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More About

• Anton LaVey
• Karla LaVey
• Satanism
• Religion

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For most people, the idea of a “Christmas from Hell” probably involves something along the lines of burned poultry entrees, a drunken uncle who can’t keep his moist-palmed man-paws off your date, or maybe a few extraordinarily uncomfortable family revelations (“Hey Dad, I decided I’m a gay vegan anarchist with gender identity issues and an electro-stim fetish! Pass the marshmallow-candied yams!”). But Karla LaVey isn’t “most people” — she’s the daughter of Anton LaVey and founder/High Priestess of the First Church of Satan — so her concepts of both hell and holidays are as peculiar as her lineage. Every year LaVey throws a “Black X-Mass” party just to spite sanctimonious “reason for the season” people, and this year she’s lined up a typically unpredictable array of entertainment: mutant psycho-punk (FluffGrrl), squizzly space noise (Barney the Theremin Wizard), sugar-topped garage rock (Sassy!!!), burlesque antics (Kitten on the Keys), and more. A popular misconception about Satanists is they’re dour frowners who curse the world, but a sense of humor — mo matter how black — and a love of transgressive fun are the coin of this dark realm. Fork over a few of those bloodstained American dollars and see how Satanists can lighten up, too. — J. Graham
Thu., Dec. 25, 9 p.m., 2008