The Empty Pockets are throwing a party at the North Pole

The Empty Pockets are an American rock and roll band featuring husband-and-wife team Josh Solomon and Erika Brett as well as Nate Bellon and Adam Balasco. Their sound blends classic rock, blues, soul and Americana. Known for their energetic live performances and tight harmonies, the band has developed a following well beyond its Chicago home, touring extensively and sharing stages with artists including the late Gary Sinise, Buddy Guy, and Cheap Trick.

But what recently grabbed my attention was their fantastic 2022 Christmas collection, Party at the North Pole. A favorite is “Let It Snow,” a fresh, blues-rock take on the familiar holiday standard. The Empty Pockets give this classic holiday tune some welcomed musical muscle, fitting naturally with the band's rootsy sound and the rest of this terrific album.

Party at the North Pole is particularly fun because it mixes original Christmas material with familiar favorites. The six-song core release includes the title track, “Let It Snow,” “Snow Day,” “Snow Shoes,” “The Tree That Refused to Grow,” and a live version of “Blue Christmas.” The digital album expands the collection with live performances of “Run Run Rudolph,” “O Holy Night” and “Silent Night,” giving the recording the feel of a holiday concert as much as a studio recording. A must-have for your holiday playlist and collection!

For Troy and his terrific Christmas Every Day podcast, Christmas isn’t simply a season on the calendar, it’s a place you can imagine and wander through in your mind’s eye. That’s the idea behind Pine Tree Valley, Troy’s vision of the perfect Christmas town. Through select episodes of his Christmas Every Day podcast, he’s been creating his ideal Christmas town with everything that makes the season magical, from cozy traditions and twinkling lights to the unmistakable feeling that Christmas is always just around every corner.

Pine Tree Valley is his vision of all his favorite Christmas ingredients put together in one place. Picture a town surrounded by towering pine trees, charming homes, and storefronts decorated for the season, with Christmas lights everywhere. There would be plenty of places to stop for a cup of hot chocolate, browse for Christmas treasures, listen to holiday music, and soak up the holiday atmosphere. In Troy’s Christmas town, the decorations aren’t something that have to come down on December 26. Christmas is part of the landscape.

Pine Tree Valley began as a blank canvas but has turned into a creative and fun series of podcast episodes that help bridge the gap when the holiday season seems too far away. It’s a place where Christmas never has to end.

Check out Pine Tree Valley today on select episodes of the Christmas Every Day podcast where great podcasts can be found and streamed. And if you watch his podcast on youtube, he actually walks you through a visually compelling map of the town while describing what makes it the merriest place on earth.