On an innocuous day in 2010, three brothers from West Virginia—Justin, Travis, and Griffin McElroy—debuted a new kind of holiday to the loyal listeners of their humorous podcast “My Brother, My Brother and Me.” (MBMBAM). The brothers introduced the holiday CANDLENIGHTS, a pan-religious, personal pan pizza winter holiday that blends elements from different celebrations and holiday cultures.

Candlenights is intentionally personal and flexible – anyone can celebrate their own version of Candlenights in their own way. However, there are some rules: no cussing. And there is also lore:

Every year, the McElroy family hosts an annual Candlenights special featuring segments from their various podcasts including MBMBAM, Sawbones (a podcast about medical history), and more. Since 2014, the McElroys have hosted live Candlenights shows in their hometown of Huntington, West Virginia, and all proceeds from these events benefit Harmony House, which is a nonprofit organization which seeks to end homelessness in the Huntington area through permanent housing and supportive service programs.

As avid listeners of the MBMBAM podcast since 2015 and natives of West Virginia, it has become a new tradition for Farah and her fiancé Josh to attend the annual Candlenights event. The tradition includes traveling to Huntington, attending the show, and sampling some of Huntington’s finest: honey-dipped donuts from Jolly Pirate Donuts.

They attended the last in-person event in 2019 (pictured below). 2025 will be the first time in 6 years that the Candlenights event will be held in Huntington, and Farah and Josh are so excited to join!

So, if you’re looking for a new holiday or tradition for your family, perhaps consider Candlenights!