Reba McEntire Is Hosting an Annual Christmas TV Tradition This Year

Reba McEntire is taking on the Big Apple this holiday season. The country singing icon is set to host the iconic Christmas in Rockefeller Center on NBC, which features its highlight anticipated annual tree lighting ceremony.

McEntire is thrilled to take on hosting duties for the big night. The annual special will air on Dec. 3 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC and be available to stream on Peacock.

“I’m really excited to get to go to New York City in December. I’ve never been there in December,” The Voice coach told PEOPLE. “To see all the Christmas decorations and to get to be a part of the tree lighting ceremony, Rockefeller Center, it’s something that I’ve always wanted to do and I’m honored that they asked me to do it.”

McEntire will serve as both host and a performer. Others set to take the stage will be announced in the coming weeks. 

Preparing for the N.Y.C. weather, McEntire, a country star, says she plans to “bundle up,” noting, “I’m going to triple, quadruple layer. I’ll probably have my heated vest on, and all the clothes I can, insulated underwear.”

In her PEOPLE cover story, where she discusses the hosting gig, she also opens up about her career renaissance she’s experiencing at her age. “I think I’m happier now than I’ve ever been in my life,” McEntire said. “It’s amazing. It’s wonderful being 70 and getting to do what I get to do at the level I want to do it.”

She’s juggling her two NBC shows, The Voice and Happy’s Place. “Anytime I get to step on that set, I feel like home. It’s my happy place,” she says of the sitcom, in which she stars alongside Melissa Peterman, Belissa Escobedo and fiancé Rex Linn, which returns Nov. 7.