The Southern Ontario/WNY Radio-TV Forum / Holiday Tradition

**Posted by turkeytop** December 18, 2023 9:00 pm

Every year, on the days leading up to Christmas, the As it Happens program on CBC Radio I plays readings of seasonal stories by the late Al Maitland (Fireside Al).

My favourite is always the one they play on Christmas Eve, Frederick Forsyth's The Shepherd. It's about a British fighter pilot who becomes lost over the North Sea on Chritmas Eve after the loss of his radio and navigation instruments. A phantom WWII vintage plane appears out of nowhere and guides him to a safe landing at a British Airfield.

As Christmas Eve falls on a Sunday this year, the reading will be on Friday Dec 23. If you haven't heard or read the story before, you owe it to yourself to take a listen. I always go for a walk and listen to it on my Walkman

Last edited by turkeytop (December 18, 2023 9:14 pm)

**Posted by Radio Bob** December 18, 2023 9:17 pm

Agreed on The Shepherd, but let's not overlook Fireside Al's reading of The Gift of the Magi. His readings of both is the ultimate in "theatre of the mind". You feel like you're right in the story.
Alan Maitland died in 1999.

Last edited by Radio Bob (December 18, 2023 9:19 pm)

**Posted by turkeytop** December 18, 2023 9:51 pm

Another good one is Hoodoo McFiggin's Christmas, by Stephen Leacock. A young boy saves up his money to buy gifts for his mother and father. A piece of jewelry for her and cigars for him.

But Christmas morning brings despair for young McFiggin He hopefully unwraps his gifts and is disappointed with each of them. New boots, new suspenders, new toothbrush and new Bible.

Last edited by turkeytop (December 18, 2023 10:07 pm)

**Posted by turkeytop** December 19, 2023 8:17 pm

OHenry's The Gift of the Magi is on right now.

Last edited by turkeytop (December 19, 2023 9:37 pm)

**Posted by Tomas Barlow** December 19, 2023 11:13 pm

The Shepherd is now a movie on Disney+ as well. They did a good job with it.

**Posted by RadioActive** December 21, 2023 10:28 am

turkeytop wrote:
My favourite is always the one they play on Christmas Eve, Frederick Forsyth's The Shepherd. It's about a British fighter pilot who becomes lost over the North Sea on Chritmas Eve after the loss of his radio and navigation instruments. A phantom WWII vintage plane appears out of nowhere and guides him to a safe landing at a British Airfield.

Speaking of The Shepherd...

Holiday classic The Shepherd flies onto the screen in movie starring John Travolta

**Posted by newsguy1** December 21, 2023 9:43 pm

and then there's the old Paul Harvey chestnut he used to read out every Christmas about the man worried about the birds being caught in a storm.
cute and sentimental and quite popular I understand.

**Posted by newsguy1** December 21, 2023 9:47 pm

https://www.google.com/search?q=paul+harvey+christmas+story&oq=paul+harvey+christmas+story&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyCQgAEEUYORiABDIHCAEQABiABDIICAIQABgWGB7SAQoxMTc4MGowajE1qAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#

**Posted by turkeytop** December 21, 2023 11:21 pm

Years ago, CKDS used to play the same Christmas story every year. I don't recall the title of the story or who was the reader. It was about a family and the mother hoping her far away son would get home for Christmas. He does make it home on Christmas Eve.

**Posted by Paul Jeffries** December 21, 2023 11:46 pm

turkeytop wrote:
Years ago, CKDS used to play the same Christmas story every year. I don't recall the title of the story or who was the reader. It was about a family and the mother hoping her far away son would get home for Christmas. He does make it home on Christmas Eve.

I believe that was A Paul Reid Christmas. It also ran on CHML for quite a number of years too.

PJ

Last edited by Paul Jeffries (December 21, 2023 11:48 pm)

**Posted by turkeytop** December 21, 2023 11:57 pm

Paul Jeffries wrote:
turkeytop wrote:
Years ago, CKDS used to play the same Christmas story every year. I don't recall the title of the story or who was the reader. It was about a family and the mother hoping her far away son would get home for Christmas. He does make it home on Christmas Eve.
I believe that was A Paul Reid Christmas. It also ran on CHML for quite a number of years too.

PJ

I believe you're right. That title sounds familiar.

**Posted by RadioActive** December 22, 2023 12:13 am

There seems to be a few Paul Reid entries on YouTube if you'd like to search for them. Here's one from CJAD.

**Posted by turkeytop** December 22, 2023 2:33 pm

One of my Christmas traditions is having a beer on the patio. I usually like to do it on Dec 24, but rain is threatened for that day, so I did it today.
To avoid being off topic, I included a radio in the pic.

**Posted by Forward Power** December 22, 2023 4:38 pm

Speaking of "The Gift of the Magi", just finished producing "Mrs. Claus'" telling of this story for "Christmas Bedtime Stories" on CHCR Killaloe/Wilno (chcr.org)... this airs tonight, followed by Dr. Seuss' "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" tomorrow night. Brings back memories of my previous radio employment, and the annual task of trimming segments of Randy Sherwyn's "Christmas Across The Lands" and sending them across the network.

As kids, a holiday tradition in our household in the Peterborough/Lindsay area was watching Global's tape-delayed coverage of the Toronto Santa Claus Parade with, among other hosts over the years, Faye Dance, Sandy Hoyt, and Susan Hay. On Christmas Day, we'd tune in to Lindsay's CKLY for recordings of area schoolchildren singing Christmas carols.

**Posted by RadioActive** December 22, 2023 4:57 pm

Forward Power wrote:
On Christmas Day, we'd tune in to Lindsay's CKLY for recordings of area schoolchildren singing Christmas carols.

CHUM used to do the same thing many Christmases. Here's the cover of their Xmas chart from 1965.

**Posted by mic'em** December 24, 2023 3:23 pm

My Finnish wife has all ready prepared her family traditional meal of cold smoked salmon and hard tack bread she drove to Sudbury yesterday to get from her favourite Finn bakery there. I do not partake of that delicacy however but will substitute salami and cheese slices while we watch A Christmas Story, the original , which I have on PVR. The 1937 Oldsmobile from the famous fudge scene is now owned by a gentleman in Wasaga Beach. Check out the license plate. Have a merry one everybody !

**Posted by RadioActive** December 24, 2023 6:58 pm

Paul Jeffries wrote:
turkeytop wrote:
Years ago, CKDS used to play the same Christmas story every year. I don't recall the title of the story or who was the reader. It was about a family and the mother hoping her far away son would get home for Christmas. He does make it home on Christmas Eve.
I believe that was A Paul Reid Christmas. It also ran on CHML for quite a number of years too.

PJ

If you were a fan of Mr. Reid, Dale Patterson's Rock Radio Scrapbook has a real retro Christmas treat for you.