Singer-songwriter Ron Kalmakoff’s music is so closely correlated with evoking vivid nostalgia in his listeners, that his fans asked for years if he would ever consider releasing a full Christmas album. This holiday season they are in luck, as his first ever Christmas single “Christmas Once Again,” just in time to incorporate into this year’s music memories.
Before migrating to the west coast of Canada, Kalmakoff spent his childhood roaming the prairies of Canora, Saskatchewan, an experience he illustrates in an earlier song of his entitled “Where the Willows Bend.” In “Christmas Once Again”, he calls upon that same wistfulness, changing the lyrics of “Where the Willows Bend,” and inviting listeners back to that familiar special place in Canora- this time to stay for the holidays.
“When writing the lyrics to ‘Christmas Once Again,’” he says, “I recollected my own December memories with those I love and some who are now gone, family gatherings, and holiday memories with friends. Looking through old Christmas photos and feeling the joy from the past was a big part of my inspiration.”
The theme of reflecting on memories and love from Christmases past and yearning for those who may no longer be around, prevails in Kalmakoff’s lyrics. Matched with gentle guitar strums and the sounds of faint Christmas bells, he sings “Moments so close, when love would fill my heart/Not long ago, we were never apart/To live that life once more, the gift that joy would bring/I want to believe in Christmas once again.” A chorus soon repeats “We see only in front of us, never looking behind/Take a step back, remember what was/It was an innocent time.” Here Kalmakoff reminds us that traditions, along with our memories of those we love are what keep the Christmas spirit alive, and that our past should be what lights the way for our future.
“Christmas traditions are very meaningful to me, and ones that have been passed on from different generations are important,” Kalmakoff says, hoping his new Christmas song will become a tradition. “It’s all been done with love, and I hope that what I bring to each holiday season, through this song, will be remembered as well.” As a wink to his fans who encouraged the new track, he adds “At least I can now say that I have my very own Christmas song, and I hope followers who enjoy it will put it on repeat for holidays seasons ahead.”
