Judy Whitmore did not start thinking about orchestras or recording studios when she first connected to “The Ghosts of Christmas Past.” Instead, she thought about kitchens.

The smell of holiday meals, the sound of conversation and the quiet anticipation of being together came back first. When Whitmore recorded the new holiday single, those early memories grounded the performance.

“This song brings back loving memories of my grandmothers,” Whitmore said. “I always looked forward to being in the kitchen with them while they were preparing holiday meals.”

That sense of intimacy anchors “The Ghosts of Christmas Past,” a new original holiday song that blends reflection with warmth rather than melancholy. The track is the lead single from Whitmore’s upcoming Christmas album, a 12-song collection recorded with a full orchestra and arranged by seven-time Grammy-nominated composer Chris Walden.

Written by Michael Orland and Jamie Wooten, the song arrives at a moment when Whitmore’s life story reads less like a linear career and more like a series of deliberate reinventions. She has been a jet pilot, a psychotherapist, a best-selling author, a theater producer and, throughout it all, a vocalist. Each chapter finds its way into the music.

The writing partnership behind the song helped unlock something new for her approach to holiday music.

“The combination of Michael’s haunting melodies and Jamie’s lyrics encouraged me to remember when life seemed so much simpler,” Whitmore said. “I hoped to convey that, although we miss people we love, we can remember them with joy instead of sadness.”

That balance between longing and gratitude is central to the song’s emotional tone. Rather than centering loss, Whitmore frames memory as something sustaining. The song does not ask listeners to linger in grief but invites them to acknowledge how past generations shape the present.

“When people listen to ‘The Ghosts of Christmas Past,’ I hope they will remember, with gratitude and appreciation, those who came before them,” she said. “We all have people in our past who shaped our lives for the better.”

Whitmore’s voice carries that intention with clarity. Her vocal style, long praised for its warmth and precision, glides over piano-led arrangements before opening into a fuller orchestral sound. It is a sound shaped by decades of musical exploration, but also by life experiences far outside the studio.

Born in New York City and raised in Studio City, California, Whitmore began her singing career in college when she was hired as a background singer for Capitol Records in Hollywood. That early chapter placed her inside the music industry before she fully understood where her own voice might lead.

Over the years, that voice has been shaped by unlikely settings. After leaving Los Angeles, Whitmore moved to Aspen, Colorado, where she became president of the American Theater Company and the Aspen Playwrights Conference. She served on the board of Ballet West Aspen and, after earning her pilot’s license, volunteered on search and rescue missions with Aspen Air Rescue.

She went on to fly Learjets, seaplanes and hot air balloons. Later, she returned to Los Angeles to produce the musical “Taking a Chance on Love,” then traveled to London to co-produce a revival of Leonard Bernstein’s “Wonderful Town.”

Each pivot was intentional, and none required abandoning the previous one. When she eventually returned to school to earn a graduate degree in clinical psychology, she added another dimension to her understanding of emotional storytelling.

That background informs her approach to music today. When asked which version of herself listeners hear most clearly on the Christmas album, Whitmore did not choose one.

“I think listeners hear all the lives I’ve led,” she said. “Adventurer pilot, deep-thinking psychotherapist and creative artist.”

The album’s scale reflects that breadth. Working with Walden brought a sense of cinematic scope to the project, but it was the human element of the recording process that stood out most.

“The musicians Chris works with are simply the best,” Whitmore said. “It’s always thrilling to hear the orchestrations for the first time in the studio. For the Christmas album, Chris suggested using a choral group for background vocals. I loved the idea immediately. I knew they would be good, but nothing prepared me for how magnificent they sounded in the studio.”

That moment, hearing voices fill the room, reinforced the communal spirit Whitmore wanted the album to convey. While many holiday records lean heavily on familiar carols, Whitmore made a deliberate choice to focus elsewhere.

“I knew I wanted the album to have contemporary Christmas songs, not traditional Christmas carols,” she said. “My goal was for the album to be entertaining as well as to provide listeners a means to reflect on their own holiday memories.”

That approach reflects her broader musical journey. Whitmore’s early performances leaned heavily into Broadway, including her work with a trio formed in 2012 that performed around the country and at Carnegie Hall. The group released the album “Act Three” in 2016, shortly before Whitmore launched her solo cabaret career.

Her solo albums, beginning with “Can’t We Be Friends” in 2020, have explored the Great American Songbook, jazz and romantic standards. Over time, she found herself drawn increasingly to that repertoire.

“Today, I focus on the Great American Songbook because it’s the music I love,” Whitmore said. “Now that I’ve done a Christmas album, all I can say is, ‘Who knows what will come next?’”

That openness to change is part of what made the timing feel right. Holiday albums are a crowded space, but Whitmore approached this one with patience rather than urgency.

“The songs on this album were chosen with great care,” she said. “We spent three months putting the song list together. The variety of tempos, the assorted composers and the variety of musical styles makes this a noteworthy collection I want to share with others.”

Her confidence comes from experience. Beyond music, Whitmore has built a parallel career as an author. Her novel “Come Fly with Me” became an Amazon Kindle No. 1 best-seller, followed by a cookbook and a graphic novel adaptation of “Romeo and Juliet.” She is also deeply involved in arts leadership, serving on boards for organizations including Pacific Symphony and Pacific Jazz Orchestra.

Still, the emotional core of her performances often traces back to quieter moments. While living in London, Whitmore spent hours each day at a piano in her home, singing and reflecting.

“My house in London had a grand piano in the living room,” she said. “I would play the piano and sing for an hour a day. I’d look out the window and think about my family and friends back in California, and that emotional longing found its way into my performances.”

That sense of distance and connection mirrors the themes of “The Ghosts of Christmas Past.” The song does not attempt to recreate childhood or erase time. Instead, it acknowledges how memory evolves and how meaning deepens.

For Whitmore, the project also serves as a quiet reminder to trust the pace of one’s own life. When asked what she would tell her younger self, the one singing background vocals at Capitol Records, her answer was simple.

“I would say, ‘Have patience. All in good time.’”

In a season often defined by urgency and nostalgia, Whitmore’s Christmas album offers something steadier. It invites listeners to pause, remember and carry forward the warmth of those who came before, not as ghosts, but as enduring guides through the present.