Batavia Resident Takes People Back to 'Christmas Past'

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For decades, Jim Benes of Batavia has been taking the public on a nostalgic journey back in time to Christmas seasons past in Chicago.  Through research and skillful audio production, he shares the holiday spirit of years gone by.

Benes' storytelling incorporates the music of the era, popular children's toys, , headline news, and other noteworthy details that defined the festivities and events of a specific December in Chicago. His pieces have transported radio listeners to Chicago at Christmastime as far back as the year 1913. 

The idea for Christmas Past in Chicago started out of a small bit of desperation while Benes was working the news desk on Christmas Day for a popular all news Chicago radio station. 

“I was the afternoon editor on Christmas Day in 1979. The news was slow. The ad load was low. We couldn't play music ala Mal Bellairs who used to do a Christmas show back in the 60s. So, I asked the news director if I could root around in old newspapers and maybe come up with a Christmas feature. He said yes, and Voila!  Not only did the pieces premiere on Christmas Week 1980, but they stuck," said Benes.

The features have delighted audiences on the radio every holiday season since.  

Now retired this year, Benes has taken his popular Christmas feature from the airwaves to the internet, turning his stories into podcasts.   You can hear by clicking here.  You can hear by clicking here, or search for Chicago Christmas Past podcast.  

Benes has also penned two books based on his Christmas features. The first book, Chicago Christmas, came out in the mid-90s. It was so successful that a second expanded version was released years later.

For Benes, Christmas Past in Chicago is part of his holiday tradition. He invites former colleagues to voice-over his scripts and while he has much of the research archived from his years of work on the feature; the production and promotion has gotten much easier, thanks to technology.