Bill Leyden's Blog

That old feeling starts at about this time of year – when August becomes a memory and the air begins to chill in the mornings. I find myself anticipating the coming season.

Every Christmas tells a story. For me, those stories take shape through music — sometimes playful, sometimes bittersweet, always rooted in love, memory, and tradition. This year, I’ve gathered three albums together as a kind of Christmas series, each with its own voice, but all connected by a search for warmth and truth in the season.

The featured album, Christmas in Mascoutah, is a collection of eight original songs drawn straight from small-town Midwestern life. From the laughter of a parade to the reverence of a midnight service, from the mischief of a yard display war to the tenderness of an empty chair by the tree, it’s a blend of humor, nostalgia, and heart. It’s Americana storytelling with pedal steel, Telecasters, and close country harmonies — a reminder that even in life’s changes, Christmas traditions hold us steady.

Alongside it, A Pedal Steel Christmas shines the spotlight on the instrument that can make a guitar cry and a heart soar. It’s a pure celebration of sound — the pedal steel weaving through carols and originals alike, giving the season a voice as timeless as the instrument itself. I’ve always admired this instrument and the way it can evoke emotion.

And Carols at the Hearth brings things closer still — intimate, candlelit, and inspired by mid-century jazz harmonies. It’s music for gathering by the fire, where songs feel less like performance and more like presence. I guess the inspiration comes from my early introduction to the wonderful carols of Alfred S. Burt and knowing his surviving family. In their home, Christmas came alive with decor, gatherings of friends and plenty of food and cheer.

Now, the Americana genre may not be for everyone, but I’d like to think that Toby Keith would have enjoyed Christmas in Mascoutah— for its honesty, for its humor, and for the way it carries a sense of place.

Each of these albums approaches Christmas from a different angle, but together they form a series — three ways of telling the same story: that Christmas, wherever you find it, is about connection, gratitude, and the kind of memories that keep us warm long after the snow melts.

Note:

Mascoutah is a charming small town in southern Illinois surrounded by family farms where life still moves at the pace of the seasons. Main Street has just one traffic light, and every storefront feels like part of the family. When you shop at the grocery, the hardware store, or the diner, chances are you’ll run into lifelong friends — people who know your history as well as your name. It’s the kind of place where Christmas isn’t just a holiday on the calendar, but a gathering of memory, community, and belonging.