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Community Corner

From Christmas Today to Christmas Everyday?

During the past four decades Demetrios Betinis has been in & out of the local power pop music group Pezband & sometimes the group Off Broadway, while his friend Cliff Johnson has been in & out of the local power pop music group Off Broadway & sometimes Pezband.  At times they were in those bands together, but at other times they were apart.

Demetrios "Mimi" Betinis is very active with Pezband right now and both bands have lasting legacies, but one their biggest legacies is the great "Christmas Everyday" song.  As with most Christmas songs, it's a pretty safe bet that someone will play it every December.  "Christmas Everyday" has been played on local & national radio stations and international & national airlines for over 20 years.

The song was made by Mimi & Cliff with producer Gary Fry, along with manager Paul Hamer who added the famous Gary Cooper "Meet John Doe" movie lines.

Mimi says he originally wrote the song 40 years ago and he explains the rest of the creative process: "One night while Cliff and I were driving to a gig in a snowstorm in the early 90's I suggested to him that we write a song that could maybe be a standard. Something that would be played every year, year after year. I said what we need is a Christmas song." Mimi continues: "A couple of days later Cliff came over to my apartment and we re-worked my original number into what you know today. Cliff did re-work my original lyric and melody line."

The antique pictures on the CD were always a mystery and Mimi explains: "The cover photo is of Paul Hamer's aunts as little girls in the 1920's in their South Oak Park living room. The back cover is of Cliff's family and shows Cliff as a youngster."

To quote some of the "Christmas Everyday" lyrics:
"Caring is for Christmas, not just Christmas day / Why not try to make it, Christmas Everyday."
"We can wish for a time, peace for all of mankind / Bring home Christmas to stay, make it Christmas Everyday."
"Make it Christmas here / Make it Christmas there / Make it Christmas Everyday."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypTvRjBRL7o

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