. Her story “Christmas Tree Envy” recounts what happened the year that she decided it was time for a tree of her own.