It was November of 2016. North Hollywood's El Portal Theatre was visited by a merry cast of talented voice actors, musicians, and audience members. There was chocolate (graciously provided by the delicious El Buen Cacao) and a wintry faerie who, with an audience volunteer, would announce each date to start off the story. We recorded twenty-five short, holiday-themed stories that night and the 2016 Audio Advent Calendar was born. It was too good to hear just once, so we reissued it the following year. And now it's back again, with its cheerful silliness and heartfelt hope! We hope you enjoy it again or anew, as much as we did making it!

It can be tricky to find that healthy balance between gifts for well-deserving family and friends, and the consumerism that can stifle the real meaning of the holidays. One family figured it out. "Brought To You By," written by Silvie Zamora, performed by Abel Arias, Brett Bayonne, Robyn Roth, and Denny Siegel. Gary Grantham and Scott Passarella provide the intro and outro music.

Please visit LifeLabNotes.com for more about this project and the talented folks involved.