More Original Christmas and Then Some Listeners find us.
With our current Christmas and Then Some broadcast completing its 14th season on the air, listeners of the original CATS broadcast can still find us and be surprised that the spirit of their beloved program is still alive and kicking. This past week Pieter U. from New Jersey found christmasandthensome.com and contacted us. He had not yet heard the broadcast and wanted to know if we knew of a Christmas Program:
"...where Don (Dom?) K. Richmond weaved throughout the twelve days song interviews and other Christmas Songs." I was very excited to see this email because
I could tell I had found someone who loved the original CATS as much as I did. Pieter sent me his story about his experience with CATS and gave me permission to share it with you. The following is Pieter's story about Christmas and Then Some:
I have always loved Christmas time as my mother, as a stay at home mom in the 50's and 60's, would plot and plan all year long the cornucopia of Christmas for her six children. And Christmas was heaven. Not just because of the presents, but Mom made it all fun. Dad helped also.
... In 1977 I was able to get a job at a local daily newspaper selling ad space, ... I liked that type of work and it paid enough for the rent.
In 1977 for the first time in a couple of years I was able to come home on Christmas Eve at a reasonable time to my wife and 3 year old son making Christmas cookies. This "Christmas and Then Some" program was playing on the radio and I was fortunate to be able to record some of it. I wish I had [been] able to record all of it, but I didn't have enough tape. It's a special memory for me. I play this tape (once an 8-Track, then cassette tape, then CD, now in the iPod) every Christmas time. It's like a time machine for me to take me back to a special time.
Pieter actually sent me a 10 minute sample of the recording that he made of the program in 1977... straight off of his radio at the time. He has about 1 hour of the program that he recorded and listens to it at this time of year each year since 1977. This treasure of a recording even includes the local station imaging pieces and local commercials from 1977. Pieter's story has actually encouraged me to consider uploading the entire CATS program from that time and play it as a special program on a certain night during the season next year. So stay tuned for that event.
Thank you Pieter for sharing what Christmas and Then Some has meant to you over the last nearly 40 years and I look forward to getting that one hour recording from you. We have uploaded the 10 minute sample for you to listen to... see what you recognize and listen to the local commercial as well. I consider this a real treat.
