Jane Lynch can’t get enough of Christmas

Jane Lynch is perpetually busy.

If the former star of "Glee" isn't working on a television show like the acclaimed "Only Murders in the Building," Lynch is directing commercials or starring on Broadway in productions such as the revival of "Funny Girl."

No matter how jammed Lynch is, she always makes time for "A Swingin' Little Christmas," which returns Saturday, Dec. 13, to Hancher Auditorium. It's the 10th edition of an old school show that features holiday standards and comedy. It's a lot of heavy lifting for Lynch, who belts out songs and engages the audience with her close friends Kate Flannery and Tim Davis. Lynch chooses to devote so much time to her holiday endeavor after grinding it out during the year.

"I do this show since this is the highlight of my year," Lynch said while calling from Peakskill, New York. "I look forward to next season's Christmas show from the moment the final show ends. I get home and unpack my suitcase, and I start thinking about next year's show. I can't help it."

That’s so, even though the charming "A Swingin' Little Christmas" is the same show each year. That's fine with Lynch, Flannery and Davis. It's also fine for the audience, which revels in the nostalgia of the holiday season.

It's evident that Lynch, 65, grew up on the variety shows of the '60s and '70s, which featured Andy Williams, Bing Crosby and Donny Osmond. What made those legends’ shows work was that they spoke to their television audience, as opposed to at the viewers. That's exactly what Lynch, Flanner and Davis, who are accompanied by the Tony Guerrero Quintet, accomplish.

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"That's what it's about," Lynch said. "You connect with the audience and you offer them this invitation to spend 90 minutes with us. It's that simple, but those shows back in the day were that simple. We're very much influenced by those shows from our childhood. We're all around the same age, and we all watched those shows. We adore Christmas music from the late '50s and early '60s. We love the arrangements and how jazzy those songs are. We do tight harmonies that are a throwback to when Perry Como and Rosemary Clooney sang classic Christmas songs."

The holiday tunes Como crooned and Clooney belted out remain staples on radio stations that air Christmas music in November and December.

"There's a reason for that," Lynch said. "The songs they recorded are fantastic. The three of us love singing together."

Lynch and Flannery have been close pals since the late '80s when they met while working on the sketch comedy group Second City in Chicago.

"Kate and I hit it off immediately," Lynch said. "We have the same sense of humor and just have a great time together. We also both grew up in Irish Catholic families with great fathers who were World War II veterans. We have the same view of life and our voices harmonize really well with each other. The fun thing is that we switch our harmony parts. We go back and forth and just have a blast."

Lynch befriended Davis during her "Glee" run.

"Early on, Kate and I sat down with Tim since he's a vocal arranger," Lynch said. "I said to him, 'We want to add a third harmony part. Would you join us?' He said, 'I would love to.' It's better with a three-part harmony anyway. The other benefit is that Tim is the reason the Tony Guerrero Quintet is with us. It all worked out."

It's been an enviable career for Lynch, who initially earned acclaim while working with Flannery on the theatrical production "The Real Live Brady Bunch." Lynch portrayed Brady matriarch Carol Brady.

"The great thing about doing that show was that I got to meet Florence Henderson, who was so amazing as Carol Brady," Lynch said. "When we were growing up, everyone wanted Carol Brady as their mother. She was the ultimate mom. We did the show for five months in Los Angeles. When we opened that show, all the Brady kids were there, but they were adults since our show happened during the '90s. It was so cool.“

“I remember taking photos with Florence Henderson and she said, 'I just have one question for you. Are you making fun of us?' I said, 'Absolutely not.' We did the show out of affection for the Brady Bunch. It was a great show, and you can still find it on television. It just never went away."

Lynch earned notice for her work on three Christopher Guest films, the hilarious 2000 mockumentary "Best in Show," the amusing 2003 film "A Mighty Wind" and 2006's "For Your Consideration."

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"Christopher Guest is a wonderful guy to work with," Lynch said. "It was a little intimidating at first working on his films since you have so much freedom. You improvise your own dialogue. At first that was a challenge but by the third film, I was like, 'I think I can do this.’"

Lynch became a star in 2009, which was the start of her "Glee" run. Lynch won acclaim for her portrayal of the intense cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester.

"I had as much fun with 'Glee’ as you think I did," Lynch said. "’Glee' was a hit because of the music. Music is the great equalizer in society. (’Glee's’) McKinley High could be brutal. You might get a slushy in the face but when you entered that choir room, it was safe. Everyone had your back. You would feel safe, secure and happy since you were around people that support you."

No wonder Lynch can't help but come back with “A Swingin' Little Christmas” every year.