WTOL news anchor Chrys Peterson’s favorite Christmas song is Elvis Presley’s “Santa, Bring My Baby Back to Me,” which she sang with Hepcat Revival for last year’s inaugural “Holiday Wishes” album.
This year, she challenged herself.
To choose a song, she and Hepcat Revival scanned YouTube.
“We wanted to do something maybe that people hadn’t really heard of that much,” Peterson said.
Hepcat Revival vocalist Greg Tye chose “Pray on Christmas” by Harry Connick Jr., but with an added refrain from “Go Tell It On The Mountain” and musical elements of “Joy To The World.”
Peterson said the components give the little-known song a sense of familiarity.
“You’ll recognize a lot of different Christmas music,” Peterson said. “I think there will be something familiar to a lot of people in it.”
Both Tye and Peterson were part of last year’s compilation, but only Peterson sang. This year, they both provide vocals.
Peterson said she was unquestionably interested in being involved with the Make-A-Wish benefit project again this year.
“There was such a great buzz about this last year,” she said. “Just to know that you can spend a little bit of time having fun and making music and that that music will bring joy … Isn’t that was Christmas is all about? That’s Christmas in a nutshell. It’s about giving of yourself and your time to make somebody else happy. And that’s exactly what this CD is.”
Peterson has been involved with Make-A-Wish before.
“I’ve served on the Make-A-Wish board and have gone on a couple of wish grantings,” Peterson said. “I know the mission of Make-A-Wish is very important. These children and these families in one of the lowest and most vulnerable times in their lives find joy and get comfort by Make-A-Wish.
“It’s a very bleak time for some ofthese families,” Peterson said. “Sometimes all a sick child needs is just that little spark.”
This year’s track was a little harderto record than last year’s and requiredmore studio time, Peterson said. She said it was still easy to make the song her own, but the challenge was balancing it with her work schedule at WTOL11 and the band members’ gigs and rehearsals.
The song was recorded almost three months before Christmas, but that was OK with Peterson.
“I keep my Christmas spirit all year round,” she said. “I suppose you can argue about the commercialism of it, but it makes me happy when I see Christmas trees and lights.”
Peterson doesn’t have history with“Pray on Christmas” the way she did with “Santa, Bring My Baby Back To Me,” but she has other hopes for it.
“Hopefully I’m making some history with the song and people will like it and it’ll become part of my tradition,” Peterson said. “It’s a beautiful song.”
