Graphic created by Lucas Seidel Design

Gather 'round the open fire for Chimneyside Chats - a monthly feature with holiday stories from our favorite artists. See what's in their stockings this year as they reminisce on Christmas memories, share their favorite recipe and more! Here's what producer, writer and singer SJae had to say:

Mince pies are an absolute must for Brits during the holiday season! Mince (not to be confused with mincemeat!) is the sweet, sticky, fruit filling that we add to these cute little pies. You can make it from scratch, but who has time for that! The store bought mince by Robinsons is great. You can also add a bit of brandy if you like!

Graphic created by Lucas Seidel Design

We decided to do our own version of a holiday classic, and "Last Christmas" is definitely the one that stood out to us amongst the Christmas staples.

However, we didn’t just want to make a copy-paste cover. We wanted to make a true Pistols at Dawn version. Between Jon’s intimate vocal performance and Will's signature guitar playing, we were able to create a song that would make George Michael proud. Paired with a candlelit intimate music video we were definitely able to give it our essence and make it our own.

With the beautiful string arrangement, this will be a welcome addition to all gatherings around the fireplace surrounded by family, friends and loved ones for all the years to come.

We hope everyone enjoys our version of “Last Christmas”!

Graphic created by Lucas Seidel Design

Growing up in Pembroke Pines, Fla., my Christmas mornings were never about hoping for presents under the tree, but more about hoping it wasn’t too hot outside so I could wear my Christmas pajamas and slippers while sipping on hot chocolate - with extra mini marshmallows of course! While South Florida doesn’t offer snow, the holiday season here brings its own kind of magic. Our warm weather means we can’t get snowed in, but it also means we get to experience some of the most incredible community events, especially during the holidays.

What made these events even more special for me growing up was that they weren’t just about celebrating the season; they were also some of my first opportunities to perform. I can still remember getting up on those stages in front of a crowd made up of families and neighbors, while performing my favorite holiday songs and passing out candy canes, sharing the holiday magic through music. These were the performances where I first learned to connect with an audience, where I found my voice and where my passion for performing truly began. It was in these moments that I realized how much I loved bringing joy to others through music.

These holiday events still hold a special place in my heart, and they’re some of the performances I still look forward to most every year. Even with the big mound of ice from the local rink serving as "snow", the magic of Christmas isn’t lost. It’s not about the perfect winter wonderland but about the joy of being together with loved ones, sharing laughter and music and creating memories that last a lifetime. Every year, I remember how these events helped shape me into the artist I am today, and how they continue to inspire me to spread the holiday cheer wherever I go.

It's been so fun to perform at community events over the last decade!

Graphic created by Lucas Seidel Design

Graphic created by Lucas Seidel Design

I love to cook, cater and host at our home in Nashville throughout the year. I get it from the queen of hosting for the holidays: my mom. My mom runs the kitchen during the holidays! 

Dan and Austin getting “haircuts” (chocolate syrup + peppermint schnapps) from Santa at Dan's annual Christmas party

Graphic created by Lucas Seidel Design

For me, the best part of Christmas is the memories it brings. Certain smells bring me back to my childhood: peppermint, cinnamon, gingerbread. I remember drinking hot chocolate with the small marshmallows in my childhood home. Our childhood dog, Boomer, a Saint Bernard, would slobber all over everything and steal the wrapping paper after we opened our presents. I remember opening presents with my little sister.

Graphic created by Lucas Seidel Design

Do you know that feeling when you’re perfectly in sync with “the now”? We, songwriters, love being right there in the present because we’re not trying too hard and not chasing something we have already done before.

Writing “Christmas Time” was just that. David Boyd and I had just become friends, and we were goofing around in the studio. I don’t remember who said it, but somehow, the “let’s write a Christmas song” idea came up, and we wrote the whole thing in a short amount of time. Initially, we wanted to make it a dance track, but years later, in Brooklyn, we did it as a fun rock band tune. It was meant to be for the fans of New Politics and nothing else, but I kept returning to the song, wishing I had a real recording.

So, fast forward some years. I lived in Nashville, where I produced records for other people. The idea that I could record a Søren Hansen record started to come about, and luckily, I got connected to an amazing label in California that believed in what I do. On a hot summer’s day, I got a phone call from Enci Records asking me if I wanted to record a 2024 Christmas song, and I said, “Yeah! I might just have the song.”

