Christmas time has an extra special and enduring meaning for a Galesburg native and former local radio DJ.
In 1991, Stu Shaver wrote the song, “Christmastime” in California within a day or two of his son Zack being born. Since then, he’s played it at churches, company Christmas parties, and family get togethers. One year, he played it at three different churches in the same night in rural Illinois.
On Tuesday, Shaver, along with veteran musician Blake Lambley, was in an Indianapolis TV studio where he sang the song live on the WISH-TV morning show, “Life. Style. Live!”
“That was the most fun experience I’ve ever had,” said Shaver, a 1981 Galesburg High School graduate and former DJ for Galesburg radio station Q93 in the 1980s who now resides in Indianapolis.
Shaver tells WGIL the back story of how “Christmastime” was created:
“My son was born after a pretty complicated labor. When the decision was made to do a cesarean, I was asked to leave the delivery room and I went out to the parking lot and wondered if I was going to be a husband and father or a widower. It was pretty dicey. My son was born, he and my (now ex) wife were kept for like 36 hours for observation, and I went home. I wrote the song in a matter of minutes after I came up with the opening part.”
The first time Shaver performed “Christmastime” was at First Presbyterian Church in Galesburg in 1992.
Shaver said “Christmastime” will soon be available on iTunes and Spotify.
