The Adventure Zone has featured a number of winter holiday specials, both as live shows and as part of the regular season. However, it's no regular Christmas the McElroy family is observing -- instead, TAZ characters celebrate the holiday of Candlenights.
Candlenights started in the McElroy family's other podcast, My Brother, My Brother and Me, early in its near 10-year run. The brothers envisioned a holiday that wasn't rooted in Christianity and that lasted a number of nights, but also wasn't Chanukkah. Over the years, MBMBaM further developed the full story behind the holiday and solidified how it should be celebrated.
In its current incarnation, the McElroys describe Candlenights as a pan-religious, pansexual, personal-pan holiday, a registered trademark of the brother's company Big Giant Head, LLC. Candlenights doesn't have a specific date, but instead occurs whenever and for however long celebrants need -- although it's usually mid-December.
The brothers have also created a mythic lore reminiscent of Santa Clause or Krampus to help give the holiday depth. The gift-giving figure of Candlenights is the Star King, originally a mispronunciation of the word "stocking," but other semi-canonical figures have been proposed, including Terry the non-denominational gift-giving dragon. Some specific days of the long-lasting holiday have also earned names, including "the Sheep Night," which roughly translates to Christmas Eve.
Candlenights may seem silly, but the brothers use it to try and do some good. The Candlenights episodes and live shows are usually free of swears (if not necessarily free of challenging ideas) and therefore more palatable to a wider audience. They also help raise money for charities local to the brothers' hometown of Huntingon, WV, and encourage listeners to donate presents and necessities for Huntington residents unable to provide their own.
Given how important the holiday is to the McElroys, its no surprise that it's found its way into their other podcasts, including The Adventure Zone. The first crossover happens in the Balance campaign at the beginning of the "Crystal Kingdom" arc. The PCs Taako, Merle and Magnus begin the arc at a Candlenights party, exchanging terrible gifts and making everyone uncomfortable. Most of the rest of the arc ignores the holiday setting, but it does make the holiday canonical within the universe.
Where The Adventure Zone really leans into the Candlenights spirit is during the live shows. One show followed a Jingle All the Way plot, with the Balance heroes fighting their way to a Turbo Jeff action figure for boy detective Angus McDonald. Another follows these heroes breaking into an ice cave to bring the holiday to a lonely, crying frost ogre. The Candlenights setting opens up a number of fun homages and can really lean into the real-world season, getting an audience on board.
As the McElroys head into the ambiguous Candlenights season, The Adventure Zone is likely to dive back into the holiday traditions. Not only will there likely be a new -- albeit virtual -- Candlenights live show for MBMBaM, it's possible The Adventure Zone will host its own new Candlenights spectacular.
Even without the promise of new Candlenights events, previously-recorded live shows featuring the holiday may be released. For those eager to celebrate the holiday even without new content, the backlog of The Adventure Zone Candlenights episodes is sure to put everyone in the Star King spirit.