LAUREN FRAYER, HOST:
It's almost Christmas, a time for some of you to surprise family and loved ones with big gifts and occasionally big announcements. We've put out a call on Twitter and Facebook asking what big secrets you're planning to tell this holiday season, and now we'll share a few. And of course, we'd hate to ruin a good surprise, so we're just using first names here to avoid spoiling anyone's big announcement before they make it.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
BRENT: My name is Brent, and I live in Berkeley, Calif. My fiance and I are eloping on Christmas morning.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
MEGAN: This is Megan from South San Francisco. I have an announcement that my little boy is going to be a big brother.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
J: My name's J. I live in Seattle, and my announcement is that I am bisexual.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
LAUREN: Hi, this is Lauren, hometown, Chicago. Word is going to get out that we divorced when the annual Christmas cards arrive from just me instead of we.
FRAYER: There were a lot of life-changing announcements. But why make them during the holidays? Brian in West Des Moines, Iowa, says it's because his whole family will be in the same place.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
BRIAN: I'm going to be announcing to my family that I'm retiring from my government job of 16-plus years and opening a new vinyl shop.
(SOUNDBITE OF CHICAGO SONG, "25 OR 6 TO 4")
BRIAN: This past summer, I got what I like to call soul-sick. I realized I wasn't offering to my community, to other people, what I could, and what I can offer people is my knowledge of music.
(SOUNDBITE OF CHICAGO SONG, "25 OR 6 TO 4")
BRIAN: There's definite anxiety. I mean, I'm nervous about what I'm doing. I'm nervous about talking to my family about it. This is going to be the first time we've been together in almost 15 or 20 years. And then I get to give all this to them.
FRAYER: A lot of you told us the holidays are the perfect time to start something new, something huge.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
STEPHANIE: My name is Stephanie. I'm a high school teacher from Spring, Texas. And my announcement is that I'll be adopting one of my students. She actually asked me first by handing me a note and then bolting from the room before I had a chance to even read it.
FRAYER: Stephanie's family already know she's fostering her student. She's planning on telling them about the adoption now because...
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
STEPHANIE: Everyone's generally in a good mood. And also since I'm a teacher, I'm on vacation for two weeks, so I've got time to deal with any questions or potential pushback, so just a little nervous that they'll be nervous about me making such a permanent and big decision involving another human being (laughter).
(SOUNDBITE OF SQUARE PEG ROUND HOLE'S "BLITHE")
FRAYER: Stephanie's telling everyone tonight. To her and to everyone else who's got an announcement this holiday season, best of luck and may the tidings be glad. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
