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What do you think is the worst Christmas rock song ever?

Haseltine I don't really understand the hype around Trans-Siberian Orchestra. To me, it just sounds like a parody of what somebody would do to turn old Christmas songs into rock 'n' roll. But it's been embraced so well. Maybe that's just a thing about Christmas music. You get things like that and Manheim Steamroller, things that people would be embarrassed to listen to any other time of the year, but at Christmastime it's okay. I don't get it.

Tell me a story behind one of the new songs on the album.

Haseltine I asked the guys, "Do you think we could write a Christmas song that is reminiscent of the Bing Crosby era, like those 'Baby It's Cold Outside' kind of things?" We all said, "We can at least try." So we came up with "Hibernation Day," and now it's a highlight on the record; it's very different from anything we've ever done. It's playful, and I don't think people are going to dig too deep into it. We always run the risk of having fans attach such super spiritual significance to each lyric, but with this one, I don't think we're at risk of that. People will be able to just enjoy it as this romantic song.

You and (guitarist) Matt Odmark share a love of the John Denver Christmas albums. Did any of that influence come into this album?

Haseltine I thought it would more than it actually did. Every year, the first Christmas song I put on at home is "Aspen Glow" off of John Denver's Rocky Mountain Christmas, this really beautiful acoustic song. At first, I think we all thought our Christmas record would end up being something like that, but it turned into something very different when we got in the studio and started making it.

A few years ago, we were going to be part of this Nettwerk Christmas compilation. We picked one from that John Denver album called, "Please, Daddy, Don't Get Drunk This Christmas." We recorded it in sort of a lighthearted way, but it's just one of the most depressing Christmas songs ever. We sent it to Nettwerk, and they said, "This is a family record. We don't think we can put this on there." So it's never seen the light of day!

Now that you're indie, will you still get distribution in Christian retail?

Haseltine Yes, because we're still going to be distributed through the Provident system. The Jars of Clay fan base is predominantly within the Christian community, and we still want to make sure we're honoring them.

Was your parting with Essential a friendly one?

Haseltine Yes. We were proud of ourselves, actually, to finish out a contract. These days, very few artists or bands actually finish a contract. Our contract was a very long one, and there were definitely seasons where we would trade in the entire label system for a Diet Coke. But I think we all worked really hard and were able to put out some great music in that system and accomplish some of the things we wanted to accomplish. It was a positive parting, but I think we just recognized that we didn't necessarily need all of the things that a label would require of us.

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