Christmas Carols On Demand [AUDIO]

Who wouldn't want to start the morning with a classic Christmas carol, sung by college student cramming for finals?

Well, certainly not Riley & Scot!  After reading about  Dial a Carol early in the day, we decided to give them a call and have them serenade us with the song of our choice.  First up: "Holly Jolly Christmas".   Then "Up on the Housetop" in Round Two.  Here's the audio:

And the best part is this is a homegrown event, organized by students at the University of Illinois:

The program was started in 1960 by a former hall secretary, Betty Gordon, and a group of dorm residents. Last year, the student volunteers took more than 4,000 calls from people all over the world requesting "Jingle Bells," ''White Christmas" and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer."

Phone lines are open 24 hours a day until just before midnight Wednesday. The number is 217-332-1882. When lines are busy, a recorded message greets callers with "Our first available caroler will be right with you."

These are not students at the University of Illinois. But they are carolers.

The most popular song?

Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas is You" is so popular the students keep track with a "Mariah Meter." The count Monday morning: 107 requests.

I think we'll try to call back one more time on Wednesday morning.  Any requests?