The mood in the bunk house was festive, if not downright rambunctious, as they hung up their guns and hats. Roger Eilts reached for his guitar, and his brother Leo picked up his upright bass.

The scene was a Cowboy Christmas, as performed by the Eilts brothers and other members of their band, Knights of the Blue Fesque. During two Services last week in La Crosse, the La Crosse High School graduates and others musicians reminded audiences at United Methodist Church that the American cowboy heritage is steeped in spiritual traditions.

Usually, the Pro Art Music Club in La Crosse presents an annual Christmas Cantata, said Peggy Highfill, president of the organization, which sponsored the programs. This year, the group decided to try something different.

Many of the 550 people who attended one or both programs donated money or non-perishable items for the Rush County Food Bank.

On Sunday, the band will conduct the service at Countryside Christian Church in Mission, where the Eilts brothers now reside.

"We grew up listening to Sons of the Pioneers and that kind of music," Leo Eilts recalled. During trips to Great Bend, he said, they would sing in the car learning harmony from their musical mother.

Years later, as they developed the Cowboy Christmas the brothers drew upon their roots, creating a story set in the "recent past."

"The time is kind of indeterminate," Leo said. Banjo player Carl Anderton wears a costume from his hobby as a Civil War re-enactor, but the music is mostly circa 1940s, from the era of Roy Rogers and other singing cowboys.

The story involves a group of cowboys who ride in from their jobs tending cattle on the Kansas Plains on Christmas Eve to meet their families, sing and play music, and reminisce about the past.

After a rowdy start with songs such as "Sleigh Ride," the cowboys become more quiet and contemplative.

Their recitations include a contemporary version of the Nativity, with Joe and Maria in Texas giving birth to a baby named Jesus.

In spite of the Western themes, the Cowboy Christmas program is relevant for today, said Rathy Bannister, pastor at La Crosse United Methodist Church.

"I think people were very uplifted by a different way of presenting the traditional music and the traditional story," Bannister said. "I think it helps people to hear the familiar story in a new way."