The holidays are a special time of year for Lakewood’s Maia Santell and her band, House Blend. The jazz/blues/swing outfit is gearing up for their annual holiday concert, which will feature classics such as “Santa Baby,” Charles Brown’s “Please Come Home For Christmas” and Mel Torme’s “The Christmas Song.”

“We do a lot of the popular ones that people know,” Santell said.

A young special guest will join them on stage this year. Josh Violette, who goes by the stage name Jumpin’ Josh, is 12 years old. He is a veteran of the blues jams that Randy Oxford hosts at Jazzbones and has performed at several functions organized by South Sound Blues Association (SSBA).

He will play guitar and harmonica in the second set, taking the stage at about 8:15 p.m. He also plays saxophone, drums and bass.

“He is just amazing, this child,” Santell observed. “We will keep it real bluesy when he comes up.”

Her husband Gary Grape is president of SSBA and knows the boy’s father, who is a member of the organization. For the last three years, Jumpin’ Josh has been a guest with Maia Santell and House Blend for gigs at Johnny’s Dock.

“He is very serious,” Santell said. “My musicians just take him under their wings. When he is up with the big boys he can hold his own.”

She recently released her latest album, “Dance With Me! Maia Santell Live at Jazzbones.” It includes covers of “Start It Up” by Robben Ford, “Oye Como Va” by Santana and “Georgia On My Mind” by Hoagy Carmichael.

The management of Jazzbones offered their venue for the recording and Santell was pleased to record it live in front of a crowd tearing up the dance floor. The main challenge in mixing the tracks was equalizing the crowd noise, she noted.

The band plays the holiday show at Jazzbones at 7 p.m. on Dec. 6. Cover is $8.

The band will also ring out 2009 with four shows at Johnny’s Dock on Dec. 26, 27 and 30 from 6-9 p.m. and Dec. 31- Jan. 1 from 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.

They have played there on New Year’s Eve for five straight years, so this has become a tradition.

“It is always stuffed to the rafters,” she said. “It will be a wild night.”

She will do the obligatory “Auld Lang Syne” as well as other songs associated with the holiday, such as “What Are You Doing On New Year’s Eve” and “As Time Goes By.”