Palm Beach Post's Storytellers on Holidays: 7 stories show we grow closer together
LAKE PARK — A lifelong gamer who remembers the best Christmas gift he ever received when he was just 8 years old.
An empty nester who rediscovered her religious roots at a community Seder meal.
A family caught by surprise when their new home's plumbing doesn't agree with their massive Thanksgiving plans.
These are some of the stories The Palm Beach Post brought to the stage as part of its most recent Storytellers Project show.
On Nov. 16, about 200 people gathered at the Lake Park Black Box theater to hear live stories about “Holidays" from storytellers Jonathan Tully, Jacquie Stephens, John Baudhuin, Linda Grosz, Rosalind Neilen, Amy Terwilleger and Frank Cerabino.
The show was the third staged this year by the Storytellers Project, a national USA TODAY network program based on a simple truth: There are experiences we all share and we grow closer — as people and as a community — when we share them. In short, we find common ground.
From our September show: Palm Beach Post's Storytellers on Food & Family: 7 stories show we grow closer at the table
From our March show: Palm Beach Post's Storytellers on Growing Up: 5 stories show we all grow closer as we share
The project will continue in 2023, and you can pitch your story to share here.
Here's what you missed at the November show:
Jonathan Tully
Jonathan Tully of Jupiter can pinpoint the exact moment he became a lifelong gamer.
It was his eighth Christmas and his parents gave him the ultimate of gift that combined new-age technology and a promise for endless entertainment: Pong.
His story revisits the first few days of playing Pong and learning just how widely the love for the video game had spread (even in his own house). Tully sets the stage for a lifelong love of games and touches on the nostalgia of childhood Christmases.
Jacquie Stephens
Jacquie Stephens of West Palm Beach remembers perfectly curated Christmases that lit up her family's home in upstate New York like a festive snow globe.
It was all thanks to her mother, who loved holidays and gathering their family at the table to celebrate one another.
One year, the kitchen went cold. When Stephens' mother died just weeks before Christmas, her world was turned on its head and she was forced to chart a new course for herself and the ones she loved.
Her story is one of resilience and realizing that those who love us never leave us.
John Baudhuin
As a young boy in Minnesota, John Baudhuin recalls the meticulously painted "Christmas windows" that his hardworking and artistic father put together each year. Families from up and down the street would stop to admire the artwork on snowy nights.
Decades later, Baudhuin, now of Palm Beach Gardens, found what he believes to be one of the only photos of the window.
His story is about what that photo taught him about his father, his values and why the Christmas windows will live forever in his heart.
Linda Grosz
Linda Grosz all but gave up on religion and finding a new friend group when she moved to West Palm Beach from Miami as an empty nester.
Then her spontaneous interest in a community Seder meal was returned with an invitation, and she learned that her Jewish roots and outgoing personality were qualities to lean into in a new city.
Her story touches on rediscovering her religion and making friends as she moves into a new phase of life.
Rosalind Neilen
Rosaline Neilen didn't have tons of Christmas memories, but one looms large in her mind.
Then living in Brooklyn, New York, Neilen went out with her dad on a handyman job he had on Christmas Day. She learned the differences between all his complicated-looking tools and found a new, softer side of her dad she didn't know existed.
It's a memory the Port St. Lucie resident leans on when she deals with tough times in her life — some including her father.
Amy Terwilleger
Amy Terwilleger of Palm Beach Gardens had everything she wanted heading into Thanksgiving: She was newly married and had just moved into a new house.
There was no better way to celebrate the new house than inviting a massive crowd of friends and family over for Thanksgiving … right?
Between their religious differences, dietary restrictions and varying appreciation for crude jokes, Terwilleger's newly extended family was united by one strong force on the fated Thanksgiving meal: plumbing woes.
Her story is about making the best of it and bridging cultural differences as a young couple.
Frank Cerabino
Palm Beach County readers will immediately recognize Frank Cerabino as The Palm Beach Post's news columnist.
Cerabino, who lives in Boca Raton, welcomed the audience to the Black Box theater with live jazz music played on the saxophone. He also shared a poignant story about how his family marks an important anniversary.
Cerabino's memories that fill the Thanksgiving time each year shed light on how we preserve our family's history.
Join us in 2023 for more Storytellers Project shows
Good news: The Palm Beach Post is planning more Storytellers shows in 2023.
You can pitch your story here.
Our team has not yet chosen the themes for the 2023 shows, so think of your favorite true and first-person story to tell us. We'll use the pitches we get to help decide the show themes.
Expect shows in the spring, summer and fall. Details will be available in January.
Katherine Kokal is a journalist covering education at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at kkokal@pbpost.com. Help support our work, subscribe today!
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Recap: The Palm Beach Post's November Storytellers holiday show
