Bethanne Lenhart with her record collection by Sarah Devine

The feelings of comfort that come from home often manifest in objects, sounds, and smells. For Bethanne Lenhart, records give her the feeling of being home. A double major in theatre and education at Point Park University in Pittsburgh, Lenhart often misses her rural home of Latrobe, Pennsylvania. “There is something strangely comforting about them [records] that makes me feel so much at home,” said Lenhart. “I don't do it to be cool or trendy, I listen to them because I always have and it’s a way to feel close to my family when I'm away from home.”

Lenhart’s family always listened to their Christmas music on records, which was the start of her love of records and also her love of the holiday. Lenhart’s first record was Elvis’s Christmas album, a gift from her parents at the age of 11.

“I do have a pretty legitimate obsession with Christmas,” said Lenhart. “ I guess the thing I really love is tradition and the feeling of being surrounded by family. We always used to listen to Perry Como and Elvis and the beach boys records.”
Bethanne keeps her Christmas tree and decorations up in her living room all year round.

“Our house is magical at Christmas. It's my favorite time of the year. I know the 12 Days of Christmas by heart and every Christmas carol you can imagine. We used to put the player on repeat if we were baking or cooking and just let Perry sing to us almost 24/7 until the 26th. Christmas morning cannot happen until we light the tree and put on some records.”

Lenhart grew up with a stereo-style record player in her house. When her parents talked about getting rid of it one time, she cried. Her parents agreed to keep it for her until she had a house of her own. The record player in the Gigapan was a present from her parents last year to hold her over until she has a home she can put the big record player in.

Lenhart definitely has her favorite records. Banana Pancakes is her favorite modern album, while Led Zeppelin 4 is her favorite Zeppelin record. Other favorites include Elvis Christmas, Steve Miller Band, Perry Como Christmas, Simon and Garfunkel. Lenhart’s favorite Beatles albums are Rubber Soul and Let it Be.