Young Ones join Wax Romeo for an early Christmas party at Local 522 on Saturday, December 5

Whenever the holiday season rolls down from the mountains and settles over our fair town in December, a little bit of feel-good magic sneaks its way into the local music scene. Benefit concerts, office Christmas parties and intimate house shows turn the warm and fuzzy feelings up to 11 along with the amps, and everyone plays with their hearts just a little bit further out of their chests.

There are even some newcomers to the Calgary stage grabbing the reins of the good-vibes sleigh this year, like indie rock four-piece Young Ones. With a couple of old hands (Joel Michael of the Grim Beat on guitar and all-ages promoter Cory Brown drumming) and some new ones (singer Brett Sanford and bassist Logan Juke) on deck, the band is hoping to bring its mix of nocturnal post-punk (think the National or Interpol) and gnarled Wolf Parade-like grooves to every kind of party they can sink their teeth into.

Brown says it’s the different backgrounds that each member brings to the table that lend the band much of its energy and creative tension. It even inspired the name the band chose, after the early ’80s BBC comedy, The Young Ones.

“You can definitely draw parallels,” Brown explains. “[In the show] there was the hippie, the tiny dude, the mod and the punk.… I think we’ve got a unique situation going on, that we’re not all from the same scene, so we’ve got friends from all walks of life who will come out and bring the party.”

You can be part of Young Ones’ party mix this Saturday, December 5, when the band joins Wax Romeo at Local 522 for Joe’s Xmas Ball.

Skip ahead to the following weekend and the spirit of giving is in full effect. The Marquee Room will host some of Calgary’s most prominent indie pop and folk artists (including Woodpigeon, Axis of Conversation, The Doer & the Doddler and members of Beija Flor), for an evening of Beatles covers to help support the Calgary Interfaith Food Bank. Back along the C-Train line, the Palomino will be lending its hand to the Calgary International Film Fest, helping raise funds for next year’s events. Punchy, country-tinged power-poppers The Collapse will headline, along with the Saskytonk Swing Duo out of Saskatoon, and Wheat and Water. You can check both shows out on Saturday, December 12.

Broken City will chime in with its own two-night benefit show on December 17 and 18, although the cause may not be as altruistic as you’d expect. Billed as “All I Want for Christmas is My Three Front Teeth,” the two jam-packed evenings will help Dudes drummer Scott Ross deal with the debt he incurred last month after a rather gruesome biking incident left him bruised, bloodied, cut and everything but gutted. It’s not exactly clear whether the proceeds are actually going towards Ross’s medical bills, but with a lineup that includes Chris Vail of Key to the City, Dojo Workhorse, The Neckers, wild youths Sabretooth and Night Committee (the outstanding new project from Andrew Wedderburn and Joel Nye of Hot Little Rocket, Brooker Buckingham of Fake Cops, Laurie Fuhr of The Lonely Hunters and local institution Lorrie Matheson), you can let the rock take your worries away.

As a perfect cap on the cozy month of December, Boxing Day will see the return of Calgary’s golden girl Jane Vain (a.k.a. singer-songwriter extraordinare Jamie Fooks) and her Dark Matter from their new home in Montreal for one special evening of emotionally powerful pop experiments at The Marquee Room. Slow-core sensation Extra Happy Ghost !!! and October’s 411 spotlight subjects Manchild will support along with dark-folk songwriter Jon Gant.