Yep, the countdown is on for Robert Drake to fire up the 23rd annual "The Night Before" on WXPN!
It's 24 hours of nonstop holiday music and fun, from midnight to midnight on Dec. 24.
I can't wait, and neither can my cat Trick! These are photos snapped a few years ago, but I know she'll be just as excited as every other year!
Yes, listening is fun, but you can also check out the Jingle Cam to see Drake hard at work, and of course you can interact via social media -- be sure to use the hashtag #nightbeforexpn -- to share your joy, photos, requests, dedications, etc.
If you've never experienced the thrill of "The Night Before," don't miss it this year! You'll hear holiday tunes you've never experienced -- and so much more.
Drake explains it all on the WXPN website:
"It was 22 years ago when WXPN came to me, with those puppy-dog eyes, hoping that I'd fill in on December 24. Seems no one was available, and in those days before digital, you needed a body to oversee any programming. So, I agreed - as long as they gave me complete freedom to spin an aural web of sounds of the season - direct from my collection of holiday tunes. What they didn't know was that I had already developed a fascination for Christmas songs. Not the burnt cookies anyone can hear up and down the dial in December. My collection was chock-full of unique nuggets - some not given the light of day for decades.
"So, they agreed to give me three hours and I delivered. The three hours went to four - which went to six and then to twelve, to celebrate twelve years of tradition! The following year management asked what I planned to do to top my 12-hour marathon. I said, how 'bout 24 hours?! After checking my pulse and temperature - just to be sure I wasn't babbling under some illness - they agreed. Ever since, I've been on the air for 24-nonstop hours every Christmas Eve.
"And now I am doing it all again!"
Trick can't wait -- neither can I! Be sure to make "The Night Before" part of your holiday tradition, too!
