PHO-HO-HO-TOS: HOLIDAY FUN WITH MS. CLAUS (VALENTINE'S TATTOO), & THE FE FI FO FUMS AND DANCER AND PRANCER (FUNHOUSE), SEATTLE, WA., 12/19/15

December is hands-down my busiest month of the year. Some of this is in the form of wrapping ONE PRAZILLION GIFTS and getting multiple paper cuts in the process, very actively ignoring delicious holiday sweets, and standing in line at the post office for 45 minutes with said one prazillion gifts. But my favorite December activity is going to see some holiday musical events arranged by some of my favorite Seattle pals! Last Saturday, I split my evening into two cool events: attending the short-but-sweet performance of Ms. Claus at Valentine's Tattoo, and then zipping over to the Funhouse to catch The Fe Fi Fo Fums and headliners Dancer and Prancer. I brought my camera, so please to enjoy! (Click on the photos to enlarge, and click on the Flickr set links to see more!)

Ms. Claus, Seattle's finest feminist holiday band, features Robin Edwards (Lisa Prank), Stacy Peck (Pony Time, Childbirth), Bree McKenna (Childbirth, Tacocat), and Shaine Truscott. While entertaining the party crowd at Valentine's Tattoo in Capitol Hill, the women wished each other and everyone else a Merry Christmas possibly 50 times in 15 minutes, and smiled a great deal. Lelah Maupin, McKenna's Tacocat sparkly bandmate, was so happy she used her telephone device to capture the merriment. I hated to leave the beautifully-decorated space, and regret not using the holiday photobooth.

Ms. Claus, Valentine's Tattoo, Seattle, WA. 12/19/15 Flickr set 

The Fe Fi Fo Fums (Johnny Samra, Jesse Lortz, and Nick Larson, and assisted on tambourine and vocals by Donnie Hilstad) did not play specifically-themed holiday music, just some good ol' stompin' garage beat, which is Santa's favorite music, you know. Ask him sometime!

The Fe Fi Fo Fums, Funhouse, Seattle, WA. 12/19/15 Flickr set

Seattle's finest surf rock holiday band, Dancer and Prancer (Pete Capponi, Bryan Standridge, Ian Barnett, and Karen Mitchell, also assisted by Donnie Hilstad) closed out the night by gifting the crowd with Santa hats and candy canes whilst providing the ice-coolest vintage surf sounds for both dancing and prancing. I have a vintage '60s Christmas shopping print skirt that I wear exclusively and proudly to Dancer and Prancer shows, I'll have you know.

Happy holidays to all the super-swell musicians and friends who helped make the busy season more fun and way less paper-cutty!

Dancer and Prancer, Funhouse, Seattle, WA. 12/19/15 Flickr set