We’ve been using the word casually for decades. Thankoweenmas all started with some very dear friends of ours. We used to gather and play D&D at the house of one of these friends, and our group stayed together for years of play, and often decorating her yard for Hallowe’en and hanging around in costume. (We were the go-to house of the neighborhood!) One year, our host’s best friend from out of state planned to drive out to join us! We all knew them, and had various little gifts and mementos for them on arrival. Well, schedules being what they were, their trip got delayed… not just once, but repeatedly. So the running joke that year was that the Hallowe’en gifts would be Thank-o-ween gifts… then Thank-o-ween-mas gifts… We didn’t end up getting together until after the New Year, but by that point, Thankoweenmas had become ‘a thing’ in that gaming group.

Years pass, and time does what it’s wont to do… we’ve lost three friends from that group, including said host and best friend. So the idea of reviving the term has a lot of ridiculous, funny, bittersweet, and warm memories rolled into it… which kind of makes it perfect for an album like this.

We’ve included a lot of funny tracks, a lot of songs with high energy, a handful of more sentimental and introspective pieces, and a good dash of actual holiday reality that people don’t usually sing about. There’s noise and commotion, but still time for quieter moments to reflect on the passing year and spend time among family. We hope you can find some relatable moments within these tracks, and have a fantastic holiday season, whatever celebrations you happen to jumble together.