When I was younger, I just thought that my plans were probably going to be more exciting than my parents' plans or the establishment. I sort of got by on being a little bit of a rebel.

But to make a holiday record that involves favorite American songs and then also get to sing about Jesus birth, it just seemed like a real easy, subtle way to combine a couple of things that I love.

I know how it feels to go into a studio to start a record, and eight weeks later it's finished. I know how an intense schedule feels.

It's human nature to be curious about people, and to be more curious about young people than old people. We want to cheer something on at the same time we want to tear it down. That's just so normal.

I think for a woman, the hardest thing about growing old is becoming invisible. There's something very front and center about being young.

But my experience is that people who have been through painful, difficult times are filled with compassion.

I had the great advantage of a mother who used to tell me the most beautiful years of a woman's life are ages 35 to 45.