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I guess it could be said every song is a journey of sorts for the songwriter. For The Ghosts of Christmas, that journey began back when Dad had started teaching me to play guitar. Back before his stroke ended our lessons all-too-soon.
Dad had played guitar most of his life. His first guitar was one of those acoustics you could mail-order from the back of a comic book way back when for like $15 or thereabouts. He used to tell how, as a teen, he would look forward to his daily visits to the mailbox out by Highway 54 in Eugene, MO, anxiously awaiting that guitar to show up. He went on to later master the violin (can you tell I’m proud of dear ol‘ Dad?).
Unfortunately, strokes are often accompanied by kidney damage as was the case with Dad. With Mom’s tending to his medical needs and with my helping out, Dad enjoyed a good quality of life and managed to avoid needing dialysis for several years. But then, suddenly, just a couple weeks before Christmas a few years back, he was admitted into the ICU. As his condition deteriorated, I prayed asking God to not take him yet…to at least let him be with us through Christmas and New Year’s, and for many more if He was willing.
It still seems surreal…
I’ll never forget that Christmas Day when we walked into Dad’s ICU room at the hospital, he was sitting upright, looked alert, and was speaking to us again! He was a Johnny Cash fan and so I’d bought him a biography on JC, but didn’t know if he would ever be cognizant enough again to enjoy it. I was so happy to finally present it to him that day and gave him a “tour” of the book. During that visit, he even pointed to the TV and said “There’s Pat Boone”! Mind you, this was a man who had trouble finding his words after the stroke, and was unconscious for days after being admitted into the ICU…and yet he was now suddenly sitting upright, alert, even naming someone on TV! Some might simply chalk it all up to an “end of life surge” but, for us, it was a granted prayer request…we got to have Dad with us for Christmas after all!
Sadly, that was the last time we saw Dad alert. Although he did manage to survive through New Year’s, he finally departed this world a couple weeks later in mid-January.
It was during that time I began thinking of how our family would face all the future holiday seasons without dear Dad with us. Like the scene from “A Christmas Carol“ where Tiny Tim‘s place at the table is vacant, so too our Christmas table would now be missing the presence of Dad, along with my Grandparents, my little nephew Michael, and other loved ones who had gone before.
My mind turned to the copy of Sound on Sound’s Home Studio Recording magazine my parents gave me prior to Dad‘s ICU ordeal. They knew I had some song ideas coming to me and that I relished the idea of recording them with a home studio. I had soaked that magazine in, reading it multiple times. Still, all I knew at that point was I wanted to write a song that our family and others missing loved ones during the holidays might find consoling.
I think it was just after Thanksgiving that I was as I headed into Gainesville to do some Christmas shopping. I was listening to the car radio and tuned in a station playing classic Christmas songs. Being the retro fan I am, I naturally kept it on that station. Eventually, they played “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” performed by Andy Williams. As I listened, I noticed a line I’d never paid much attention to previously, but it was calling to me loudly this time: “There’ll be scary ghost stories and tales of the glories of Christmases long, long ago”. That was it! That was the seed that sprouted into the theme I wanted for my song.
It was all clear to me now…
I wanted to capture the idea of the spirits of dearly departed loved ones being let out of Heaven to come back and visit at Christmas. They float in and take their places, some sitting, some standing, all secretly listening and laughing among themselves while we share our “tales of the glories” of Christmases of yesteryear. I also wanted the song to have a bit of that retro vibe of classic Christmas tunes. And so began my journey to writing The Ghosts of Christmas.
After recording the song, I had a dream involving my Dad. Long story short, he and I were scheduled to meetup somewhere in this dream. It was like he was expecting me at a certain place and time, but I was struggling to locate him. When I finally did, he expressed how excited he was to see me. And, as he spoke, his speech impediment from the stroke gradually faded until he was speaking clearly as though he had been fully healed. Later that day, I relayed the dream to Mom who exclaimed “Your Dad came to visit you on your birthday!” Then it hit me… I had been so overwhelmed by this unusual dream, I had completely forgotten it was my birthday! I believe Mom was right. And so if it’s possible a loved one can return for a birthday visit, so much the more at Christmas when all their loved ones are present.
This holiday season, the song takes on additional meaning to my family. We lost my beloved Uncle Joe just before Thanksgiving. Ever since I was a kid, he and my aunt would visit us at Christmas. I have so many fond memories of our Christmases with him that it’s difficult to imagine him absent during Christmas. Now I’ll be imagining him joining in with our other Ghosts of Christmas this year.
So there you have the story behind the song. Though the song was born out of a time of grieving, it was inspired by a faith that there’s more going on than meets the eyes here in this physical world. But perhaps even more importantly than all of that, it’s YOU, the listener, that makes all of it matter.
A special dedication…
I’d like to dedicate The Ghosts of Christmas to your family and your loved ones who are missing around your Christmas table this year. I truly hope it’ll warm your heart as you think of them this Christmas. If it does, would you do me a favor in the comments below and let me know what part(s) of the song touched your heart? As you can imagine, a lot goes into producing a song and so it’d mean the world to me to hear you enjoyed some part of it and will go a long way toward inspiring me to continue to write, record, and produce more music…and toward letting me know you want to hear more.
I look forward to many more sometimes difficult, but always worthwhile experiences along this musical journey. I hope you’ll be a part of that journey, too!
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being a listener and making it all matter.
p.s. If you happened to stumble upon this blog post and haven’t yet heard the song, you can pick it up here free: Get The Ghosts of Christmas.
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I really enjoy listening to this song. It brings so much comfort.
So glad to hear that…means a lot…thank you!
I recently lost my husband 😭. I am going thru fire right now. We tried to leave a chair Thanksgiving, but it didn’t feel right. We’re going to do it again. Hope we get some comfort.
Sandy, I’m so very sorry for the loss of your husband, especially around the holidays. My heartfelt condolences go out to you and your family. I love your idea of leaving a chair when the time feels right. Praying for you and your family.
Thank you for sharing your personal journey and inspiration to write “The Ghosts of Christmas”. It is a beautiful song and the story behind it is one we all and can relate to during the holiday season as we celebrate the wonderful memories we have of our loved ones who we know are always with us in spirit.
Thanks, Jeanne. I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Wishing you a very Merry Christmas! 🙂
Hi Dan, As you can probably see, I got your second email. I so enjoyed reading your story and personal truth of how you were inspired to write this beautiful song. Of course, the part about Dad coming alert for Christmas day brought tears to my eyes, and your birthday visitation from Dad. I think anyone reading this will be deeply touched and reminded of the deep love and connection we will always have with the Ghosts of Christmas.
Thanks so much for the kind words, Susan. I’m so glad you enjoyed it and wishing you a very Merry Christmas! 🙂