You Call. We Sing!
December 16, 2017 11:28 AM Subscribe
Dial-A-Carol at the University of Illinois Dial-a-Carol is the longest running tradition in University Housing (57 years - but who's counting?) The idea is quite simple. For one week only, anyone from anywhere can call us round the clock and request any holiday tune, and we'll do our best to sing it over the phone. The best part? It's completely FREE! 24/7 from December 14 until December 20, 2017.
University’s Dial-a-Carol service strives for 15,000 calls.
University’s Dial-a-Carol service strives for 15,000 calls.
I just called them! OMG, adorable. FWIW, they don't know Good King Wenceslas, but will belt the daylights out of Deck the Halls.
posted by apparently at 12:39 PM on December 16, 2017
posted by apparently at 12:39 PM on December 16, 2017
They wouldn't do "I've Got Some Presents for Santa", but "Santa Baby" was licet. Either way, Pure Christmas Awesomeness!
posted by TigerMoth at 12:39 PM on December 16, 2017
posted by TigerMoth at 12:39 PM on December 16, 2017
So fun! Stephanie didn't know "Merry Christmas from the Family", but did an enthusiastic "Walking in a Winter Wonderland". Awesome!
posted by matrixclown at 12:59 PM on December 16, 2017
posted by matrixclown at 12:59 PM on December 16, 2017
Less surreal than my initial assumption that it was a hotline for speaking with a random person named Carol.
posted by biogeo at 1:13 PM on December 16, 2017 [9 favorites]
posted by biogeo at 1:13 PM on December 16, 2017 [9 favorites]
I have a strong desire to call this number with my group and sing for them. :)
posted by blurker at 1:44 PM on December 16, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by blurker at 1:44 PM on December 16, 2017 [4 favorites]
Aww, we usually go to Champaign for Xmas to see my husband's grandmother, but since we won't be there this year, I will send this around instead. Thanks!
posted by rmless at 2:10 PM on December 16, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by rmless at 2:10 PM on December 16, 2017 [1 favorite]
I'm not quite sure what kind of brain rot accounts for the fact that I spent 13 years (!) as a student at the University of Illinois and don't recall this tradition.
posted by drlith at 4:35 PM on December 16, 2017
posted by drlith at 4:35 PM on December 16, 2017
Do they know Showcase Showdown - Merry Christmas, I Fucked Your Snowman?
posted by delfin at 5:39 PM on December 16, 2017
posted by delfin at 5:39 PM on December 16, 2017
I told my mother, and she wants to ask for the Huron Carol, but if Good King Wenceslas is too much I think she is out of luck.
posted by jeather at 5:55 PM on December 16, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by jeather at 5:55 PM on December 16, 2017 [1 favorite]
They didn’t know “Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah”, a song I didn’t know about until yesterday, so I suppose I can cut them some slack.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 6:32 PM on December 16, 2017
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 6:32 PM on December 16, 2017
We just called them and they were more than gracious at our requests but they, and it was 5 or so if them, did not (or claimed as much at least) know the Adam Sandler classic Hanukkah song. I don't know if this should make us feel old but it kinda does.
posted by RolandOfEld at 7:37 PM on December 16, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by RolandOfEld at 7:37 PM on December 16, 2017 [1 favorite]
They did not know “5 Lb Box of Money,” which is a travesty, but they gave “Do They Know It’s Christmas” all they had.
Admittedly, 5 Lbs is a Christmas song, not a carol. I’m not sure exactly where that line is.
posted by greermahoney at 9:03 PM on December 16, 2017 [1 favorite]
Admittedly, 5 Lbs is a Christmas song, not a carol. I’m not sure exactly where that line is.
posted by greermahoney at 9:03 PM on December 16, 2017 [1 favorite]
Bless a lovely group of college guys who tackled God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen with great moxie if not surpassing amounts of experience. This is so delightful!
posted by jetlagaddict at 9:51 PM on December 16, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by jetlagaddict at 9:51 PM on December 16, 2017 [3 favorites]
ThePinkSuperhero, they did a nice rendition of "Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah" for me, but didn't know Sevivon (the best Hanukkah song, IMO).
posted by waninggibbon at 8:57 AM on December 17, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by waninggibbon at 8:57 AM on December 17, 2017 [1 favorite]
Well, this answers what I’m doing with my friend’s toddler in the next few days.
posted by deludingmyself at 9:27 AM on December 17, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by deludingmyself at 9:27 AM on December 17, 2017 [1 favorite]
(After I teach her how to sing Jingle Rock Bell, that is.)
posted by deludingmyself at 9:28 AM on December 17, 2017
posted by deludingmyself at 9:28 AM on December 17, 2017
We called and Mini McGee asked for Feliz Navidad and it was great fun. (And the kid who answered the phone was from my hometown! So we talked about that too.)
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 6:22 PM on December 17, 2017
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 6:22 PM on December 17, 2017
I called and asked them to pick something they wanted to sing but no one had requested, and got a song I'd never heard before (Mistletoe, the Justin Bieber version). Delightful!
posted by bunnysquirrel at 2:03 AM on December 20, 2017
posted by bunnysquirrel at 2:03 AM on December 20, 2017
Last night to call! Open until 11:55 CT!
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 3:14 PM on December 20, 2017
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 3:14 PM on December 20, 2017
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posted by ChuraChura at 11:43 AM on December 16, 2017 [9 favorites]