PRECIOUSSTAKE

Subject: My Christmas Story: The Mismatched Mittens and the $100 Vacuum Trade Okay, here’s my entry for the competition. Good luck to everyone, but I think this one’s genuinely weird enough to win! My favorite Christmas story isn’t about some perfect movie scene or a big party. It’s actually about a busted vacuum and a pair of mismatched, moth eaten mittens. Seriously. This was maybe three years ago, and honestly, I was barely keeping my head above water. It was December 23rd, and I was wrapping the single present I could actually afford for my younger sister, Maya: a second hand book I knew she’d love. As I was doing it, I realized my apartment a tiny, chronically dusty space was too embarrassing to host our small family get together. My old, hand me down vacuum had finally given up the ghost the week before, basically wheezing its last breath on a cluster of tinsel. Defeated, I walked to the local hardware store, clutching the $20 I had earmarked for a cheap bottle of wine for the dinner. I needed a vacuum, any vacuum, but staring at the price tags, my heart absolutely sank. Even the dirt cheap, plasticky models were triple what I had. As I was turning to just bail, a little old man the kind who smelled faintly of woodsmoke and peppermint caught my eye. He was buying a new set of outdoor string lights. He must have seen the totally defeated look on my face. "Tough spot, son?" he asked, his voice crinkly like tissue paper. I admitted my plight: no vacuum, no holiday cheer, just dust bunnies and stress. He smiled, a wide, knowing grin. "I think I might have something for you." He didn't mean a loan. He meant a trade. He just pulled a pair of hand knitted mittens right out of his coat pocket. One was bright red, the other a patchy forest green. They were clearly very old and well loved. "My wife knitted these for me years ago. They kept my hands warm through three Christmases up north," he said. "They are worn out now, but they still have some life and a bit of luck in them. Give them a good home, and I'll give you something for your troubles." I was totally confused, but I took the mittens. They were ridiculously cozy, I’ll give him that. The old man then reached into his wallet and pulled out a crisp $100 bill. He pressed it right into my hand. "A hundred dollars for a pair of old mittens?" I stammered. "No, son," he said, tapping the red one. "A hundred dollars for your Christmas spirit. Now go buy that vacuum and a nice bottle of wine. And tell the dust bunnies I said happy holidays." I walked out of there in a total daze. I mean, I ended up buying a perfectly decent mid range vacuum and, yeah, the nice bottle of wine. That Christmas, Maya and I laughed about the vacuum's aggressive suction and the bizarre mitten transaction. The dust was gone, the wine was great, but the real magic was that totally unexpected, inexplicable gift of faith. I still have those mismatched mittens. I don't wear them much, but they sit on my mantelpiece every December. They're a reminder that sometimes, the most valuable gifts are the ones that have absolutely nothing to do with money even if they come wrapped in a crisp $100 bill. Thanks for reading, good luck to everyone! Username: PRECIOUSSTAKE

Here’s my prediction (Stake username: PRECIOUSSTAKE 🏀Chima Moneke → 16 🏀Shane Larkin → 20 🏀Nicolo Melli → 14 🏀Daniel Oturu → 12 🏀Tyson Carter → 9 🏀Isaac Bonga → 7 🏀Sasha Vezenkov → 17 Here’s my prediction (Stake username: PRECIOUSSTAKE) 🏀Chima Moneke → 16 🏀Shane Larkin → 20 🏀Nicolo Melli → 14 🏀Daniel Oturu → 12 🏀Tyson Carter → 9 🏀Isaac Bonga → 7 🏀Sasha Vezenkov → 17

🏀 Dennis Schröder -17 points 🏀 Alperen Şengün - 22 points 🏀 Shane Larkin - 14 points 🏀 Franz Wagner -21 points 🏀 Giannis Antetokounmpo -29 points 🏀 Isaac Bonga -11 points 🏀 Lauri Markkanen - 23 points Stake username: PRECIOUSSTAKE