How did Dave Koz, a self-described “nice Jewish boy from the Valley” wind up spending the last decade and a half doing an all-star Christmas tour? It starts out as a sad story, but it winds up being about resilience, hope, the bonding of some unlikely characters and the sweet, sweet spirit of the season - just like the best holiday specials. All that’s missing is a plucky red-nosed reindeer and an elf that wants to be a dentist.

“David Benoit came up with the idea. I had lost both of my parents, and I was interviewing him on my radio show, thinking how to make it through the rest of the year,” the Grammy-winning saxophonist explains. “He said ‘Let’s do some Christmas shows.’ We did six that year, and it kept growing. I just liked it, and the momentum gained an energy all its own.”

That momentum brings the Dave Koz and Friends Christmas Tour back to the Kravis Center on Sunday, featuring friendly, jazzy versions of your holiday favorites by Koz, Benoit, and special guests Javier Colon, season 1 winner of “The Voice,” singer Margaret Ray and Latin pop/jazz/funk percussionist and certified kick-butt legendary diva Sheila E. Though the cast changes every year, the warm feeling remains the same.

“I love the fact that every year, people come back and make (the show) a tradition, being there with their families,” says Koz, who has released three holiday-related albums, most recently 2007’s “Memories of a Winter’s Night.”

“We have all different age groups, even whole offices, 30 people who all go to the show and make it a tradition as a family,” he continues. “It’s just really grown. It’s a great treat and a wonderful blessing. There’s something about the music, that’s the reason that people love those songs. These are the songs we hear every year, because we have an insatiable appetite for it. It’s musical comfort food.”

Given Koz’s nice Jewish boy status, his approach to a Christmas and holiday music set is “to not take away from the religious aspect, because obviously there’s a religious overtone to all of it, but the holidays are, for most people, about something that everyone can relate to, and that’s family celebration. It’s about reminding us of our best selves. It’s an important time of year. We’re going into a New Year, so it’s self reflection time, looking at the year that has passed and thinking ‘How did we do?’ It’s a chance to look at ourselves. Sometimes music can reflect that. It gives us a new opportunity every year.”

This year’s tour features some old favorites and some new surprises - “I like to mix it up. I don’t like doing the same show twice,” Koz says. Benoit, “one of the originals” on the tour, has scored several “Peanuts” specials and has been closely associated with the signature warmly moody jazz tunes from those specials, which is featured in the live shows and brings “so many really great, great memories,” Koz says.

Although Colon became known to wider audiences during the first season of “The Voice” in 2011, he’s been known to Koz for years - “He sang on one of my albums! I love that guy, and that guy can sing anything. The first time I saw him on ‘The Voice’ I couldn’t believe it. And when he won, that got us back in touch. I was so happy for him.”

Sheila E., former Prince protege, heir of a Latin percussion musical legacy started by her father, Pete Escovedo, and the owner of several hits including “The Glamorous Life” and “A Love Bizarre,” is also “a dear friend of mine, like another sister to me. She brings the fire and heat and intensity - in high heels, no less,” he says. “She’s an incredible musician and just fun to work with. With Margo Raye, we’ve got a Latin vibe for the first time, and it’s perfect. This is Sheila’s first Christmas tour and it’s a nice opportunity for her fans to see her do something new.”

Speaking of trying something new, Koz has embarked on several new endeavors, including forays into cooking and wine - “If fans like what you do, that thread runs through a lot of passions,” he says. “I love exploring that connection through wine and music. I play a lot of wineries during the summer, and someone came to me with the idea for doing a wine for charity.”

For the past four years, Koz Wine, association with Napa Valley’s Vinum Cellars, has been available at West coast Whole Foods stores and benefits the Starlight Children’s Foundation, which helps long-hospitalized children. And now, the wines are available nationwide at California Pizza Kitchen restaurants.

“You’re doing good and drinking good at the same time,” he says.