This year marks the 33rd year of “Christmas Eve in Washington” — the region’s very own Christmas carol.
Christmas Eve in Washington was a hit written in about 20 minutes by Woodbridge native Maura Sullivan. In the early 1980s, Sullivan was a frequent guest on a local Washington D.C radio station, WMZQ. During her segment, 10 random ideas would be taken from listeners to make a silly song. The next morning she would perform the song.
“Christmas Eve in Washington” was written with Jim London, a radio show host at WMZQ. When they decided to write the song, they wanted it to be a melodic Christmas card for the audience, said Sullivan. London had a line running through his mind that became the first lyric of their song, “It’s snowin’ tonight in the Blue Ridge.”
The remainder of the song came easily, said Sullivan.
The next morning, Sullivan performed their song for the radio listeners. Their audience adored the song and started to call into the show to hear it again. One thousand copies of the song were made in cassette form. Each copy was sold in just a few hours, said Sullivan.
The single raised $180,000 for Children’s Hospital Charities and Susan G. Komen’s Race for the Cure, said Sullivan. People drove from as far away as West Virginia to purchase the song, and more cassettes were mailedto fans, said Sullivan.
The current version we hear now was recorded in 1987 with Sullivan singing and a full band. WBIG radio in Washington included Christmas Eve in Washington on their holiday album in the 1990s.
Sullivan went on to record a couple of her own country albums in Nashville. Sullivan said she is not a traditional country singer. Her songs incorporate blues vibes along with country.
Sullivan stopped performing professionally about four years ago. Her music is no longer in print but can be found on Amazon and iTunes.
No longer working on her music, Sullivan shifted her attention and is working on her second children’s book in her “Marty the Dolphin” series. The first installment of the series, “Marty the Dolphin’s Great Day Adventure,” was written to teach children about the goodness of dolphins. Sullivan’s second installment is called “Marty the Dolphin’s Great Pacific Adventure.”
Sullivan is also a full-time realtor based in Woodbridge.
Christmas Eve in Washington can still be heard around the Christmastime. The song can also be ordered from christmaseveinwashington.net.
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On June 22, 2024, the Ira Dorsey Scholarship Ball, hosted by Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Xi Alpha Lambda Chapter, seated in Prince William County, VA, awarded $73,000 in scholarships to 17 students through the chapter’s foundation, the Ira Dorsey Scholarship Endowment Fund. These scholarships will support their college journeys at prestigious universities such as Virginia Tech, Virginia State University, Purdue University, Howard University, Shenandoah University, Old Dominion University, Virginia Commonwealth University, University of Virginia, Cornell University, Spelman College, North Carolina A&T State University, and Norfolk State University. The event highlighted the commitment of the Ira Dorsey Scholarship Endowment Fund to fostering academic excellence and supporting the educational aspirations of young scholars in our community.