To keep it as original as possible, I hit up Louis Vecchio (New Politics drummer) and asked if he wanted to play on it, as well. And that’s how it came about.

I tend to draw a lot of inspiration from more haunting parts of my brain, but this one came from a place of joy. I also grew up in a home where we didn’t celebrate Christmas the traditional way. In fact, we only really celebrated Christmas when I was a kid, and I genuinely love the holidays. In a way, you could say that the song comes from a place of longing, after all.

I’ve also always been a fan of rock n’ roll holiday tunes (Tom Petty, Beatles, Queen, and the list goes on). It’s fun! And it’s acceptable to just have fun with a Christmas tune. What’s not to love??

And now I get a chance to do it, too. Nothing would make me happier than to be able to spread some holiday cheer to people around the world, and I hope you’ll love “Christmas Time” as much as I enjoyed writing and singing it!

Merry Christmas!

Graphic created by Lucas Seidel Design

 Gather 'round the open fire for Chimneyside Chats - a monthly feature with holiday stories from our favorite artists. See what's in their stockings this year as they reminisce on Christmas memories, share their favorite recipe and more! Here's what songwriter and vocalist Kristen Anzelc had to say:

I’ve always been a huge fan of Halloween and horror movies, and luckily, my best friends share the same passion. Through the years, we’ve turned what many might consider an unusual tradition into something we eagerly look forward to every year - a movie-thon featuring good food and Christmas-themed horror films.

As Blink-182 perfectly puts it, "We'll have Halloween on Christmas", and that’s exactly what we’ve done. There’s something about pairing Christmas cheer with a touch of horror that makes the holidays feel even more alive (pun intended).

To help you get into the holiday spirit, I’ve rounded up my top 10 favourite Christmas movies - an even mix of horror and non-horror classics, all guaranteed to make your season bright (or delightfully spooky).

Photo courtesy of Jeremy Daniel

Taking a modern day Christmas classic and turning it into a full-blown musical is no easy task, but ELF has become a family favorite to those who love film or theater. For Tara Nicole Vinson, playing the lead role of Jovie is a magical opportunity.

This is the second national tour Vinson has been a part of. She played Suzy Sheep on Peppa Pig Live! in 2022 and said that this production has some drastic differences. Her time on tour with Peppa Pig Live! taught her all about adaptability. Many of those shows were one night only, which meant taking a sleeper bus to the next show and waking up in a different city each day. ELF is more of a traditional tour, spending multiple nights in one city before moving onto the next.

The stage productions are also quite different, which means that the stages they perform on could require modifications to their individual performances. Different theaters could mean different set placement or different choreography, so being prepared for a last minute change is crucial.

Vinson’s most important takeaway from touring is keeping a good mental mindset. Being adaptable is part of that, and she always reminds herself that change is not bad; it’s different. There are so many miniscule parts of a performance that are not necessarily thought about until it has to be changed, so keeping that in mind is what makes the final performance all the more energizing.

The story of ELF does not substantially change from the 2003 film. ELF The Musical is the hilarious tale of Buddy, a young orphan who mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts and is transported back to the North Pole. Unaware that he is actually human, Buddy’s enormous size and poor toy-making abilities cause him to face the truth. With Santa’s permission, Buddy embarks on a journey to New York City to find his birth father, discover his true identity and help New York remember the true meaning of Christmas.

Adapted for the stage by Sam Scalamoni featuring songs by Tony nominees Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin, the part of Jovie holds sentimental value to Vinson. Every year growing up, the film was a holiday staple in her own household and was her grandmother’s favorite holiday film.

She knew she wanted to honor those who played the role before her but also bring something new to the stage. She rewatched the film and researched past performances, but also took real-life experiences that tie her to Jovie.

“I’m a person who likes to be inspired but not necessarily copy and paste when it comes to how I approach things,” she said. “When reading my script, I realized I am very similar to Jovie. That also allowed me to really take from my own experiences; take from my own thoughts, my own feelings about moving all the way to New York City, and how that felt for her and how that felt for me. I decided to bring my own little twist that was inspired by those who came before me but put a little Tara on her.”