As a fan of music, what attracts you to a band? Don’t be afraid; it’s just you and me here. Well, if you ask me (which you didn’t) it boils down to two criteria: exuberance and innovation. We’ll get to exuberance in a second, but first I want to talk about innovation. What Christmas brings to the table is a slapdash twist on punk. Their music mashes together rockabilly and surf and squeezes it through a punk mold, sounding at once sloppy and technically impressive.

As for exuberance, is it too much to ask that both the band and I enjoy them playing music? Speaking with Christmas over the phone, I could hear in the band members’ voices how excited they are to play. It’s a quality too often overlooked in a band. Listening to all four members talking at once, I’m regaled with the story of the bitchy neighbor that made the band what it is today.

“We used to play in a garage,” they say, “and then a neighbor came over and yelled at us.” After that, they started practicing in a living room, and became more focused in their writing.

“She obviously sucks for wanting piece and quiet on a Sunday night,” one adds, while the others laugh in the background. “She was complaining that her baby was sleeping at 10:30 p.m. at night. Babies have no concept of rock ‘n’ roll.”

They go on to facetiously describe the formation of their band as an excuse to drink: if they’re drinking while playing instruments, it’s called jamming.

I don’t want to sound like one of those morons who wanted to have a beer with our ex-President, but I kind of just want to hang out and drink with Christmas. They exude good will, and that’s mighty rare.

[The 808 House, Christmas with Moon Runners, Head Bangs, Little Teeth, Medicine Breath, Saturday, Sept. 26, 8 p.m., $2, 808 N. Union Ave., Tacoma]