Who's your Daddy Krampus? Eleven musical acts, two comedians, and everybody’s favorite horned holiday folk creature joined together on Saturday to celebrate Punxmas, the annual celebration of punk music and community in honor of the season. The Cellar on Treadwell, all decked out in flashing lights and garland, hosted the event’s ninth year, which began at 2 p.m. and ran well into the evening. According to musician Jeremy Zombii, Punxmas organizer and proud champion of the punk community, his main goal was to bring everyone together for ​“tons of fun,” especially after a couple of years of the scene being on the quieter side.Stockings were hung by the drum kit with care. Jeremy Zombii. “Covid destroyed it for a while but now we’re keeping it alive,” he said.Every year Punxmas gets bigger, Zombii added, with bands contacting him months in advance about performing. That type of response enables him to have a full afternoon and night of bands where people can come and go and still have a chance to hear a ton of music, and maybe even a new band or two.“There’s a new wave of young kids, new faces we haven’t seen before, and it’s great to see that,” Zombii said, including ​“great new bands that bring new people out.”“Punxmas has become our own little holiday,” he added after recalling how when he was ​“young and dumb,” he dreamed of a show like this with all of his friends. Now it continues to grow with new features each year, with this year seeing the addition of Krampus (a.k.a. Daddy Krampus of Massachusetts), which Zombii said got him ​“super stoked.”“He fits right in with us,” he said with a smile.Zombii added stockings with each band’s name on them to the stage, where nine of the bands were slated to perform. Two acoustic acts would play in the back corner where a festive fireside scene was set behind them. While the majority of bands were local, Zombii said he tries to bring in one or two bands from out of state each year as well as bands who have never played Punxmas before. This year the first band to play, the Massachusetts-based Degenerates of Punk, fell into both of those categories. The four-piece’s green guitars and drums matched with the flickering red and green stage lights, their sound a melodic, beat-heavy punk that got the crowd more than warmed up for all that was to come, even inciting people to smile and sing along with their song ​“Marianne” without being asked. Joy to the world indeed.Degenerates of Punk. And speaking of joy, Max (pronounced ​“mass”) Hysteria had a blast from moment one, gifting the ever-growing crowd with a full onslaught of sound and joking back and forth with one another and audience members throughout their set. Bassist/vocalist Adam asked where Krampus was: ​“We were promised a Krampus!” Guitarist/vocalist Dan answered that ​“maybe the Krampus is inside of us all.” Suddenly, Krampus appeared next to the stage to rousing applause. To quote Adam, it was a Punxmas miracle. The Simulators then came to the stage five members strong with a blistering set of ska-punk songs. It was during this set that another Punxmas miracle occurred: the gap in front of the stage became filled with dancers and heavy with celebration. Meanwhile, between sets, Krampus sat surrounded by multicolored lights, posing for photos and handing out his tiny bells (as a Krampus is known to do). Could there be yet another miracle? Why, yes, there could: the New Haven Ravens were there! No, not the baseball team, but the band named in tribute to the baseball team. The crowd filled in even more for this set, which mixed elements of punk, metal, and other heavy vibes. Vocalist Jesse LaBranche shone as a punk poet preacher, especially when he read lyrics from a notebook with a passion that left the crowd screaming for more. I would suggest that in 2025 you put this band on your list and check them out at least twice. There would be five more bands performing — Minor Inconveniences, Wolf Harbor, Zombii, Five Stories Falling, and Cry Havoc — as well as the two comedians, Chadd Lennon and Kevin Doty, and Jared Knapik, playing acoustic. Many of these bands members had already spent hours at the show enjoying the other sets and hanging out with friends. The whole day felt like a big family gathering, the kind you don’t want to arrive to late to or leave early, the kind where everyone is welcome (which is miraculous in and of itself).Do you want one more miracle? Ok, you’ve got it: a last-minute cancellation left an acoustic spot open, and musician Bobby Dyckman, who would be playing later on in the night with Wolf Harbor, hopped in for a set in the acoustic corner. He said he had no setlist, but he spontaneously offered song after song that got the crowd gathered around closely and kept the warmth and glow flowing. Who needs a real fireplace when you have real friends? Bobby Dyckman.