The Christmas Tree from 2013
with Aoife O'Donovan, Heather Masse, & Christine DiGiallonardo
A Prairie Home Christmas
Tonight, we are performing Prairie Home Christmas in Galveston, Texas. It’s been a whirlwind year traveling the country and meeting up with so many people who tell us what the show means to them — a great way to salute PHC’s 50th Anniversary. Well, we did not find a streaming partner for this short series of shows, but you can enjoy our last Christmas show in two parts (use links below or search on YouTube). Enjoy. And Happy Holidays! We all hope this finds you well.
Listen to the December 2013 show
This week’s classic show is from December 21, 2013, originally performed at The Town Hall in New York. With special guests, pianist Rob Fisher, Bensonhurst carolers The DiGiallonardo Sisters, and vocalists Heather Masse and Aoife O'Donovan. Plus, the Royal Academy of Radio Actors (Tim Russell, Sue Scott, and Fred Newman) musical director Rich Dworsky with the Saturday Night Band (Richard Kriehn, Dean Magraw, Ray Marchica, and Gary Raynor) and the latest News from Lake Wobegon. Listen to the show.
Growing up in a musical family, Aoife O'Donovan took an interest in the American folk tradition. And after graduating from the New England Conservatory of Music, she formed the progressive bluegrass band Crooked Still and the trio Sometymes Why. More recently, she collaborated with Sara Watkins and Sarah Jarosz to create the “I’m With Her” tour, which took the trio to the U.K., Europe, and across the U.S. Aoife’s latest recording, All My Friends, is a concept album focusing on the women’s rights movement. It was nominated for a Grammy Award.
During a childhood in rural Maine, Heather Masse sang hymns and folk songs around home with her family. Now based in New Mexico, this New England Conservatory of Music alum is a one-third of the Juno Award-winning Canadian trio The Wailin’ Jennys. Among her recordings is Lock My Heart, with piano legend Dick Hyman. And she has an album of duets with Garrison Keillor — called Beautiful Dreamer — available exclusively from our online store.
New York-based vocalist Christine DiGiallonardo is at home singing in early-music chamber ensembles as well as jazz and rock bands. She performs solo and with her sisters, Daniela and Nadia, as The DiGiallonardo Sisters, and her voice can be heard on a number of commercial jingles. Her theater credits include Carousel (Live From Lincoln Center), Lady, Be Good! (City Center Encores!), The Sound of Music (Carnegie Hall), and My Fair Lady (Avery Fisher Hall).
Many weeks, Garrison takes a well-known song and changes the lyrics. Here is “The Christmas Tree” as presented on this week’s classic show. Happy Holidays!
When I come to the night of Christmas Eve
And darkness falls over the land.
And we walk down the hallway, this child and I,
And here in the doorway we stand
And there in the night a scene of delight,
Of fantastic colors to see
How it glitters and dances the beautiful branches
Of this year’s Christmas tree.
It’s the same old tree that my mother loved
With the lights and the manger scene,
Where the Savior lay on the coldest day
Comes the blessed smell of green.
We thank you, Lord, for this good good life
However unworthy we be
And the gifts you have given, including this heaven-
Ly old pine tree.
It’s the same old tree and they’re all in the room
Our ghosts from the way back when,
The women in dresses and Christmas perfume,
The cheerful old bald men.
The children of long ago we see
Here in these children of ours,
And for them today this beautiful tree
Can work its magical powers.
We thank you, Lord, for this good good life
However unworthy we be
And the gifts you have given, including this heaven-
Ly old pine tree.
We are excited to offer a two-CD album with many of the great songs and segments from the 50th Anniversary performances at the Fitzgerald Theater (July 2024).
The collection includes features by Garrison Keillor, Heather Masse, Christine DiGiallonardo, Pat Donohue, and Rich Dworsky and the band. You’ll laugh at the conversation between Duane and his Mom, get educated on proper grammar with POEM, want to book your next flight on LUTHERAN AIR, have a lesson in biology with FATHERHOOD, and hear Garrison try to stump Fred Newman on a SFX script. And, of course, you will be brought up to date with the News from Lake Wobegon.
Purchase the 2-CD set now and receive a $5.00 discount. BUY COLLECTION.
