Lightning Bug Records, 2006 

Releasing an album that can only be fully enjoyed for one month out of year is always a gamble. Fortunately for everyone tired of hearing the same rendition of “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” year after year, Newburyport’s Dan Blakeslee recently released “Your Christmas Companion,” a homespun six-song EP complete with custom illustrations.     

The EP is Blakeslee’s second holiday effort, following his 2003 full-length “Halloween Special.” An even mix of traditionals and Blakeslee originals, “Your Christmas Companion” flows seamlessly and oozes of the Christmas spirit in a sophisticated voice that has nothing to do with blow-up Santas or mile-long lines at the mall. It isn’t shrill like Mariah Carey’s 1994 album “Merry Christmas,” or blue and brooding like Bright Eyes’ 2002 “Christmas Album.” Blakeslee’s style is straightforwardly celebratory. 

The three originals provide bridges between the slow and articulate “We Three Kings,” “What Child is This?” and “Silver Bells.” As with “Halloween Special,” Blakeslee captures the emotions behind the holiday with his tremulous tenor and strummed acoustic guitar. The addition of mandolin, bells and drums round out the recording and give it that extra bit of holiday spice.   

Among the originals, the first track, “The Christmas Homecoming,” captures the holiday’s ability to bring loved ones together and to usher in a new year of possibility. “High are the boughs of holly and cheer/ The season of good tidings is drawing near/ Freedom is callin’ for those who will hear/ Change will be ringin’ in the New Year,” Blakeslee sings. The song concludes with Blakeslee urging his listeners to “Write to the State House and tell them your views/ Send a postcard to Congress you’ve nothing to lose,” reminding us all that even during happy times, there are still people waiting for change.

“To the Century” recaptures the possibility of the new millennium six years later, with Blakeslee optimistically wishing “May peace regain the throne and lead our children home.” “Our Spanish Christmas Tree” contains imagery of “wildflowers and black tea” and the temperature rising to 80 degrees across the Atlantic on Christmas morning, where the speaker’s love waits for him. Peppered with nuggets of Spanish and a salsa-esque feel, the song is a break from the mood of the rest of EP.

The cover is a Dan Blakeslee pen-and-ink illustration of a horse wading in a river and gazing at the moon, while two people atop another horse gallop to get home in time for Christmas. Inside the lyric booklet is a photo of the Blakeslee family farmhouse. Taken altogether, the package makes a memento that might easily slide into place among your own holiday traditions.

“The Christmas Homecoming” was penned in November, while “To The Century” is from 1999, and “Our Spanish Christmas Tree” is from 2004, showing not only Blakeslee’s evolution as a songwriter, but also reminding himself and his listeners of holidays past. “Kindly pour a glass of Egg Nog for a friend,” Blakeslee reminds us in the acknowledgements section of the liner notes. During the busiest time of the year, his “Christmas Companion” reminds us what really makes the season worth fussing about.