For Shaun Cassidy, Christmas has always been about family, music and coming home.
Growing up in one of Hollywood’s most recognizable entertainment families, Cassidy remembers holiday gatherings where famous faces mingled with friends and neighbors while music filled the house.
Nearly six decades later, some things haven’t changed.
The former teen idol, actor and successful television writer and producer is bringing those memories to the stage with Unwrapped: Songs & Stories for the Holidays, a seasonal-themed concert experience that combines holiday favorites, personal stories, his biggest hits and two newly written Christmas songs.
It’s another chapter in a remarkable career that began when Cassidy became one of the biggest pop sensations of the 1970s, with hits like “Da Doo Ron Ron” and “That’s Rock ‘n’ Roll.”
After stepping away from touring at just twenty-one, Cassidy spent decades building a successful career behind the scenes in television, creating shows such as “American Gothic”. His eventual return to performing, nearly 40 years later, has allowed him to reconnect with audiences who grew up with his music.
And as Cassidy explained during our recent conversation, the experience has been far more meaningful than he ever imagined.
Q: Your family has such a rich history in entertainment. What were Christmas celebrations like growing up in the Cassidy household?
Shaun Cassidy: My greatest memories of Christmas in our home when I was a kid were the parties my parents threw. They invited everybody under the sun: well-known people, unknown people, friends and neighbors. And music was always at the heart of it.
We had a big piano in our living room, and both my parents were singers. They’d be singing, the guests would be singing, and people would bring instruments.
We’ve continued that tradition. My wife and I have hosted the Cassidy family Christmas party for ages now. My mother [Shirley Jones] is 92, and she’ll still get up and sing a song or three, as will my brothers.
Q: You’ve written two new Christmas songs for this tour. Tell me about “My Christmas Movie.”
Cassidy: The dominant feeling at the holidays for me is longing. The longing to be with family, the longing to be home, the longing to be with someone you love. “My Christmas Movie” is about a fictional man who’s recently had a breakup and is missing the woman he loves. He writes a movie in his head about a very different Christmas Eve than the one he’s actually experiencing. One where she comes home, they take a ride in the sleigh and wake up together the next morning.
Q: Your other new song, “Christmas in Danceland,” sounds like it might have a little nostalgia mixed with your pop roots. What’s the story behind that one?
Cassidy: It’s a borderline novelty song about a guy who’s a terrible dancer and somehow ends up in a dance club on Christmas Eve, and Santa Claus shows up. Santa’s a killer dancer, and this guy’s thinking, “Wait, it’s Christmas Eve. Don’t you have something better to be doing?” It’s a very fun song and a throwback to a Motown record. Maybe something Bruno Mars or Joe Jackson could record. I wrote it specifically to play live.
Q. What else can audiences expect from the Christmas tour?
Cassidy: It’s really a full-circle, narrative and song-driven theatrical experience with a beginning, middle and end. Unlike my previous tours, this one is very holiday-centered. There are stories about my family as a kid, my family now, and their families. I’m playing all my hit songs, along with old Christmas songs, new Christmas songs and my mom’s favorite Christmas song. There’s also a big visual component, with pictures and videos from throughout the years.
Q: You stepped away from touring for nearly four decades and found tremendous success writing and producing television. Did you ever worry that leaving music behind might have been a mistake?
Cassidy: I did, especially because I wasn’t sure where I was going. At the time, I didn’t know I wasn’t going to do another concert or make another record. I just decided to take some time off. I got married at 21, which is crazy young, and had kids in my early twenties. My early success afforded me the opportunity to stay home, be a house husband and a dad, and reflect on where I’d been and where I wanted to go. I sold a script when I was 29, then a couple more, and eventually my first television series, “American Gothic.” I haven’t looked back since.
Q: In the 1970s, you were one of the most recognizable young performers in America. Looking back nearly fifty years later, did that 19-year-old Shaun Cassidy truly understand what was happening? And what would you tell him today?
Cassidy: I’d tell him to try and have more fun, because I was a very “old” 19-year-old. Did I understand what was happening? Yes, because I’d watched it happen to my brother and a different version happen to my mother. Everybody in my family was successful at a young age. My father was a Broadway star at 18. My mother opened in “Oklahoma!” at 18. David had “The Partridge Family” and a #1 record at 18. So I think part of wanting to do it was staking my own claim and not just being known as somebody’s son or brother. But what I discovered was that, although I loved performing, what I really enjoyed was going into my room and making up stories. When I discovered I could make a living doing that, I had finally paved my own way.
Q: How different is performing today compared to those early years?
Cassidy: I recently watched a video of a concert I did at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles in 1978. I hadn’t seen it in 30 years. I was astonished at how young I was and how much energy I had. But I could also see this kid who wasn’t really sure who he was yet. Now I know who I am. When I walk onstage, I can do it with confidence and be authentic.
I also realized my audience wasn’t a bunch of screaming 12 to 15-year-olds anymore. They’re adults who’ve lived lives, gotten married, divorced, had children. They have stories to tell, too. My last tour, “The Road to Us,” was the biggest concert tour I’ve ever done. It was really about rediscovering a relationship that had been asleep for a long time.
Q: You’ve experienced success as a pop star, actor, Broadway performer, writer and producer. What has been the greatest lesson you’ve learned about happiness and success?
Cassidy: I say this to my kids: The culture asks you the wrong question. It shouldn’t be, “What do you want to do when you grow up?” It should be, “How do you want to live?” Early on, I realized my success gave me an opportunity to focus either on career achievement or life achievement first. Life achievement is the road I chose.
Q: Your family has entertained generations of Americans. When you look at the Cassidy family legacy, what makes you most proud?
Cassidy: I feel a great deal of love from audiences, but the person I really feel that love toward is my mom. Whenever I talk about her or post a picture, the outpouring of affection is extraordinary. People love my mother the way they love Dolly Parton. It’s universal. But I’m also proud of my brothers, too.
Before ending our conversation, Cassidy shared another exciting project. Beginning November 1, he’ll host “This Side of Sunset,” a weekly program on SiriusXM’s ’70s on 7 channel.
“It’s kind of a musical memoir, a coming-of-age story from 1970 to 1980,” Cassidy said.
The program explores his experiences growing up around Los Angeles’ Sunset Boulevard, including the records he purchased at Tower Records, the clubs he visited and the music that influenced him.
“Sunset was kind of the artery of all of that coming-of-age experience for me,” Cassidy told me.
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© 2026 James Wood
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