‘A Very Allston Christmas’ is a very merry mix tape

There’s some disparity between the proper origins of the term “Allston Christmas.” Vanyaland explored whether its source lies with the days before the city’s annual Sept. 1 move when the neighborhood streets are littered with discarded goods for the taking — or is it the day after Thanksgiving when the Harvard Avenue barkeeps hang their holiday decor?

Either way: This has nothing and everything to do with both.

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Local indie rockers Kitner called up some of their pals two weeks ago to make “A Very Allston Christmas Vol. 1,” a mix tape featuring Boston acts playing renditions of their favorite holiday tunes. Conor Maier of Brighton says the idea came to him and bandmate, Christine Atturio, while passing an acoustic guitar over Christmas classics two weeks ago.

“It’s fun to play Christmas music,” says Maier. “And we thought, wouldn’t be sweet if we got our friends to play their favorite songs, too?”

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They went on to hit up band friends via text and at local shows, and within days were able to piece together a collective 10-track holiday album featuring the likes of Magic Magic, Big Nice and Birdwatching. Each band’s recording was done at home and e-mailed in to Maier, who uploaded the complete works to Bandcamp, where it’s available to download for free with original album art by Atturio.

Maier plans to make the album an annual recurrence, and hopes to bridge to a Christmas-theme show next year. It’s all in the holiday spirit for now, but will he eventually cash in?

He says, “Maybe we’ll do some tapes.”