I love doing the morning after blog because I can relive the night before. Last night's "Holidaze" party at the Roadhouse was a doozy. Setting up is always an insane adventure followed by a sound check that never fails to make us scratch our heads about some subtle sound anomaly. But it was fun last night because we haven't been together for a while (yes, even Andre was there!). The festivities began when Suki showed up with 4 Christmas elves, 3 dancers and an elf Elvis. They did their little show with great style and enthusiasm. Stephanie followed with her special Christmas songs that she dedicated to loved ones she misses so much. Christmas really stirs ups memories, doesn't it? Once the whole band got going and the sound adjustments were made, we really got into it. We did a combination of holiday tunes, our originals, and many Dead songs. The song choices might have seemed random, but I think Mike tried to do tunes that linked to the Solstice/winter/Christmas theme. What better tribute to the Solstice than "Light My Fire" or even NSWB's great line,"...one way or another, this darkness got to give...". Fans were ready to party, sing along and dance, and I loved checking out the scene. There were so many smiles, lots of red, sparkles, and a few crazed psychedelic Santas to watch. Of course, John Fox won the "Psychedelic Santa" contest with his tie-dye shirt, groovy glasses and flashing red nose! Once again, the perfect seasonal final song was "Get Together." Mike thanked the fans for all their support and said a few words about our hopes for 2014. When we all get together - the Thugz, the fans new and old, it's magic - there's so much love still to share in 2014. HO-HO-HO. Take good care of yourself and each other. Love, Sylvia