Inilahad ni Jose Mari Chan na bago pa man pumatok at palaging pinatutugtog sa pagpasok ng Ber months, hindi talaga para sa Pasko ang orihinal na himig ng "Christmas in Our Hearts."
Sa "The Howie Severino Podcast," sinabi ni Jose Mari Chan na tila mga anak niya na rin ang kaniyang mga kanta na pinaghirapan niyang isulat at lapatan ng himig, kaya naman proud siya kapag pumapatok ang mga ito sa mga tao.
“I feel proud,” sabi ng singer-songwriter nang hingian ng reaksyon sa mga naglalabasang memes ngayong Ber months patungkol sa kaniya at kaniyang mga kanta.
“I feel proud because you know, I’ve said this many times, that I consider my songs like my children. These songs came from the womb of my heart,” dagdag pa niya.
“I wrote these songs over periods of nights and days, and so they are like my children. When a song of mine becomes popular, it’s like seeing your son becoming president of a company, president of a bank.”
Sa podcast, sinabi ni Jose Mari Chan na bago mabuo ang "Christmas in Our Hearts," bumuo muna siya ng himig para sa tula na sinulat ni Charie Cruz na pinamagatang “Ang Tubig ay Buhay.”
“The rhyming was beautiful, it was perfect. It didn’t take me a long time to compose the melody and that melody, eventually, I used it for ‘Christmas in Our Hearts.’”
Hanggang sa noong 1990, hinikayat si Jose Mari Chan ng kaniyang producer na gumawa ng Christmas album. Doon niya muling naalala ang himig na nilikha niya para sa "Ang Tubig ay Buhay."
“‘This would make a good Christmas song.’ I remember, Howie, praying to the Holy Spirit to enlighten me and to inspire me with the right lyrics to the song.”
Kasama ang songwriter na si Rina Cañiza, binuo nila ni Jose Mari Chan ang lyrics ng "Christmas in Our Hearts." Matapos nito, ni-record niya ang kanta kasama ang anak niyang si Liz.
Dahil sa pag-aalangan ng kaniyang record label na patutugtugin ng mga estasyon sa radyo ang "Christmas in Our Hearts" dahil "too Christian" ito, nagsagawa sila ng press conference para tulungan silang mamili kung ano ang papatok na Christmas song ni Jose Mari Chan.
“You know what their choice was? ‘Christmas In Our Hearts.' Even the radio announcers said 'We prefer that song.' And the rest is history. It picked up right away. The album outsold even my 'Constant Change.' ‘Christmas In Our Hearts’ has now sold triple diamond records.”
Kaya naman 32 taon na ang nakalilipas, pinatutugtog at hit pa rin ngayon ang Christmas In Our Hearts.
“I am not Christmas, neither is Santa Claus. There’s only one Mr. Christmas and that’s the Baby Jesus. That’s the reason why we are celebrating Christmas, to celebrate his birth,” paalala ni Jose Mari Chan. —LBG, GMA News
