Mary Chapin Carpenter has been known for her major country and pop hits such as "I Feel Lucky," "Shut Up And Kiss Me," and "Down at the Twist and Shout." But she got more passionate when we asked her about songs such as "The Moon and St. Christopher," "John Doe #24," and "I Am A Town." These are the songs for which she has been critically acclaimed. She's a poetic writer who doesn't back away from difficult subjects.

When we asked her to contribute to Ornaments and Icing, she said she had a sleeper song she wanted people to hear. It had been released as a store demo only, and faded away. Here it gets appropriately revived.

We asked if Mary Chapin had any special Christmas memories. She told us this. "I don't really have one in particular. But the times when I have been able to go with the USO organization to various places all over the world just prior to the Christmas holiday, those trips have meant a great deal to me. They made me feel like I was out of my skin and out of my routine. I was putting myself in places and meeting people that felt like gifts. To be able to experience something you've never experienced before and to walk away from it feeling enriched, that's just very precious. So I really think of those kinds of experiences as favorite memories.

"A perfect Christmas/Holiday for me would be one where all of your family's gathered and nobody's in a bad mood [laughs]. Nobody's stressed out. And I think that like for very many people, it's just a very fundamental desire to feel that there's peace in the world, and there's no suffering and there's no poverty and there's no violence. Those are very high and mighty kinds of wishes but I don't think they ever go away. I think you always want that at this time of year."