Plus, ET exclusively reveals a never-before-seen performance of 'Meaning of Life!'
Christmas has come early for Kelly Clarkson fans!
The 35-year-old singer recently teamed up with Cracker Barrel's "Rocking and Stockings" content series, and now, ET can exclusively reveal a never-before-seen performance of "Meaning of Life" from her newest album of the same name.
In the video, which you can watch below, Clarkson wows in an off-the-shoulder, black dress as she sings her heart out on a gorgeous, dim-lit set.
ET caught up with Clarkson ahead of the video's release, where she filled us in on how she plans to spend the holidays this year. She told us she'll definitely be with her family -- husband Brandon Blackstock, her two children, River Rose and Remington, and stepchildren, Savannah and Seth.
"I'm working overseas until, like, the 20th. I think we literally get back Dec. 20th, but from right then until New Year's, my family will be in town, his family's in town, and we're just kinda hangin' and layin' low," she explained. "I dropped a record, a 'Christmas Eve' song, a children's Christmas book, and [gearing up for] The Voice, so it's been really, really busy. I think we'll just hang out on our land, we have a farm, and we'll probably just grill out, bonfire, have some hot chocolate, all the good stuff."
"When it comes to Christmas Eve, we have all four kids under the same roof with us and we really try to pay attention to them, because we work and travel a lot," she continued. "Those are really special moments for us in the sense that all us are in one spot."
The brunette beauty has always loved Christmas, but has found the holiday to be extra special ever since she's become a mother. While talking about what her kids have been asking for from Santa Claus this year, she revealed to ET the hysterical item on 3-year-old daughter River Rose's wish list.
"This is actually hilarious and I am so glad you asked me," Clarkson said, laughing. "Her and my niece wrote Santa, we got them this cute little envelope thing from Target, you zip it up and send it to the north pole. My daughter, she obviously can't write yet, so she just colored on it, but I asked her, 'Well, what do you want me to write and I'll ask Santa for you?'"
"She said, 'Boobies and a tail like Little Mermaid,'" Clarkson continued. "You know, like, the shells that she wears? She said that and I was like, 'Oh my God. How am I going to get that?' Yeah, that's what my daughter asked Santa Claus for."
So, will Santa deliver?
"I'm gonna make it happen," Clarkson confirmed. "I don't know how I'm going to make that, but, yeah."
Luckily, shopping for the other kids will be much easier.
"The greatest thing about our 1-year-old, Remington, is that he adores any kind of stuffed animal," Clarkson shared. "He latches on, he goes to sleep with it, he's just a cuddle buddy."
"My daughter's like little miss independent, and generally does not want you to hold her," Clarkson added, adorably referencing her 2003 hit, "Miss Independent," off her Thankful album. "She's like, 'Nah, I'm good. I'm hot.' But our son is just such a little cuddle bug. Honestly, he could open a box and he'd be happy."
Clarkson revealed that she's also reminding her teenage stepchildren that the presents this year are about quality, not quantity.
"We're like, 'Just so you know, 16-year-old, you're not going to have as many presents under the tree, but yours are more expensive,'" she joked. "We're not counting how many are under the tree because the net worth of people's are not similar."
And although Christmas is still over a month away, Clarkson said she's one of those people who has no problem listening to holiday tunes before Thanksgiving.
"I will listen to Christmas music in June, I'm weird," the Fort Worth, Texas, native, shared. "I could listen to Bing Crosby's record, Mariah Carey's record, or, hell, I love my record [Wrapped in Red]. I just love Christmas music. It's such a classic sound."
"I know it sounds so weird, but I loved that album!" she said of Wrapped in Red, which was released in 2013. "I had so much fun making that, all the musicians on it were crazy good. Since I've already done a full Christmas album, it'd be fun to pick some of my favorite singers and maybe do like a duet thing. That would be cool! But after doing a classic Christmas album, I feel like it'd be hard to beat, just because of how it all came to be."
Clarkson, who revealed her favorite Christmas song of all-time is "White Christmas," also talked about caroling. She said she used to enjoy it back in the day, but hasn't really gone since she's been in the public eye. Before our interview ended, we had to ask if she's ever thought about surprising fans by singing at their doorstep.
"I love caroling," she gushed. "Actually, that gives me like the greatest idea. I should just do that this year!"
“Cracker Barrel Rocking and Stockings” content series features exclusive performances by Clarkson and Brett Eldredge on Cracker Barrel’s YouTube channel, running weekly now through Dec. 12. Eldredge’s albums, Brett Eldredge, and Glow, as well as Clarkson’s Meaning of Life and both children’s books are available at Cracker Barrel locations nationwide and online at shop.crackerbarrel.com.
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