Baran-Unland: Joliet university’s “Spirit of Christmas’ begins 30th year

I’ll never forget early December 1993. It was the year background Christmas music returned to my house.

Christmas music was a huge part of my childhood, starting the day after Thanksgiving (My mother had a strict rule of not bringing out the albums until after Thanksgiving). In the fall of 1981, my husband recorded all those favorite albums onto a reel-to-reel, which played all day and into the evening, throughout the holiday season.

Until the year the tape broke.

Sure, we still listened to Christmas records (when we could afford another needle) or Christmas cassettes. But we’d get busy and realize at some point the music had ended.

But in December 1993, the University of St. Francis in Joliet started its “Spirit of Christmas” format at radio station, WCSF-FM 88.7. It was a wonderful nonstop, commercial-free season of old favorites and new songs that became favorites as my family and I tuned in year after year.

It’s hard to believe that was 30 years ago. But a recent news release from USF said the “Spirit of Christmas” entered its 30th year on Thanksgiving Day with a rotation of 4,000 songs that will play through noon on Jan. 2, 2023.

“Spirit of Christmas” was also our introduction to the 1937 radio series “The Cinnamon Bear,” which became a treasured holiday tradition for my youngest daughter Rebekah, who will turn 29 on Jan. 7, 2023.

“The Cinnamon Bear” tells story of Judy and Jimmy Barton and their adventures to find the missing silver star from their Christmas tree, even as the Crazy-Quilt Dragon tries to keep it for himself. Paddy O’Cinnamon, “a stuffed bear with button eyes and a green ribbon around his neck,” USF said, accompanies them.

This year, “The Cinnamon Bear” starts 6 p.m. Tuesday and airs at 6 p.m. each night through Christmas Eve. Miss an episode? USF will air the previous episode each night at 5 p.m.

I don’t recall my oldest kids enjoying “The Cinnamon Bear” as much as she did. But I do remember one afternoon of deep cleaning December of 1993, with the kids, ages 3, 8, 9 and 11, helping to the best of their abilities, since both Christmas and a new baby (Rebekah) were on the horizon.

As we cleaned, we heard several songs for the first time, but we heard them over and over again, so much that these became indelibly ingrained in our minds as part of “The Spirit of Christmas,” even if we don’t hear them in a particular season.

One was the newly released “Hey Santa!,” by Carnie & Wendy Wilson.

Another was — well, I didn’t know what it was. Quite a few years passed and I never heard it again. So a few years ago, I reached out to Bob Zak, former “Spirit of Christmas” host, who picked and programmed those songs, said a couple years ago when I messaged him.

He did not have a playlist of those first 200 songs; did I remember any of the words? I did not, only a few impressions.

Male vocalist. Pop, easy listening song. Not a traditional popular carol. Played a lot that first year on WCSF, probably once an hour. Happy and upbeat but mellow. In the category, maybe, of “Winter Wonderland” and “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” Not sad or boisterous. No instrument stands out.

Zak sent me a link to “Christmas is Here Again” by Roger Whitaker.

That was it! So I played it for the kids.

One adult child was thrilled because he hadn’t heard it in years. But my youngest, who wasn’t even born until 1995, walked into the room and said, “Oh, ‘Christmas is Here Again.’ I just heard that last week.”

Listen to the Spirit of Christmas on your radio on the radio at WCSF-FM 88.7 or livestream the station at stfrancis.edu/spirit.