• “The Maine Christmas Song,” the Windham Chamber Singers, makeover of the original;

• “I Saw Three Ships” folk song by Noel Paul Stookey and Anne Dodson;

• “Joy to the World” instrumental by Paul Sullivan;

• “Giving Man” by Don Campbell;

• “Oh Holy Night” performed by Dave Rowe Trio;

• “What Christmas Means to Me” by Schooner Fare;

• “Angels We Have Heard on High” by the Windham Chamber Singers;

• “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day,” Dave Mallett;

• “Magic in Memories” by Joan Kennedy and Dan Merrill;

• “Noel Au Maine” by Melanie Doice Saucier of Fort Kent;

• “The Maine Christmas Song” by Malinda Liberty with introduction by Gary Merrill (the original released in 1988).

Breakout>>

Cost of the CD: $15, with $4 from each sale going to the Maine Credit Union Campaign for Ending Hunger.

Available at: Maine credit unions, Vogel’s Hallmark, Bull Moose and Mr. Paperback.

‘Christmas in Maine’ promotes holiday spirit

LEWISTON – I got a call in the newsroom last week from Con Fullam.

“Do you remember me?” he asked. “Twenty years ago you wrote a story on a song I wrote, ‘The Maine Christmas Song.'”

When I heard the name of the song, I remembered Fullam as a songwriter and music producer.

The story was a full-page spread in Sunday’s Maine Living, actually published 18 years ago.

This year, with help from other Maine artists, Fullam is re-releasing the song with other holiday tunes in a new CD. It celebrates the 20th anniversary of “The Maine Christmas Song” and is a fundraiser for the Maine Credit Union Campaign for Ending Hunger in Maine.

The campaign distributes 100 percent of the money it raises to food pantries all over Maine, said spokesman John Paradis.

I first heard “The Maine Christmas Song” in 1988. As someone smug about being a Mainer and who gets corny at Christmas, I loved it. I listened to it as I drove Eddie and Charlie to youth hockey games. Joey the toddler sat hostage in the car seat.

I also liked the new CD. It’s a mix of classic and contemporary, some original and new songs, with two songs in French. For those who like “The Maine Christmas Song,” this album offers three versions: the original, one in French and one by chamber singers.

History of the song

Fullam, now 59, was inspired by his childhood to write “The Maine Christmas Song.” He grew up in Sidney, a small town near Augusta. His father died when he was 5, leaving his mother with three children and a 250-acre farm. The community helped. The bank forgave the mortgage, stores ripped up their bills, neighbors dropped by with food. As his song tells, one neighbor gave them sleigh rides.

He wrote the song at the suggestion of the late Bob Elliot, a WSCH6 reporter. In 1988, the single sold 40,000 copies in four weeks. The song was released again on a Christmas album in 1990, but it hasn’t been available in years.

Each Christmas season, the song is frequently requested by radio listeners and Channel 6 gets barraged with requests each year, Fullam said. He gets requests for the sheet music from churches and schools. Last year, when Maine soldiers asked for it, Fullam sent copies of the song to guardsmen in Iraq.

Many of the songs haven’t been available in years, said Peter Blunsden, manager of the Lewiston Bull Moose store. “People have come in asking for them,” he said.

If you’re looking to add to your holiday music library, consider this CD for three reasons: It’s Maine-made, it’s for a good cause and it’s wicked good.

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