Nadine McKinnor is thousands of miles away from Illinois and decades away from her childhood, but her memories of Christmas in the Windy City are vivid.
“Chicago was the greatest,” said McKinnor, now 83 and living in Lawndale, California. “Cold, snow, lights and all kinds of fun. Family, friends and a bunch of relatives eating and drinking and having a good time. Telling old stories about people that they didn’t want told sometimes.”
There was also the charming decor, including three-foot-tall Wise Men by the fireplace.
McKinnor has been able to translate those personal experiences into the universal as co-writer of fellow Chicagoan Donny Hathaway’s “This Christmas.” The 1970 holiday classic has brought joy to listeners for nearly 55 years. And now fans are showing their appreciation by supporting McKinnor in her time of need.
McKinnor is currently recovering from health issues, including two strokes since 2023. To help raise money for medical expenses, her friends and family have established a GoFundMe page, which has received a little over $8,000 toward its $50,000 goal. McKinnor’s loved ones also plan to post a link to a virtual Christmas Day concert they are hosting in her honor.
Despite her challenges, McKinnor said she is in good spirits, especially given the calls she has received from friends.
“I’m feeling prayerful and hopeful and grateful because of the people who love that song,” she said of “This Christmas.”
“And I think they loved me a little for putting it together. And I know they loved Donny.”
Growing up on the South Side, McKinnor discovered she had a talent for writing in school. And she enjoyed catchy tunes, including everything from “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” and “She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain” to songs by Nat King Cole and Dinah Shore.
McKinnor then began writing her own lyrics.
“It’s easy because I think in rhymes a lot of the time,” she said. “So, it’s really being a poet.”
McKinnor was working as a mail sorter for the U.S. Postal Service when she dreamed up the lyrics for what would become “This Christmas.” She mentioned the song to someone she hired to do custom drapes for her home. It just so happened that he was also doing work for Hathaway. An introduction was made and soon McKinnor was co-writing the track with the iconic soul artist, who died in 1979.
The song was written at singer and former politician Jerry Butler’s songwriters workshop at 1402 S. Michigan. It was recorded at Audio Finishers Studio on Ontario Street.
McKinnor remembers Hathaway as a “good guy” and fun person who cracked jokes. She also described him as a genius who could turn one idea into 15 songs or 15 versions of one song.
“He had a different kind of brain,” she said. “He could see around the corner, but I think he could hear around the corner, bless his soul.”
Together, McKinnor and Hathaway crafted an upbeat, soulful song conjuring festive imagery and warm feelings.
That Hathaway took some of the music from an Afro Sheen jingle he’d been working on is a little-known fact, said McKinnor’s son, Steven.
Reflecting on its simplicity and infectiousness, McKinnor described “This Christmas” as “a child of the sing-alongs” she heard growing up.
“I am grateful for all eternity to him because he heard what I was talking about and took it all the way to the stars,” she said of Hathaway.
McKinnor did not receive royalties from “This Christmas” until years after its release, Steven said. And even now, the money is not enough to cover her medical expenses. And though McKinnor wrote other songs, she continued to work other jobs to make ends meet.
Singer, songwriter and Chicago native Windy Barnes met McKinnor after they both moved to California. Barnes describes her friend as a generous, fun and “quirky” person who always calls her with a rhyme instead of a standard greeting.
Barnes is one of the people managing McKinnor’s GoFundMe. She is also the founder of the Fire Choir, which will perform in the tribute show.
“It’s just something to touch her soul to say, ‘We love you, we care about you, we care about what happens to you, and you are our sister,’ ” Barnes said. “It could be us next. And I think it would make us feel the same way if somebody went out of their way to make sure that we were looked after.”
McKinnor demonstrated her trademark humor when asked how she’d like to spend Christmas this year.
“Well, I’m an old lady now, so maybe with a little gin and juice,” she said, laughing.
Her loved ones are just hoping to see her get well.
“Time heals everything,” said McKinnor’s youngest son, Michael. “Another one of her sayings is that music is medicine. So, she prescribed the right prescription for the world.”
