Dave Koz performs smooth jazz holiday music for the smooth jazz holiday music-averse. (Photo: AP)

The soprano sax may be an object of ridicule 11 months out of the year, but it kind of redeems itself in December.

That's when the instrument—a crucial element of smooth jazz music—is used in the creation of soothing, instrumental versions of classic holiday songs.

Holiday music is generally acknowledged as a cheesy guilty pleasure; smooth jazz often gets the same rap. But when the two combine, the result can be magical. All of the elements of smooth jazz that are typically maligned by jazz purists work incredibly well for holiday tunes—so well, in fact, that people who normally wouldn't enjoy either genre may enjoy their hybrid. 

The Washington area is lousy with holiday-themed smooth jazz shows this time of year. Attending them is not unlike lounging by a fire and drinking a big frothy mug of eggnog after dissolving a Vicodin in it—these performances can be extremely relaxing and entertaining. 

After attending a Peter White holiday show at the Birchmere, and both a Kenny G and a Dave Koz show at the Strathmore, I'm convinced that everyone can enjoy the mash-up of smooth jazz and holiday standards, if they give it a try.

Like drinking hot alcoholic beverages and eating mint candy for reasons other than breath freshening, seeing a smooth jazz holiday show is a strange, but ultimately rewarding seasonal pleasure. A few reasons to try it:

1. It doesn't have to be a religious experience

Go to the National Cathedral for a holiday music program, and you may very well hear some mention of Jesus. Not true with these shows. During Koz's "Dave Koz and Friends: A Smooth Jazz Christmas 2010," Jonathan Butler sang some devotional stuff, but that's not the norm. In fact, both Kenny G and Dave Koz are Jewish but just really, really like Christmas music. Both even gave obligatory Hannukah shout-outs during their shows, which took place during the holiday.  “It’s the second day of Hannukah—I will be accepting Hannukah presents in the lobby after the show," Kenny G said, before launching into an explanation of why he really loves Christmas music.

2. The decorations are beautiful

Your neighbor with the "Snoopy in a Santa Hat" inflatable has nothing on the stage designers for these shows. It's like combining a ride through the neighborhood to check out Christmas lights with a fun, peppy concert. At the Peter White show, the guitarist (along with guests Rick Braun and Mindi Abair) was flanked by fully decorated gigantic white Christmas trees (their lights dimmer anytime the show deviated from holiday music).  At both the Kenny G and Koz shows, there were elaborate graphics and lights. As Kenny G, played "White Christmas," behind him were shots of a boy buiding a snowman with his Dad. While they were definitely something out of one of those inspirational Power Point slide shows that people e-mail around, they fit the mood.

3. How often do you get to hear sleigh bells?

Hand-held sleigh bells are a criminally underused piece in the arsenal of most percussionists. Apart from hip-hop producer Pete Rock, people just don’t appreciate them that much. At the Peter White show, however, sleigh bells were all over the place and they served to enhance the warm, seasonal feeling.

4. You could hear the next Christmas classic

A couple of the artists spread across the three shows I attended performed their own holiday songs, like Abair's “I Can’t Wait for Christmas.” “I’m such a geek for Christmas!” she told the Birchmere crowd before digging into her own holiday song. Although she rhymed "tonight" with "apple pie" (and apple pie isn't even a traditional holiday dessert!), her piece was still pretty good.

5. Because holiday classics sound good when they're extra funk-ay

While Kenny G's brand of smooth jazz is more new-agey and relaxing, Koz lives on the funkier side of the smooth jazz street. He and his guests did a funky version of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" that I would defy anyone not to clap to.

6. The costumes are pretty fabulous

White put on an Elvis wig and sang "Blue Christmas" during his show; he also donned a Santa hat for "Santa Claus is Coming to Town." Koz and his crew underwent several outfit changes, and Koz had a man in a Santa suit to come on stage, along with a Santa's helper, to hawk his CDs. You just don't see that kind of pageantry outside of, well, Christmas pageants.

7. The musicianship is impressive

Say what you want about Kenny G, but he played a 1,248-note "Sleigh Ride," adapting a song that, as he said, isn't meant to be an instrumental and made it a pretty cool instrumental.

8. If you like "White Christmas," you're probably going to like almost any version of it. Ditto "Deck the Halls," "Silent Night," and pretty much any other Christmas song.

We all know why hearing holiday music gives us the warm fuzzies: it takes us back to fond memories of Christmases past and it signals that gifts and days off from work and school are coming up soon. Whether one is listening to Bing Crosby sing "White Christmas," or hearing Koz play it, the effect is pretty much the same.