Just Us Folk

If there’s one thing Jeffery Straker has learned from years of performing Christmas concerts across Saskatchewan, it’s that people will want to buy your Christmas CD to take home. The only problem was he didn’t have one. Sure, he’s released a couple of EPs that were available on streaming services but there wasn’t a physical recording to buy.

“I’d been focused on other records of my original music, so I didn’t have the energy or finances to make a Christmas record,” he said.

That is until now with the release of A Very Prairie Christmas. Recorded during the heat of last summer, Jeffery set up a Christmas tree in his house to get into the yuletide spirit.

“Getting into the frame of mind of what Christmas is about didn’t really take much of an effort. Because I love Christmas so much it was easy to transport me there.”

Jeffery’s annual Christmas shows originated from very humble beginnings. He tours throughout the year in his home province. At some of his concerts in December people began asking if he could do a couple of Christmas songs. The songs went over so well Jeffery got the idea of doing a whole show of Christmas songs.

“It was very much fan-driven,” he said.

The challenge for Jeffery, as it is with any artist recording a Christmas album, is how to interpret popular Christmas songs in a way that’s new but yet doesn’t mess around with them too much. But after touring the Christmas show for so long Jeffery knew which songs his audiences preferred. Then it was a matter of deciding if he’d record them exactly as he’d performed them in concert.

“We knew we wanted to stay true to some of these classics because you don’t want to muck with people’s memories of the songs,” he said.

The overall theme of the album was the “prairie” atmosphere, so the instrumentation on those songs is a bit more folkie/country.

Of the four original songs, ‘Never Too Old to Wish’ is the newest, having been written this past summer. Both of Jeffery’s parents passed away in the last seven years, so his perspective on Christmas has changed significantly.

“For me, Christmas was about the family getting together around the traditions you grew up with,” he said. “When the keystones of that tradition are gone, it kind of crumbles a bit.”

Whereas Jeffery’s wishes as a kid were for gifts, these days Christmas is all about people and the memories of his childhood.

“That’s still kind of charming and nice for me,” he said. “I still wish and hope. It’s just about different things.”

‘Coming Home for Christmas’ was the first Christmas song Jeffery ever wrote, and it takes place during the time in his life that he then reflects upon in ‘Never Too Old to Wish’. Written when he was spending more time in Toronto, the song came to him while flying back to his parents and siblings in Regina for Christmas. One song is about celebrating family traditions while the other reflects on those memories.

“The songs are almost bookends of each other in a way,” he said.

The popularity of Jeffery’s Christmas shows has grown to the point where there are 10 dates this year, including two nights in a 700-plus seat theatre in Regina.

Holding the shows together are the stories Jeffery tells between songs. He talks about his Christmases while growing up on the prairies and these humorous anecdotes have become as popular as the songs themselves.

“Sometimes people leave the show, and they say this in a complimentary way: 'Oh my God, I didn’t know it was going to be like this! I think I like the stories better than the songs.’” he said.

“I just say ‘I’ll pretend not to be offended!'"

For more on Jeffery Straker and A Very Prairie Christmas, go to https://www.jeffstraker.com.