What Kellie Pickler Hopes Isn’t Permanent Coming out of the Pandemic (Exclusive)

Like many, country music star Kellie Pickler is taking her recent downtime to work on random projects around the house like canning and painting, and an added bonus for her is spending more time with her husband, Kyle Jacobs. But in a world where face masks went from trendy to necessity, Pickler says she hopes this distanced lifestyle isn't a permanent thing. In an exclusive interview with PopCulture.com for a PopCulture at Home episode, the actress noted she's very much a "hugger" and is keeping her fingers crossed that this new way of life doesn't stick around.

"I hope we don't get to a place where hugging is absolutely forbidden because I'm a hugger, and I think touch is so important," Pickler detailed in her interview. "Like, when you shake someone's hand, or you give them a hug, or a high-five or whatever, there's just that human contact, it's so important." She and her husband have found ways to still interact with a very small group of people. Pickler also notes she doesn't enjoy referring to this new time as "social distancing," instead, calling it "common sense distancing" as she finds human interaction to still be very important during such an unprecedented time.

In the meantime, Pickler has used this years to be productive at home and dive into projects she otherwise wouldn't have much time for, which has been a nice change of pace for her. "I have really just been able to use this time to get all the things done around the house that I've had to put off because normally I'm pulled in 100 different directions by 100 different people at the same time — which I love, 'cause I do love to work," the 34-year-old said. "But I've just been able to take the time for me and be with my husband and garden and finish all these, like, house projects we've been doing, and paint. I think I've painted about every room in the house now."

Amid Pickler "trying to be as positive as possible," she's also teamed up with Hallmark again for their Shoebox card collection, along with fellow country music singer Brad Paisley, as the company ventures into the doors of Walmart. "I love their cards!" Pickler gushed. "[...] I am so blessed to be a part of the Hallmark family and have been for a few years now. They've been so good to me. I really love what they represent, and it makes you feel good."

She continued, "You know, from the movies to the Shoebox collection, they make you feel good. It makes you laugh — and I think we could all use a good laugh right now." The "Red High Heels" singer continued to explain that she's a huge fan of handwritten letters, and Shoebox makes it perfect for their customers to provide a little laugh with enough space to write down their open personal thoughts inside each card. The fan-favorite collection is now available at Walmart.

As for Pickler's plans for the rest of the year, she says she's just waiting for the green light to get back on tour and out on the road again. Until then, she's going to continue enjoying her time at home.