If you love Donny Hathaway’s This Christmas, there's a way you can repay some of the joy the song has given you… by showing a little love this holiday season to the woman who helped Donny create it.
Nadine McKinnor is the Chicago native who co-wrote the holiday classic right here in our town. The Chicago Sun-Times shared her story recently... she’s 83 now, lives in California and is recovering from a few health issues, including a second stroke. Her family and friends say she’s in good spirits but needs help with medical expenses, so they started a GoFundMe that has raised over $9,000 so far, with a $50,000 goal.
Luckily, Nadine is still able to share stories about growing up in Chicago and the special story of how This Christmas came to be. She was working as a mail sorter for the U.S. Postal Service when she dreamed up the lyrics of the song. She mentioned the song to someone she hired to do custom drapes for her home, and that same man was also doing work at the Hathaway home. That’s how she met Donny and next thing you know, Nadine was at Jerry Butler's songwriters workshop on Michigan Avenue—the famous Record Row—co-writing what would become one of our favorite holiday songs with the iconic Donny Hathaway. History right here in our city!
